Thanks to a grant award of $8,600 from the La Jolla Community Foundation, an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, Muirlands students will soon have access to new tools in their science classrooms. In a competitive grant process, Muirlands Foundation is grateful to be one of five organizations granted an award. Muirlands is strategically focused on improving its inspiration and preparation of students for STEAM-related (Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) coursework in high school, college, and possible career paths. The Muirlands STEAM for Students and Teachers project includes investment in cutting-edge, quality professional development for classroom teachers as well as new equipment for classrooms.
The grant award makes it possible for Muirlands Foundation to purchase new educational technology which develops observational and analytical skills, helps students find fun and relevance in the curriculum, and is user-friendly for teachers. The funds will purchase digital microscopes and LabQuest Sensor Kits and software to be used by all 6th- 8th grade students. The high-resolution digital microscopes capture images, videos, and time-lapse photographs. They provide the power of 200X magnification with new video and photographic options that interface with existing classroom computers and projection boards. Students can see their world differently and access tools similar to those scientists use in fieldwork and labs. From simple comparing of plant and animal cell structure, to using time-lapse photography to capture metamorphosis or evaporation, to solving curriculum-related mysteries with lessons designed by Apple Computer specifically for this equipment, the options are limitless. In addition, the purchase of 9 LabQuest kits allows students to work in groups of four to digitally collect, view, analyze, and annotate data in their science classrooms, conducting real-time investigations of natural phenomena such as light, gravity, heat, buoyancy, motion, ph balance, and dozens of other options. The kits include 100 of the company’s most popular experiments aligned to new science standards. Their use connects math, science, visual learning and application to real-world problem-solving. Teachers can also customize experiments of their own design. Thank you to the La Jolla Community Foundation for supporting our Muirlands students and teachers!
Pictured from left to right: Susan McClelan of the the La Jolla Community Foundation, Principal Harlan Klein, Muirlands Foundation Co-Chair Lisa Bonebrake, and Science Teachers Stephen Halpern and Julie Latta
