NEA Program To Award Smart Phone Grants
The NEA Foundation is expanding the focus of its Challenge to Innovate (C2i) grant program. In the latest phase, the foundation will award five grants to support innovative ideas for using smart phones in the classroom.
The C2i Mobile Project calls on K-12 teachers, students, parents, and administrators to submit ideas for using smart phones to help transform teaching and learning. The program is being co-sponsored by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), an education technology advocacy group. It's part of the United States Department of Education's Open Innovation Portal, an online platform designed to connect education stakeholders and collect ideas for improving education in the United States.
"The use of mobile phone technologies provides an incredible opportunity for educators and students to learn in new and different ways," according to organizers. But, they argued, "existing cell phone policies often prevent students from using one of the best resources available to them. The cell phone's usefulness and utility includes everything from data collection to student engagement."
Submissions are due May 13. Awards will be announced in June. Up to five participants will receive $1,000 grants, with winners determined by scores from the Open Innovation Portal community, the NEA Foundation, and CoSN.
Further information on the awards and submission guidelines can be found on NEA's site here. Participants must register on the Department of Education's site here.