HP and NBA launch Digital Assist Competition

More than 5,000 students from approximately 100 selected Title 1 middle schools in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C., will compete for grants worth more than $80,000 in HP mobile digital classroom technology, NBA tickets and merchandise, visits from NBA stars and other awards.

The competition invites student teams to create projects that make classroom concepts real and relevant to the outside world by engaging students to combine the power of technology and the excitement of NBA basketball. In addition to enhancing learning, these projects will allow students to demonstrate how they learn best and – through a public competition website at http://www.hpdigitalassist.com – enable other students and teachers to benefit as well. HP and NBA Cares are working with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which will provide learning kits and judging rubrics for the competition and professional development for winning schools.

“HP is pleased to combine a shared interest with the NBA in improving education with our long-standing relationship with ISTE to explore the exciting possibilities that exist at the intersection of teaching, learning, and technology,” said Engelina Jaspers, vice president, Corporate Marketing – Americas, HP. “We are proud to launch the HP Digital Assist grant program and help foster excitement about learning while providing technology and professional development to underserved public schools that have a critical need for resources.”

HP Digital Assist is a component of HP and NBA Cares’ ongoing efforts to improve student academic success in vital subjects including math, science and reading that will create engaging opportunities to both learn and teach, while encouraging creativity.

“HP Digital Assist is a great complement to our education and outreach efforts,” said Kathy Behrens, executive vice president, Social Responsibility and Player Programs, NBA. “Allowing students to combine their passion for basketball with advanced technology is a great way to tap into their creativity and help them to achieve their potential.”

HP Digital Assist is a component of HP and NBA Cares’ ongoing efforts to improve student academic success in vital subjects including math, science and reading that will create engaging opportunities to both learn and teach, while encouraging creativity.

Participating schools will each receive two HP Tablet PCs and an HP PhotoSmart All-in-One Printer with which student teams will develop sports- or basketball-themed digital media projects that demonstrate their knowledge of math, science, or reading.

HP, NBA Cares, team representatives and education experts from ISTE will announce the six regional winners of the HP mobile digital classroom grants including HP Tablet PCs, mobile storage cart, wireless and printing technology, and teacher professional development in December 2009.