Skip to Content
United States
Worldwide
Java Teaching Innovations
About the Java Grant Program
|
Outcomes for the Java Grant Program
Read about the success of each of the grant participants, and view the curriculum materials and resources developed to engage and inspire students.
Java Grant Program ParticipantsDenver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program Sun's Java grant assisted Denver Public Schools (DPS) in developing a robust Java curriculum for the Computer Magnet Program sites at Thomas Jefferson High School and North High School. Their Java program features a pre-Java and Java "Virtual Java Cafe Menu" of project-based activities, and it also extends their successful summer camp program with outreach to middle schools. As part of a cooperative effort between Colorado University and DPS, underrepresented students have been recruited at the DigitalCUrrents Summer Camp. Additionally, the grant has been used to train teachers and to upgrade Sun servers at each high school. Denver Public Schools has presented their Java curriculum, teaching and student recruitment innovations at conferences, such as the Education Technology Rally (TIE). View the curricular materials. Boulder High School Boulder High School (BHS) has used their Sun Java Grant to develop and teach a year-long Advanced Placement Java programming course, and a semester-long Introduction to Java course. BHS has held two full-day conferences (fall and spring) for approximately 300 middle and high school students, attracting underrepresented students. Another part of BHS's Java program is planning and funding student participation in the FIRST robotic competition. Similar to the Sun Foundation's goal of increasing interest in technology fields, the FIRST robotic competition demonstrates to students that science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting. View the curricular materials. Metropolitan State College of Denver Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD) has partnered with Sun to design and teach a course for computer science teachers which emphasizes nontraditional approaches to teaching technology and programming. The College has also hosted panel sessions and presentations at the AP International Summer Institute. The College continues to host workshops for educators and community members to promote creative ideas for attracting and retaining underrepresented students to computer science. The results, lessons learned, and innovations of these initiatives have been presented to The College Board, other national technology-in-education organizations, and in educational conferences and journals. View the curricular materials. Youth Tech Entrepreneurs Sun Microsystems and Youth Tech Entrepreneurs (YTE) share common goals of striving to bring innovative technology to high schools and increasing the number of underrepresented students pursuing technology careers. YTE has partnered with schools and teachers who are committed to integrating community service and business concepts into information technology courses. YTE has served over 1000 students from thirty-five Massachusetts high schools. YTE's academically rigorous, multi-year program offers college-preparatory electives that are linked with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. A key ingredient to the success of YTE courses is the project-based, service-learning curriculum --ideal for teaching Java. Within the scope of a unit or semester project, students create real products that have significant value for actual clients. The accomplishment students feel by helping teachers and community members, and by creating products whose benefits they can see, inspires them to continue working with Java in college and beyond. Students present innovative technology solutions at an annual Technology Service Project Content, where they compete to receive scholarships and other prizes. View the curricular materials. East Side Union High School As San Jose's largest high school district, East Side Union High School District's graduates serve as a major employment base for industries in the valley. East Side Union helps drive student success by improving the literacy skills of students, establishing high expectations for all students, and preparing students for 21st century jobs. The Sun Java Grant program has been piloted in 3 of the district's high schools. This two-year Java Prep program is designed to increase student and teacher knowledge of Java by incorporating computer science/information technology and pre-Java concepts into existing curricula. In addition, students participate in a Java Camp and have opportunities to shadow Sun professional for a day. Recruitment efforts continue to target economically disadvantaged students, who often lack resources to help them succeed in advanced level technology programs. The Java Prep program is designed to assist these special populations in pursuing college and technical careers, thus leading to economic self-sufficiency. View the curricular materials.
For More InformationFor more information about the Java Grant Program and other Sun Foundation programs, contact:Sun Microsystems Foundation, Inc. and Global Community Development Department corpaffrs@sun.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Sun Foundation Java Grant Program has assisted schools in raising the interest and participation of underrepresented students in technology studies and careers. Each of the five program participants developed innovative teaching techniques in support of collaborative, community-based coursework in Java. Outcomes of the Java Grant Program included: