Bean Elementary Students with Governor Rick Snyder (courtesy photos)
Students from the Jackson area joined hundreds of others from across the state to present technology demonstrations to lawmakers at the state Capitol Building.
The 16th annual AT&T/MACUL/MVU Student Technology Showcase took place last week in the rotunda of the state Capitol Building.
Presented by the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL), and underwritten by AT&T and Michigan Virtual University (MVU), the 2016 Student Showcase featured demonstrations from students representing four local area schools.
“Making Michigan a national leader in talent development is critical to our overall success, and focusing on skills training for the jobs of today and tomorrow is an important step toward that goal,” Gov. Rick Snyder said. “By equipping our classrooms with innovative technology, we can help position our students for success in the 21st century workforce.”
“Technology is changing the world and it’s crucial that children learn about how to use it both safely and creatively,” said Jim Murray, president of AT&T Michigan. “All of us at AT&T are proud to be a part of this showcase that demonstrates the great work being done in our classrooms to empower students with innovation and technology.”
Students displayed a wide variety of technology projects that blended science, mathematics, social studies and language arts with the latest digital tools. Their work featured paperless classroom and online learning demonstrations, coding, robotics, web design, and dozens of others.
Mark Smith, MACUL executive director, said, “This showcase highlights the best technology projects Michigan students have to offer. Giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their work for lawmakers represents the culmination of months of hard work, and a lifetime of learning.”
Students participating in the presentations to lawmakers include:
- Bean Elementary, Spring Arbor
- Parma Elementary, Parma
- Warner Elementary, Spring Arbor
- Western Middle School, Parma
At the event, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley and State Rep. Sam Singh (D – East Lansing) also were recognized with “Excellence in Education” awards for their dedication to improving Michigan’s education system.
