In 2014, the Technology Education Foundation (TEF) awarded grants to deserving recipients throughout Southern Wisconsin. Each recipient demonstrated their ability to provide science and/or technology for the greater good of our community. Congratulations to:
Madison Children’s Museum received a TEF grant for $6,087 to support STEAM Engineers, the museum’s newest programs featuring hands-on experiments and demonstrations like 3D printing, stop-motion animation, and electronics to explore the principles of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). STEAM Engineers has a special emphasis on creating sculptures to be 3D printed using cutting edge software. Many of the children’s designs will be used in museum exhibits. The goal is to introduce kids to cutting edge technologies and get them comfortable working with high-end technology at an early age to enhance their creativity with it in the future.
Dane Net is a nonprofit organization that exclusively works with other nonprofits, helping them find and use quality information technology that effectively serves their mission. Dane Net is introducing new technology to girls in the Girls Inc program through workshops at the Goodman Community Center. With a TEF grant of $4,460, youths in the workshop will be exposed to different aspects of computing via the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor, uses a standard keyboard and mouse, and has much of the capability of a traditional computer. The goal of the workshop is to increase awareness of the relevance of STEM class work to creative projects, increase interest in STEM careers, increase competence in using electronics, and increase confidence in presenting before an audience.
Wright Middle School received a TEF grant for $300 to supplement the current fiction and nonfiction titles with e-books on iPads, along with appropriate language art apps for the reading intervention program. The program currently serves about 85 students each year who are below grade level. By increasing students’ reading levels, Wright Middle School can ensure students will be more successful in all of their academic classes, making the students more prepared to be successful for life beyond middle school.
Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School for the 21st Century (MG21) is a project-based public charter school which serves 40-50 students in grades 9 through 12 in the Monona Grove School District. A new engineering/electronics makerspace that was created last year allows students to expand their knowledge in engineering, computers, electronics and robotics. A TEF grant of $2,000 will add a 3D metal printer to the makerspace. The students will build the printer and then learn to implement and use it to expand their engineering and technology skills to design and create projects.
Marshall Middle School received a $2,000 TEF grant to provide e-readers and a set of e-books for the library. The funding will provide e-readers, covers and e-books to 7th and 8th graders in a rural community with very limited funding from the Common School Funds.
Aldo Leopold Nature Center received a TEF grant for $9,775 for an Eluminati Omnifocus Projection System for the High Tech Meets High Touch: Phase III of the Immersion Theater. The new exhibit area and digital curricula incorporate an innovative educational approach that combines the power of cyber learning with the complementary outdoor exploration to address the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Aldo Leopold Nature Center is striving to stay on the cutting edge of technology and maximize visitor educational experiences by enhancing the Immersion Theater to include panoramic astronomy and earth science theater software.
Urban League of Greater Madison continues their mission to ensure that African Americans and other community members are educated, employed and empowered to live well, advance professionally, and contribute to the common good in the 21st Century. With the help of a $10,000 TEF grant the Urban League will be able to continue with the Advanced Employment Services: Foundational Technology Skills Training and IT Career Academy. Technology will play a big part in building the capacity to scale up and make an even greater impact in the elimination of the racial disparities that challenge the community.
School District of Monroe received a $9,229 TEF grant for 30 Chromebooks and licenses, and a Chromebook Cart for the Parkside Elementary School. The new Smarter Balance assessment requires students to take on exam online. Students will be able to take the Smarter Balance assessment and feel confident in their technology and keyboarding skills and focus more on the content of the exam.
Capital Science & Engineering Fair motivates students to study science, technology, engineering, and math and end up qualified to go into STEM-related careers, thus helping Wisconsin to draw cutting-edge, high-tech industries. A $1,500 TEF grant will be used to support travel for student winners and escorts to the international fair, for prizes and awards at CSEF and for direct fair costs.
YWCA Madison is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. YWCA recently started an YWeb Career Academy. This program targets young women and people of color, who are underrepresented in technology, to increase opportunities for attaining family-sustaining jobs while also meeting a labor market gap. A TEF grant of $7,500 will help the YWeb Career provide instruction in website development through an intensive training institute. The class will provide 400 hours of instruction to 20-25 individuals per class in Ruby, HTML5/CSS, JavaScript, Node.js and user experience design. It will also cover job readiness, team building and hands-on learning in computer programming.
School District of New Glarus received a $2,529 TEF grant for Kindles for a series of Asynchronous Reading Clubs (ARC). The ARCs will aim to provide high school students with opportunities to think about the specifics and the nuances and the policy dilemmas associated with the STEM topics they study in the classroom, about historical aspects of these STEM topics, and/or about the details of hallmark discoveries in science, math and engineering.
Monona Grove School District received a $7,500 TEF grant for a two week STEM camp for 3-5th graders. The focus of this camp is to showcase cross-curricular components such as science, engineering, biotechnology, and drafting and design. The goals of the program include making connections between the designed activities and careers in the STEM field, focus the experience on end product for each session to engage parents in STEM career fields, connect the sessions with courses through the MGSE that will support growth in STEM fields, and to strengthen the connections with local industry and higher education professionals in STEM fields.
Edgewood College was funded $5,000 from TEF for iPads for the Resources and Opportunities in Science Education (ROSE) Program. The ROSE Program’s approach is unique in that it focuses on parents as well as students, and provides parents with hands-on STEM experiences and information about resources in the community and schools. The goal of ROSE is to empower parents from under-represented groups by enhancing their knowledge of science, their awareness of STEM learning opportunities and resources in Madison/Dane County, and their overall appreciation of the value of a science education.
Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District received $6,000 for Chromebook computing devices, carrying cases, and internet access Jetpacks to approximately 20 students who have been identified as truly needing take-home technology. These students will be able to perform homework assignments and research more productively and efficiently outside of school facilities and after school hours. Students will be able to save time revising compositions using word processing software than hand-written papers, and employ a variety of other study aids and homework help programs.
Wisconsin Youth Company received a $7,000 TEF grant for Android tablets and educational apps. Wisconsin Youth Company provides before and after school care in 33 elementary schools in eleven school districts in Dane and Waukesha counties. The Android tablets will allow students to complete homework, conduct research and play educational games during free choice time. This grant impacts 200-300 children who would have new access to technology that they haven’t had after school and might not have at home.
Did you know that 100% of proceeds from the Berbee Derby go to the Madison-based Technology Education Fund (TEF)? The annual Thanksgiving Day event has become a family tradition for many. Fun event for all ages and levels.
The Berbee Derby celebrated their 20 year anniversary this Thanksgiving — which was its final year of the annual event.