Poca High School  was selected as one of 110 K-12 public schools                               nationwide to receive                                 the 2008 Hewlett                                      Packard Technology for                           Teaching grant, which                                   is designed to                                          transform and improve                                  learning in the                                        classroom through                                   innovative uses of technology.

Poca High School will receive an award package of HP products and a cash award for each teacher with a total value of more than $38,000.

Each of the HP Technology for Teaching grant recipients will use wireless HP Tablet PC technology to enhance learning in multiple disciplines and with a focus on math and science.

Poca High School’s project, Project Wetland Educational Training (WET), will create a place-based learning environment with opportunities for students to share, collaborate, and reflect. Students will assume the roles of scientists to determine factors leading to the decline of fauna in the Wetlands of Winfield. Science and mathematics teachers will mentor groups of students as the groups collect and analyze data, photograph and catalogue fauna, test environmental factors and record data, journal, and present solutions.

Project WET will facilitate students’ learning about various human and environmental factors that influence the wetland biome.  In addition, students will calculate the composition of the wetlands and gather data which will be analyzed using spreadsheets and databases.  In the outdoor laboratory, students will use instrumentation and GPS technology to complete project activities.

Debbie Booth feels that the grant will go far in helping students at Poca High School achieve academic success. "The grant award will provide needed equipment and training to help us as project teachers incorporate many 21^st century learning skills into our classrooms. In so doing, we will be preparing students to face the challenges of a global society in which technology plays a large role. We are excited to be a part of something this challenging and rewarding, and we thank Hewlett Packard for making this possible."

Teachers within the science and mathematics departments at Poca High School who will be working with Project WET include Booth as the lead teacher, Lynn Kibler, Maureen Miller, Valerie Helmstetter, and Tami Coles. Involved teachers will be responsible for planning and conducting the lessons, training students in the use of the newly acquired technology, and assessing project outcomes. The teachers will work with students in approving contracted work and project timelines, developing assessment products, and facilitating field trips.

HP is awarding 149 K-12 public schools and two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico more than $7 million in mobile technology, cash and professional development as part of the 2008 HP Technology for Teaching grant program. Since 2004, HP has contributed a total of $60 million in HP Technology for Teaching grants to more than 1,000 schools in 41 countries worldwide. During the past 20 years, HP has contributed more than $1 billion in cash and equipment to schools, universities, community organizations and other nonprofit organizations around the world.

"Around the world, HP partners with pioneering teachers and schools to discover how technology can improve student success," says Sid Espinosa, director of Global Social Investment programs at HP. "While technology is not the answer to every educational challenge, we have witnessed its incredible and transformative impact in the classroom. This innovation is happening every day as teaching and learning are fundamentally changing. By helping teachers help students, HP is actively investing in the future of our children and our communities."

More information about the 2008 HP Technology for Teaching program and grant recipients is available at www.hp.com/go/hpteach.

In addition, more information about Poca High School is available at http://putnam.schoolspan.com/phs/.