A $10,000 makeover has enabled Lexington Elementary School teacher Claudia Heuser to turn her 50-year-old classroom into one of her school’s most technologically advanced.
Mercury News recently reported Heuser was one of five teachers in the United States to win the grand prize in the Got 2B Safe lesson plan contest sponsored by Honeywell and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
While many teachers may have used the prize money to redecorate their rooms, Heuser decided to go a different direction. Since the Los Gatos, California-based elementary school is scheduled to be torn down next year, Heuser opted to outfit her classroom with technology that can be moved to a new school in the fall.
Heuser said she bought a new iPod, speaker system and wireless headsets for her classroom. She also bought a document camera, which she plans to connect to a classroom projector for her first and second graders to enjoy.
Educators have found interactive technology in the classrooms, such as laptops and digital cameras, can be used in conjunction with an HD-TV, LED monitor or
DLP projector to create a learning environment that engages the students and encourages participation.
In addition to winning the contest, Heuser traveled to Washington, D.C. in May, where she attended the Hope Awards sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
