Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. has been awarded a grant that will help the district provide outreach and training on technology use.
The school corporation has received a $15,000 Parent and Family Engagement Support Grant from the Indiana Department of Education’s Office of Digital Learning.
“The grant is specifically designed to increase the capacity and understanding of digital learning tools among BCSC families,” school officials wrote in a newsletter. “This includes familiarization with Parentsquare, Parent Portal/PowerSchool, Canvas, and our 1:1 student device program which incorporates Chromebooks and iPads.”
There will be numerous in-person training opportunities, with BCSC setting up a “technology booth” at various school and community events so that families can receive hands-on help and answers to technology-related questions. The booth will be present at athletic events, parent conferences, incoming student/family nights, and activities at the Cultural Learning Center.
BCSC also plans to offer virtual sessions, with recordings available for those who cannot attend in real time. The grant will support these sessions by enabling the school corp. to purchase large-screen displays, two-way translation devices for multilingual families and software for the creation of tutorial and training materials.
The funds will also help BCSC hire American Sign Language interpreters for training events.
“Our commitment extends to building a deepened understanding among BCSC staff and stakeholders of best practices in virtual and blended learning, as well as digital citizenship,” school officials said. “Part of this educational initiative includes a community book study on ‘Digital for Good’ and a specialized workshop led by a renowned expert in K-12 blended learning.”
