Transforming Learning Through Technological Innovation

NEW YORK, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the technological leaps taken in local classrooms to enhance learning, ten tri-state area schools were honored as winners of the fifth annual Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards today at the Celebration of Teaching & Learning, a premier professional development conference for educators hosted by THIRTEEN & WLIW21.  There, students and teachers from the winning schools received special recognition and a $1,000 cash prize from Chase, founding sponsor of the Celebration.  

The Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards highlight the achievements of individuals using innovative techniques to enhance the K-12 curriculum.  Winning submissions utilized various platforms of multimedia, demonstrating how students and teachers alike are using technology to transform and improve the classroom experience.

"This year we saw a record number of submissions for this competition, proving to us that not only are advances in technology inevitable but they are a welcomed necessity in the classroom," said Kimberly Davis, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.  "This is why Chase believes it is so important to recognize those who are fostering these advances.  We are celebrating the future of innovation through our students and teachers who truly understand how to use these tools to their full educational potential."

The 2010 winning schools are: Ditmas I.S. 62, Brooklyn, NY (video project); I.S. 77, Ridgewood, NY (video project); Ward Melville H.S., East Setauket, NY (Web project); Paul D. Schreiber H.S., Port Washington, NY (photography project); Oceanside H.S., Oceanside, NY (video project); P.S. 124, Brooklyn, NY (video project); William McKinley I.S. 259, Brooklyn, NY (multimedia project); P.S. 108Q, South Ozone Park, NY (Web project); Signal Hill E.S., Dix Hills, NY (multimedia project); Mt. Pleasant Blythedale UFSD, Valhalla, NY (Web project). The projects will be on display throughout the Celebration, a marquee experience of the first annual proclamation of New York Celebrates Teaching & Learning Week.  

"The Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards are a special moment during the Celebration of Teaching & Learning when we take a moment to highlight local talent that infuses creativity and technology into the classroom each day," said Ronald Thorpe, vice president and director of education at WNET.ORG.  "These schools have taken information and transformed it into an exciting learning experience to be shared with and to inspire others, just as all those involved in the Celebration aim to do."

The Celebration takes place at the Hilton New York and brings together educators, experts and activists from around the globe for hands-on workshops, exhibits on the latest educational tools and interactive sessions with unprecedented talent including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; CEO of The Jim Henson Company Lisa Henson; ten-time Grammy Award winning composer, vocalist and conductor  Bobby McFerrin; musician and television & film actress Queen Latifah; international public servant Her Majesty Queen Noor; "the science guy" from the Ellen DeGeneres Show Steve Spangler; acclaimed author and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Katherine Paterson; Former U.S. Secretary of Education The Honorable Richard W. Riley; as well as education leaders David Steiner, Diane Ravitch, David Rose, Joel Rose, Jim Simons and Ron Fairchild.

For a complete schedule, visit www.thirteencelebration.org.

About WNET.ORG

New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content.  The parent of THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and Creative News Group, WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and Web sites as Worldfocus, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack, Wild Chronicles, Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international audiences.  Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects.  In all that it does, WNET.ORG pursues a single, overarching goal - to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America and the world.  For more information, visit www.wnet.org.

SOURCE WNET.ORG