Pioneer Middle School teacher receives $10,000 technology grant

Pioneer Middle School teacher receives $10,000 technology grant
Calzaretta plans to purchase iPads for his students

Pioneer Middle School teacher Dan Calzaretta is one of nine Washington state educators to receive a $10,000 CenturyLink technology grant to strengthen existing curricula and integrate technology. Calzaretta plans on purchasing classroom iPads for his students. The technology equipment is expected to arrive in July.

"While we often teach students what to learn, we rarely teach them how to learn," Calzaretta said. "The most powerful learning experiences spark curiosity, are relevant to students' lives, and are academically challenging."

Calzaretta teaches the Explorer Gift Learning program and specializes in film making and documentaries. He says his recent documentary project, Through Our Eyes, was a great example of how this new technology will advance learning.

"In addition, the project incorporates iPad technology in every step of the process," Calzaretta said. "The iPad is an ideal platform as it is intuitive, easy to use and will allow students to complete their entire project on one device."

Winning projects came from across the state and include a competition-level robot, a documentary that investigates why populations migrate to specific area and the design and fabrication of 3D product models. The variety and scope of the nine 2012 learning projects touch all core subjects and integrate state learning standards with the most current Web technologies.

"Students live in a 21st century world, but they step into a 19th century system as soon as they enter the school door," Calzaretta said. "As educators it is our duty to give students the best possible chance for success. We do this when we combine current technology with relevant, meaningful, and exciting instruction."

CenturyLink (formerly Qwest) has funded the program since 2007. Each of the nine winning teachers or teacher teams will receive $10,000 to implement their winning grant proposals. Representatives from OSPI and CenturyLink joined district staff, previous grant awardees and educators from around Washington to evaluate and select the winning projects.

While many projects are classroom-bound, a high number take students out to industry and nature. Many of the projects involve student peers and a significant number interface with industry professionals, families and the community.
To date, 92 teachers and teacher-librarians have received CenturyLink/OSPI Teachers & Technology grants.

For more information, visit the CenturyLink/OSPI Teachers & Technology Grant Program page on the OSPI Web site.

Media: Contact Communications Director Mark Higgins: 509.526.6716 or mhiggins@wwps.org.