HP funding for schools’ tech innovation

Peter Dinham
Monday, 03 August 2009 11:06

Business IT - Technology

Hewlett-Packard has given grants totaling over $470,000 to three Australian secondary schools as part of its Innovations in Education program this year.

HP says the grants, worth more than $150,000 each, will aid the secondary schools in improving student achievement by using technology and professional development to redesign the learning experience.
 
The three schools, and their proposals, awarded grants in this year’s program, are Immanuel Lutheran College, Buderim, in Queensland with the proposal “Tablets: The smart medicine for teaching and learning”, Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta, New South Wales, with “Using technology to redesign the learning experience in Senior Biology”, and St Mary’s College, Adelaide, South Australia with the proposal “Robotics”.

HP’s Director of Global Citizenship, HP Asia-Pacific & Japan, Peter Ekstedt, said today the three schools are amongst 28 schools and universities across Asia Pacific that have been granted a combined total of US$3.1 million - approx A$3.8million - through the HP IIE Program.

Ekstedt said the awards were made following a thorough analysis of each school or university’s proposal, which were selected via a competitive RfP (Request for Proposal) process. Participation in the RfP process was by invitation only.

“The HP Innovations In Education Program is about more than the donation of money and equipment. Our objective is to establish social investment programs in partnership with professional development organisations that make a genuine, significant and sustained contribution to learning outcomes for secondary schools and universities.”

Ekstedt said that to enhance the educational experience of their students through technology, Immanuel Lutheran College, Our Lady of Mercy College and St Mary’s College would receive classroom sets of HP products including tablet, notebook and desktop PCs and All-in-One printers, and teachers would also receive professional development through HP’s partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

Leslie Conery, deputy CEO of the ISTE, said research showed that when technology infusion was combined with effective professional development, the impact on teaching and learning was far greater than when either component was offered in isolation.

“For the past 6 years, ISTE has worked with HP to incorporate both components into these grant programs, transforming instruction in over 90% of participating classrooms, and increasing student learning and engagement as a result. We're really pleased to be bringing this innovative program to schools and systems around the world as part of a shared global strategy for fostering innovation in education."