Notes from
Trish's Desk
December 17, 2009
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Greetings!
This week, I have watched a lot of students wrapping up projects and presentations just before winter break.
At Open Houses, some TechStart classes shared really cool Scratch animation projects designed to teach audiences about renewable energy sources. Our 8th graders presented websites they built to an authentic audience, who then selected three finalists to compete for the WTIA Technology Leader of Tomorrow Scholarship Award.
And down at TAF Academy, students who qualified for the Quasar program attended their first orientation meeting. Quasar is the technical training and internship program that is the successor to Technical Teens Internship Program, TAF's successful after-school program that ran from 1997 to 2007.
Each project is a reflection of what students have genuinely learned. That's impressive. These are not test scores that don't necessarily show evidence of learning. Our students are applying their knowledge and using technology to express what they know.
What's so exciting is that we have found a formula that works. The right tools, innovative instruction, access to resources for both students and teachers and high expectations are yielding results. It's not the only solution, but it works. It is working in TechStart and at TAF Academy, which puts TAF at the forefront of a new movement in public education.
I encourage each of you to come see for yourself.
Every spring I invite you to celebrate student achievements at the TAF Leadership Breakfast. This is our opportunity to show our kids how much we support them and their success. Join us in March to hear directly from TAF Academy students about how public education is working for them.
9th Annual Leadership BreakfastWednesday, March 107:00 - 9:30amSeattle Sheraton Hotel 1400 6th Avenue Register today at breakfast.techaccess.org
I look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, have a happy and
safe holiday season!
Thanks for listening,
Trish Millines Dziko
Executive Director
Technology Access Foundation
P.S. Just a reminder that if you're
thinking about year-end giving, consider supporting our students with a
donation today. Giving online is easy.
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