INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Education Foundation of Indian River County received a $5,000 grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation to support the students at Osceola Magnet. This grant, combined with $25,000 in matching funds from the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations will be used for the “Mission Smart Science” Program for the students.
The goal of the Osceola Magnet School’s “Mission Smart Science” program is to create classrooms of today with the most up-to-date technology that will impact science instruction and enhance the student achievement in the area of science. Osceola Magnet School will launch a new program called “Mission: Smart Science.”
This program will include integrating new advanced online supplementary science curriculum for kindergarten through 5th grade students with their existing programs. This new program will use SMART Board technology to enhance classroom learning.
Research is clear that the use of this type of technology in the classroom will help to increase the level of student engagement. This technology, if used with engaging, rigorous science investigations, can excite students of all ages who are ready for something more interactive than just the lecture approach. These lessons can be used with SMART board technology and will accommodate different types of student learning: visual learners respond well to the visual projection elements, while tactile learners benefit from the actual interaction with the SMART board.
The Education Foundation of Indian River County is an independent and self-funded organization that exists to fulfill unmet funding gaps of the School District of Indian River County through six core programs that link and engage community leaders in the process of supporting public education.
During the 2012-2013 school year the organization infused more than $350,000 in program services and awarded over $875,000 in college scholarships and academic awards at the Indian River Regional Science & Engineering Fair.
For more information visit: www.edfoundationirc.org.
Attached photo shows EF-IRC Board Chair, Patrice Stowe, with Osceola Magnet grant recipients Tricia Perakes, Kristen Bruckner, and Principal Kathleen Goldstein
