The Waitt Family Foundation, the Siouxland-based philanthropic program of Ted and Joan Waitt, pledged a major financial commitment to the "Technology in Early Education Program," a public/private partnership with the United States Department of Education and Loess Hills Area Education Agency (AEA 13). United States Senator Tom Harkin lent key support and leadership to the development of the partnership and to the application for the Department of Education grant.

The program will help fulfill the need for technology-focused curriculum as well as alleviate the dearth of technology in the lower grade classrooms of Walnut Grove Elementary in the Council Bluffs Community School District and and Lewis and Elliott Elementaries in the Griswold Community School District---located in the Loess Hills AEA 13 area.

The funds are being used to purchase technology, train teachers, and evaluate the success of this three-year program. The funding and the program will allow for the development of two demonstration sites that will serve as models for other school districts.

The Loess Hills AEA 13 will administer the three-year project.Funding from this grant will support some of the most innovative practices utilizing technology to improve teaching and learning for children in elementary classrooms.

VISION

The "Technology in Early Education Program,"  will provide laptop computer technology and connectivity to students and teachers of Walnut Grove Elementary School. This technology placed in a learning environment that reflects student-centered instruction, collaborative work, information exchange, active/exploratory/inquiry-based learning, multimedia, and critical thinking in a real-world context will help prepare our students with necessary skills for today's workplace.

The wireless laptops will enable students to access, synthesize and create information at the point of need throughout the school environment. In other words, kids will be using the laptops as routinely as paper, pencil and reference materials are traditionally used in classrooms.

 
Goal
The technology project through project-based learning with integrated skills will help us meet our goals to increase reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Student Projects
 

First Grade	Second Grade	Third Grade
Mrs. Fiedler	Mrs. Rallis	Mrs. Gillespie
Mrs. Miles	Mrs. Shepard	Mrs. Lubbe
Mrs. Salyers	Mrs. Morse	Mrs. Brunson