Funding for the projects comes from the competitive Digital Learning Initiative Grants program, which has been in place since 2017 to promote technology for teaching and learning in schools throughout the state.
The North Carolina State Board of Education approved the most recent round of grants in June. Four of them are one-year $50,000 grants for emerging technology implementations. These range from the creation of 10 mobile podcasting studios for students as young as fourth grade to the launch of an AI summer camp for teenagers.
Another seven “impact grants” will be funded over a three-year period with $30,000 to $95,000 provided each year, supporting broader programs focused on the state’s digital learning competencies and standards.
Most of the impact grants approved for 2024 through 2027 focus on incorporating AI and boosting digital literacy skills. The grant proposal from Catawba County Schools, for example, states that it will embed AI into K-12 education through professional development, curriculum development, and the creation of bespoke AI tools for teaching and planning.
At six middle schools in Guilford County, the funds will support equipment and training for eighth-grade science teachers to create at least 16 virtual reality lessons. The grant proposal states that this will benefit nearly 5,000 students and help reverse post-pandemic declines in science proficiency.
North Carolina State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said the digital learning grants are supposed to help schools keep pace with the technology and teaching methods necessary to prepare students for the future.
“If we want our state’s students to have ample opportunity for success after graduation, we must properly equip both students and educators with the tools to succeed and teach in our rapidly evolving, technology forward world,” she said in a public statement.
