Press release:

Jamie Ewing, a fifth grade teacher at Mount View Elementary, has been selected as a first round finalist in Microsoft’s Partners in Learning 2012 US Forum.

The competition recognizes teachers and school leaders for innovative ways of incorporating technology into curriculum.

Ewing is one of 44 teachers from 15 states who will participate in the national competition this summer at Microsoft’s Redmond campus.

Ewing was selected for developing a virtual science fair for his fifth grade class. The project, eLAB: Science in the Cloud, combines traditional learning about the scientific method with new technology skills.

Students begin by exploring earth systems and designing related science experiments.

Students will present their experiments as interactive web games, videos or PowerPoint presentations. The digital presentations will be stored on a Windows Live SkyDrive, so students can bring their ideas to other schools around the world.

Once data is collected and experiments are finished, student groups will use their findings to produce a community-based project addressing environmental damage.

Community presentations will be made in person and also via Skype to connect students to community leaders beyond the neighborhood.

“Our cloud-based science fair takes the idea of the ‘old school’ card board science fair and spins it into the 21st century,” says Ewing.

At the US Forum, Ewing will compete to represent the U.S. at the Partners in Learning Global Forum in Athens, Greece.