LTC Awards
Recognizing people and school districts in Illinois for empowering educational change through technology
Collaboration Award
The LTC Collaboration Award recognizes innovative or exemplar projects that impact multiple districts, schools, educators, and students throughout the state. These projects leverage partnerships and demonstrate a commitment to helping others beyond a single district.
Projects may support the effective use of technology and/or digital learning for professional learning and capacity building, student learning, and/or collaboration with others.
Eligibility
Eligible Projects
Projects led by teams and individuals who work in school districts, schools, cooperatives, or educational service agencies (i.e., ROEs, ISCs, etc.).
Who Can Nominate?
Peer nominations and self-nominations are accepted.
Nomination Process & Criteria
The LTC Award Committee, comprised of LTC staff and district volunteers, will review all nominations according to the following criteria:
Impact
The demonstrable, measurable benefit that the program or project has delivered to student learning, as well as how it has addressed higher-level thinking skills.
Creativity & Innovation
How the initiative helps address an educational need in a unique way that inspires peers to adopt a similar initiative.
Breakthrough
The novelty of the initiative, especially as it improves on previous approaches or establishes a new paradigm that peers can replicate
Alignment with LTC Mission
Clear connection between one (1) primary and one or more secondary priority areas:
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- Digital learning
- Professional learning
- Technology support
- Equity and access
- Data privacy and cybersecurity
Accessibility & Equity
The ways in which the project incorporates components and activities that promote diversity, equity and inclusion
Opportunities for Collaboration
The ways in which the initiative cultivates relationships among institutions to achieve comprehensive realization of the solution and enhance student learning
Benefits
Recipients of the LTC Collaboration Award receive the following:
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- An engraved award acknowledging their achievement
- Recognition at annual Illinois Education and Technology Conference in Springfield
- One complimentary day of in-district professional learning for their district or school provided by the LTC
- Up to four complimentary registrations to the Illinois Education and Technology Conference
- Recognition in LTC publications and on LTC website
- Opportunities to contribute to the field in partnership with the LTC
Past Winners
United Township High School District 30, Colona School District 190, and East Moline School District 37 worked together on. a groundbreaking LinQ wi-fi project. This innovative, multi-district initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by providing reliable internet access for over 4,500 students, regardless of socioeconomic background.
The LinQ wi-fi project extends a private wireless network beyond school campuses, reaching underserved neighborhoods. Using advanced mesh technology, cybersecurity tools, and cloud-based network management, the project offers students secure, consistent access to online learning resources at home.
This connectivity empowers teachers to adopt more interactive learning strategies, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning skills among students. The initiative also reflects a strong commitment to digital equity and inclusion, with partnerships involving local governments, technology providers, and community organizations.
DOT Foods’ Western Illinois STEM Ambassador Cohort was selected based on its profound success in connecting rural Illinois school districts and providing students with enhanced access to engaging, high quality STEM learning opportunities.
Through their “Focus on STEM” initiative and funding, this multi-district cohort includes 35-50 participants from 13 different sized districts in west central Illinois. The program provides professional learning in a hands-on environment where participants actively learn about the devices and software to implement in the classroom, as well as grant support to help fund in-district curriculum development and integration.
Many of the participating districts, which contain students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, would not have had access to these learning opportunities without this program. It is expected that 700+ students will be impacted by the program in 2023.
Bunker Hill’s Student Driven Career Pathways project sought to make career pathways programs more accessible to their students by lowering previously-identified socioeconomic barriers.
This project was selected for recognition based on its innovative partner model, which provided students with the tools, resources, transportation, and employment guarantees needed to participate in a nurse training program. In its first year, the program was a full success, with all six participants graduating with both a high school diploma and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential.
Bunker Hill CUSD 8’s project was also recognized for its growth and replicability potential. In particular, the district is working to add more career pathway options to the program in fields including aviation, electrical engineering, and veterinary medicine.
Nominate a Project in your Area
Celebrate your project’s achievements and impact beyond a single district.