The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded the Osceola County, Florida school district nearly $1 million to improve the quality of American history education within the schools, UCF Today reports.
Scott Waring, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida’s College of Education, will co-lead the five-year project along with Laura Wakefield, the Teaching American History Grant Program coordinator for the Florida Virtual School.
The money will be used to integrate new and innovative technology in a way that stirs student interest and breaks from conventional teaching methods. Many schools have outfitted their classrooms with e-readers, laptops and smartboards as a way to encourage students to participate and become more interested in lessons.
Connecting devices such as laptops and smartboards to an HD TV, LED monitor or
DLP projector can enhance the benefits of the new technology by incorporating more students at one time. By projecting lessons and educational tools, teachers can create a more interactive atmosphere, which promotes student involvement.
The new grant money will help American history teachers who head fifth, eighth and 11th grade classrooms.
