“Innovate-Educate New Mexico has put together an impressive team that will give our students a crucial advantage and ensure that our country remains competitive. I look forward to our continued work together.”
Innovate-Educate Announce Education Grants
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Dec. 21, 2009) – Innovate-Educate New Mexico (IENM), a statewide catalyst in 21st century education and incubator state to national education leader Innovate-Educate, announced today on behalf of Qwest Communications and New Mexico’s Affiliate Chapter of the International Society for Technology in Education (NMSTE) have awarded five grants totaling $25,000 to qualifying education projects in New Mexico.
The qualification process opened in the fall with several applicants. Through the selection process, three projects each were funded at $5,000 along with one at $4,000 and another at $3,000. The remaining $3,000 will be used towards travel and expenses for grant recipients at this spring’s statewide teacher conference in Albuquerque.
“Innovate-Educate applauds Qwest for their partnership in advancing innovations in teaching and learning and recognizing the tremendous needs for funding and resources for their projects,” said Jamai Blivin, Executive Director of Innovate-Educate and Innovate-Educate New Mexico. “We commend New Mexico teachers for their vision and passion for technology and STEM education.”
“Improving education in the communities where our customers live and work is a priority for the Qwest Foundation,” said Loretta A. Armenta, Qwest’s president for New Mexico. “At its heart, the Qwest Teachers and Technology grant program is designed to better prepare New Mexican students to compete and succeed in our technology-driven world by helping teachers get technology into their classrooms to introduce and reinforce key concepts.”
“NMSTE was thrilled to see so many high-quality applications from teachers across the state of New Mexico,” added Jill Brown, NMSTE President. “We want to thank Qwest and Innovate-Educate for this wonderful professional development opportunity. We also want to thank the winning teachers and fellow professionals who will use this to continue to help prepare productive citizens for New Mexico in the 21st Century.”
Receiving a $5,000 grant was Sierra Media Magnet for their Las Cruces Heroes Film Project at Sierra Middle School. No other middle school in the southern part of the entire state offers this amount of intensified curricula – featuring magnets for media, dance, science, theater, and piano just to name a few.
Math for a New Generation at Peñasco Middle School received $5,000 towards increasing the ratio of computers to students in math to 1:1 while exploring real-world issues and the use mathematic and technologic tools to engage in issue-related discussions; and familiarize students with technology-driven learning environments.
The third $5,000 grant was awarded for the 21st Century Guide to Roadside Geology at Vista Grande High School. Dubbed the “Best Virtual Fieldtrip on the Internet,” the junior and senior classes will be leading an expedition into the roadside geology of New Mexico; from which they will share their knowledge through a digital recreation of the Halka Chronic book, “A Roadside Guide to Geology of New Mexico.”
Online Advanced Placement Computer Science and Supercomputing Challenge received $4,000 for their ongoing commitment to offering Advanced Placement Computer Science (APCS) to schools throughout New Mexico. The overarching goal is to give all students throughout New Mexico, both rural and urban, an opportunity to prepare for post-secondary academic programs that require a fundamental background in computing principles.
Picacho Middle School will receive $3,000 to create Media Public Service Announcements. The team-teachers will facilitate student experiences in creating announcements to be played on closed circuit television and low-powered AM radio. Students will create video and audio about important topics that affect middle school students and the community at large.
Innovate-Educate also is pleased to announce the dates to the NMSTE/IENM Innovations in Leadership & Learning Conference on Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23, at the Marriott Pyramid in Albuquerque. This annual event brings together state and national leaders in industry, education, and government to coordinate existing efforts and collaborate on new ideas that engage students in the science and engineering fields to prepare a competitive workforce in the U.S. Last year, nearly 700 attended this event.
Industry Supports Innovate-Educate
Blackboard, Cisco, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Qwest among the many endorsing inaugural event
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (April 22, 2009) – Technology industry leaders from across the United States will join forces next week to support innovation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in New Mexico at Innovate-Educate New Mexico (IENM) Conference 2009 scheduled April 30 through May 2 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Representatives from nearly 20 of the county’s top IT companies have joined the IENM Board of Directors to provide a statewide vision for preparing New Mexico students to compete in today’s global economy. These companies also will partner with other education visionaries from across the state to provide a framework for the future. Next week’s conference is the first major step in the work to advance education in New Mexico by helping to build a motivated and prepared workforce.
Jessie Woolley-Wilson, president of K-12 education for Blackboard, Inc, will provide the keynote during the N.M. Public Education Ed Tech Bureau portion of the conference on April 30. She also is scheduled to speak during IENM Conference 2009.
“Today’s students have to be prepared for jobs and industries that don’t even exist yet, and they must continually refresh and update their skills as the global context changes,” explains Woolley-Wilson. “These are very real challenges, but fortunately we have real solutions with which to address them, To that end, Blackboard is pleased to be partnered with IENM in an effort to find ways to increase educational opportunity and engagement to help accelerate the adoption of 21st century skills for learners at all levels.”
Pete Cevenini, K-12 Education Lead for Cisco System’s U.S. Public Sector, notes the critical importance of STEM education and students being prepared for the future workforce. “With the increased competition from every part of the globe, New Mexico is working to provide New Mexico students with the key skills that will keep them competitive,” says Cevenini. “Cisco is proud to be a partner in this movement.”
Dr. Chris Dede of Harvard University and one of the nation’s foremost experts in innovative learning technologies will participate in The Great Debate during the second day of the conference on May 1. Dr. Dede, along with other national leaders, will debate “presidential style” as to what must happen to transform education in both New Mexico and in the U.S. “This is a time when states have exciting opportunities for transformational use of new technologies to improve students’ educational outcomes,” states Dede. “This conference will provide an exciting focus for innovations that enhance curriculum, instruction, assessment, and community involvement in learning.”
Microsoft Corporation also has signed on as an organizational partner and remains committed to partnering with New Mexico to help young people develop the science and technology skills that will facilitate their full participation in the U.S. workforce. Carla Faini, K-12 Academic Programs Manager at Microsoft says, “Students that graduate from high school and college with strong skills in these fields will play a key role in helping businesses innovate and drive out of this difficult economic environment.”
Organizers are expecting nearly 600 in attendance. IENM Conference 2009 will provide three days of dynamic collaboration that includes both keynote addresses and panel discussions by leading local and national experts. Participants also will have the opportunity to network and visit exhibits displaying programs that students across New Mexico are working on now to prepare themselves for the future.
Focus areas include higher education; K-12 educators and leadership; industry, technology leaders and chambers of commerce; government officials; economic development leaders; and state/national legislators. The last day also features the eighth annual RoboRAVE Robotics Competition.
Space is limited, and the event is nearly at capacity.
Qwest Supports IENM 2009 Conference
Innovate-Educate New Mexico Announces Speakers for Inaugural Event
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (March 26, 2009) – Qwest Communications has joined other visionary companies across the U.S. today in support of Innovate-Educate New Mexico’s (IENM) first national conference to advance STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and ICT (information, communication and technology) digital education on April 30, May 1 and May 2 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
“Qwest is proud to partner with Innovate-Educate New Mexico to positively impact students in the areas of engineering and science education,” said Loretta A. Armenta, Qwest president for New Mexico. “This relationship continues and expands our commitment to education, educators and students in New Mexico in order to better equip students for the future.”
The goal of IENM 2009 Conference is to initiate collaboration between industry, education and government to advance 21st century technologies in the classroom, engage students in areas that will peak their interest in science and technology fields, and keep them engaged so they remain enrolled in the school system and pursue a higher education degree. Participants will have the opportunity to network and visit exhibits displaying innovative programs, engaging education platforms, and state-of-the-art technologies being used in 21st century classrooms across the U.S.
Some of the conference’s confirmed speakers from across the U.S. include:
Bill Valdez, Director, Office of Workforce Development, U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Office of Science; Judith D’Amico, Director, U.S. Relations, Project Lead the Way; Jan Morrison, Executive Director TIES and Senior STEM Consultant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Merrilea J. Mayo, Director of Future Learning Initiatives, Kauffman Foundation; Michael Belcher, Education Solution Director, HP; Senator Eric Reeves (N.C.), Schooldude; Jessie Woolley-Wilson, President, K-12 at Blackboard Inc.; Andy Bell, Robotics U.S. Education Director, LEGO Education North America; Michael Schmedlen, Global Education Director at Lenovo; Pete Cevenini, Cisco Systems, U.S. Lead, (Internet Business Solutions Group); Dr. William Graves, Sungard Higher Ed, Senior VP, Academic Strategies; Kim Adams, Vice President of Human Resources, Lockheed Martin, Washington, D.C.; Dr. Norm Hollyn, USC School of Cinematic Arts; Celeste Alleyne and Dr. Carla Faini, Microsoft Corporation; Colleen Jenkins, SAS, U.S. P-20 Industry-Education Strategist; and Bill Bowman, Regional VP, Apple, Inc.
CLICK HERE to view our full speaker line-up and biographies.
This will be an eye-opening event with a dynamic agenda to engage K-12, higher education, non-profit education, industry and government participants. Focus areas include higher education, K-12 educators and leadership, industry, technology leaders and government officials, economic development leaders and state/national legislators. The last day features the 8th Annual RoboRAVE Robotics Competition where more than 350 middle and high school students will compete for cash, awards, trophies, banners and prizes with line-following robots.
Innovate-Educate Works to Advance STEM Education
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Feb. 26, 2009) – Innovate-Educate New Mexico (IENM) will host its first national conference to advance engineering and science education on April 30, May 1 and May 2 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
This annual event will bring together state and national leaders in industry, education, and government to coordinate existing efforts and collaborate on new ideas that engage students in the science and engineering fields to prepare a competitive workforce in the U.S.
“Today, we are faced with a national challenge that hits the core of our economy: we are failing to graduate engineering and science students to meet the demands of a competitive world driven by productive and innovative markets,” says Jami Grindatto, Intel’s New Mexico Corporate and Government Affairs Director. “Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are the innovators’ basic tools to solve the world’s most pressing issues, create products and deliver services that improve our lives. New Mexico and the United States must increase the number of graduates in engineering and sciences. This is Innovate-Educate New Mexico’s main objective to secure long-term economic health.”
The goal of the Innovate-Educate New Mexico 2009 Conference is to initiate such efforts and create new opportunities for education professionals to advance and improve engineering and science education. It is IENM’s goal that these efforts serve as a national model by delivering substantive improvements in engineering and science education by applying best practices in a coordinated and methodical way. IENM’s leadership believes that all stakeholders have to engage to achieve success.
Mark your calendars for the IENM’s 2009 Conference on April 30, May 1 and May 2.
Registration and Sponsorship
For sponsorship, contact Jamai Blivin at jamai@innovate-educatenm.org. For event information, contact Shawna Arroyo at Shawna@innovate-educatenm.org or 575-646-4401. You can register for this event online at https://www.regonline.com/k12edtechandinnovate.
About Innovate Educate New Mexico www.innovate-educatenm.org
Innovate-Educate New Mexico is an industry-led partnership with education and government leaders to develop and coordinate new, innovative efforts to inspire and engage education professionals and students in the engineering and science fields, resulting in a competitive workforce for the U.S.