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CDW Canada, a top provider of technology solutions for Canadian organizations in the public and private sectors, today announced the winners of its fourth annual Teaching with Technology™ Contest, with a total of $21,000 in prizing. With several ways to enter — including story and video submissions — CDW Canada’s annual contest aims to encourage Canadian educators to use technology in their classrooms in new and innovative ways, and reward those who have succeeded in doing so.

New to the contest this year was the video component, which offered educators the opportunity to submit videos that demonstrated how technology was being used to help students learn. All the entries were creative, imaginative and inspired, providing great insight into the resourceful ways teachers are leveraging IT.

“Educators continue to impress us with the variety of technology-based learning strategies that are being implemented in classrooms across Canada. It’s a great testament to the initiative and passion that educators have in making sure that young Canadians are engaged in learning and collaborating with technology and see IT as a driver of their success,” says Mary Ann Yule, Vice President and General Manager, CDW Canada. “We were also excited to see the effort and creativity shown in the video entries — a new addition to the Teaching with Technology Contest this year.”

Story Contest Winners
Educators and school administrators from across Canada were asked to write about how technology has improved or enhanced the learning experience in their classrooms or schools. CDW Canada’s panel of judges reviewed the 200-500 word entries and selected two winners. The grand prize, a gift certificate that is valued at $5,000, can be used towards the purchase of CDW Canada’s Teaching with Technology sponsor products, allowing the winning schools and teachers to continue to make a difference in the classroom.

Winner #1: Heather Durnin, Turnberry Central Public School in Wingham, Ontario, and Clarence Fisher, Joseph H. Kerr School in Snow Lake, Manitoba – Heather submitted a story about her cross-country collaboration with Clarence Fisher, a teacher in Manitoba. After meeting virtually on Twitter, the two educators worked together to build an online community of learners. With the help of social media tools, students built the Idea Hive — a virtual classroom that connects the Ontario and Manitoba classes. The students use the Idea Hive to read, discuss and complete work together.

Heather writes, “Using a wide variety of social media tools, our students have built relationships, explored their passions and engaged the world in critical and creative ways.”

Winner #2: Andrew Kesteloot, Thames Valley District, St. Thomas, Ontario – Andrew’s entry showcased how he uses technology to keep students engaged. Andrew encouraged his secondary school students to submit assignments via the Web and found that students were much more comfortable and focused using a more modern way of communicating. Using social media platforms as a teaching aid, Andrew had students analyze YouTube clips and submit their assignments in the form of tweets.

Andrew writes, “Inevitably, whenever we try something new technologically in class, I hear a few, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool’ comments. Really, that engagement is the key to keeping students interested and motivated to learn and succeed. That’s why technology has been so important in my classroom.”

Video Contest Winner

Educators and administrators were invited to submit their videos on the Teaching with Technology video Web page for a chance to win a CDW Canada gift certificate valued at $5,000 towards the purchase of products from Teaching with Technology sponsors.

Winner: Leah Obach, Hamiota Elementary School, Hamiota, Manitoba – Leah Obach’s grade one class submitted its winning entry with a video showcasing its amazing race through the school year. In it, Leah demonstrated how she prepares her students for learning in the digital age by incorporating technology into her lessons and virtually collaborating with other classes.

In the video, students from Leah’s class said, “We are busy racing to learn all the important things we need to know to be good twenty-first century citizens.”

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGcJaTYb3-c]

Tweet UR Tech Tale Winner
Now in its third year, educators from across Canada were asked to enter the Tweet UR Tech Tale contest by submitting a tweet about how technology has been, or can be used to enhance the classroom learning experience for a CDW Canada gift certificate valued at $500.

Winner: Pam Sutherland, Winchester St. Public School, Woodstock, Ontario – Pam’s winning tweet: “Pictello App – inspired students with autism to make and create their own social stories with pictures and voice. #twtcda”

Sweepstakes Winners
Educators were invited to enter a sweepstakes contest for a chance to win a CDW Canada gift certificate valued at $200, while IT professionals could win a gift certificate valued at $1,500:

Educators:

• Stephan Armitage, Kawartha Pine Ridge, Peterborough, Ont.
• Tiresa Lancaster, Leo Hayes High School, Fredericton, N.B.
• Andrea Black, Highgate Public School, Markham, Ont.
• Jessica Howlett, École Macneill, Dauphin, Man.
• Gwenda Thompson Willows, Grosvenor Wentworth Elementary School, Halifax, N.S.

IT professionals:

• Tammy Dingwell, Thickwood Heights, Fort McMurray, Alta.
• Robbie Finkel, College Prep International, Vancouver, B.C.
• Todd Sniezek, District School Board of Niagara, Fonthill, Ont.

The fourth annual contest received generous support from many of CDW Canada’s technology partners including:

• Premier Sponsor HP
• Gold Sponsors Cisco, Epson and Lenovo
• Silver Sponsors InFocus, Logitech, Targus and Xerox
• Bronze Sponsors Brother, D-Link, Ergotron and Tech Smith