Jackson schools to apply for computer equipment grant

The Jackson School Board on Tuesday approved a grant application that would help pay for $165,200 worth of computer equipment and software for the high school's business department.

The Vocational-Technical Education Enhancement grant, administered through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, would reimburse the school district $123,275 if approved by the state.

"Assuming we get it approved, we'll get another computer lab at the high school, along with some projectors, printers, digital cameras -- basically a whole other set of classroom technology," said Wade Bartels, associate superintendent finance/business operations.

The district has applied for the grant for several years, Bartels said, and the main difference from past applications is funding for furniture will not be included in this year's grant.

"We're in pretty good shape on furniture, so the new equipment would just fit right into the existing resources we already have there," he said.

Other equipment that would be purchased includes portable computers for teachers and students and laser printers.

"It's a very good investment for the school district and a very good way to keep our equipment updated in those classrooms," Bartels said.

The board also approved adding a "history through multimedia" elective course at the high school for the 2015-2016 school year.

Mike Tornetto, chairman of the social studies department, said the objective of the course is to explore the relationship between multimedia and the historical record.

"The goal is to get them to use multimedia, which has drastically changed over the last 20 years, to learn information from those varied sources of multimedia, and then use multimedia to demonstrate that knowledge," Tornetto said.

The course also will teach students to use technology in a constructive way, he added.

Students will have work outside of the classroom that will include watching films, studying political cartoons and analyzing music. Class discussion will focus on connections between the works and history.

Tornetto said he thinks there will be a lot of interest, especially after the first group of students finishes the course.

"Once they say they've enjoyed it and learned a lot for these reasons, then it'll really take off," he said.

klamb@semissourian.com

338-3639

Pertinent address:

614 E. Adams St., Jackson, Mo.