Believe it or not, the tech talent pipeline is influenced as early as kindergarten. However, more than ever, educators are spending money out-of-pocket to provide students with the opportunities they deserve to succeed and tech-related purchases are some of the most costly. In response, the KC Tech Council launched the Tech for Teachers program and this year, we're partnering with Meta, Cboe, Google Fiber, NIPR and SnapIT Solutions to provide classrooms with tech-enabled learning.
From programmable robots to virtual reality headsets and so much more, our team has had the pleasure of supporting 11 classrooms around the Kansas City area with tech-related wishlist items for the 2023-2024 school year! Now, with our partners alongside us, we're poised to amplify our impact even further.
In order to qualify, the following criteria must be met:
- You are a full-time, licensed teacher at any school (K-12 only) in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
- The sole purpose of the item(s) submitted for consideration is to advance student education and not for personal use.
- You submit an Amazon wish list by Thursday, August 1st, including your school address so that selected items can be shipped directly to your classroom.
At this time, the KC Tech Council will be able to purchase items equalling a limited amount for each teacher, whether that's one large item or multiple small items.
Meta, Cboe, Google Fiber, NIPR and SnapIT Solutions are making waves. Now it's your turn to jump in! By donating funds or contributing directly to Amazon wish lists, you can join the initiative making tech dreams come true. Together, we’ll spark innovation and make sure that the future tech leaders of Kansas City are ready to tackle any challenge that comes their way.
“My students have been putting the Meta Quest to use immediately to develop and test VR environments using Unity, Blender, and additional tools that they have found for VR development,” said Deanna Soukup, educator at Lee’s Summit West High School and recipient of the Tech for Teachers program. “The advantages of incorporating the Quest and other cutting-edge technology into my classes' learning plans is that it allows the students to pursue real-world passion projects that are relevant and meaningful to them. Students' motivation to learn computer science is very high when they are applying those concepts to developing projects for current and cutting-edge technology that they use in the real world.”