Hamilton, Ohio (June 1, 2017) — District Administration magazine is honoring Butler Tech as one of 19 “Schools of TechXcellence” for math instruction and makerspace initiatives. This is the inaugural round of honorees for this new national recognition program.
Butler Tech is being recognized for its Information Technology program at Ross High School, in which students have developed immersive, mixed-reality applications for the Microsoft HoloLens to help fellow students learn math fundamentals. One example places students on a virtual basketball court where players have to shoot hoops to solve math problems. The initiative fosters project-management and problem-solving skills as well as teamwork; it also encourages students to help teach their fellow students.
The Butler Tech Ross High School initiative underscores the importance of embracing technology as part of the education process moving forward in the 21st century. The program is approved by Microsoft as a HoloLens developer, and also received a grant from Unity, a game development company, for 200 software licenses.
“To have students creating these products that will change the face of education is great,” said Thomas O’Neill, Butler Tech information technology instructor at Ross High School.
TechXcellence was created by District Administration magazine, in conjunction with HP and Intel, to recognize schools that have implemented innovative, effective and replicable technology programs that contribute meaningfully to student or operational success. The June 2017 honorees were selected by the program’s judges from numerous nominations, and reflect programs that demonstrate effective and replicable success.
The 19 schools and districts honored in this round of TechXcellence—from 14 states—have launched math instruction and makerspace programs that incorporate technology powered by Intel, including laptops, tablets and 3D printers.
“What these stories tell us is that innovation may be powered by the latest devices and applications, but it is fueled by the creativity, vision and drive of teachers, principals and district leaders,” says JD Solomon, editorial director at District Administration magazine. “We hope our readers are inspired by the integration of technology demonstrated by these honorees to launch similar initiatives in their own schools.”
To view a full list of honorees and to learn how to apply for future rounds of TechXcellence, visit www.districtadministration.com/techx.
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About Butler Tech
Butler Technology and Career Development Schools is one of Ohio’s largest career technical schools in Ohio. It provides a broad range of career technical education to ten member school districts in Southwest Ohio. It also offers adult workforce education in core areas of business and industry, healthcare, public safety, and adult basic and literary education. Its mission is to transform lives by making students career ready and college prepared. For more information, visit ButlerTech.org.
About District Administration
District Administration provides K12 leaders with critical news and information for school district management, through its monthly magazine, website, e-newsletters and the District Administration Leadership Institute Superintendent Summits. For more information, visit
www.districtadministration.com.
