After all, she's in Monaco with her husband.
But Tuesday would have been a great day even if she'd been teaching human biology at Big Sky, as she usually is.
For Lindner, that means a $2,000 grant to buy a Nintendo Wii Fit and a handful of gadgets that will help her class measure physiological changes in the body caused by exercise.
“Kate is a great teacher and I'm sure she'll put this money to excellent use,” said Jim Harkins, another science teacher who accepted the award in Lindner's absence.
Lindner was one of 100 Montana teachers who applied for the Qwest teacher and technology grants, which are in their third year. Of those 100 applications, 11 teachers were selected to receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $7,200.
Other teachers in western Montana receiving visits on Tuesday were Jean Belangie-Nye in Lolo, Joyce Auer at Arlee High School and Tami Morrison at Linderman Elementary School in Polson.
Belangie-Nye will use a large screen to stream video and Internet applications into her math, science and history classes.
Auer will buy software, hardware and books to integrate math concepts into the school's consumer science curriculum.
And Morrison is purchasing biological sensors and audio-visual equipment to use in studying ecosystems at the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge.
Lindner's purchase is a good example of how technology might make a subject more attractive to students.
Currently, for students to measure the physiological changes that take place in exercise, they have to first find a place to exercise. That means going out to the track or, in winter, working out in the hall.
Lindner's students can currently measure blood pressure, pulse rate and lung volume, but they can only do so before and after exercise. That will change with the Wii, which started as a game platform but has now morphed into a popular indoor exercise tool.
“With the use of Wii Fit, we would be able to have students complete a workout in the classroom while collecting data using the Vernier probes, allowing for real-time graphs of physiological changes,” Lindner's grant application stated. “... The continuous collection and visualization of data on a computer screen while students work out in the classroom would have a much bigger impact on students.”
And that's the goal of the Qwest Foundation, said David Gibson, who was on hand with Schweitzer.
“What we're trying to do is get technology in the classroom,” Gibson said. “Then I can go back and report all the good things that have been done, and we can come back next year and do this again.”
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)