District, middle school wins technology awards

Two technology programs in Beaufort County public schools have won statewide awards.
The district’s virtual summer school program and Bluffton Middle School’s sixth- and seventh-grade technology curriculum won Technology Innovative Program Awards from the South Carolina Association for Educational Technology.
The virtual summer school, started in 2010, allows kindergartners through eighth-graders to learn via computer. Students spend 30 to 60 minutes a day on math and language arts activities through a Web-based software.
More than 2,200 students participated this year, a news release said.
District officials have said test scores show the program helps students retain knowledge over the summer.
At Bluffton Middle School, all students take technology courses that teach communication skills, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking, according to the release. Students create Web 2.0 projects, videos and digital presentations. They also learn Internet safety and the dangers of cyberbulling.
The awards were presented at the annual S.C. EdTech Conference in Myrtle Beach in late October.