With partner Danville Public Schools, IALR’s Inspiration Lab explored offering virtual teaching resources to local educators and expanding WiFi access to students, their families and the community. The 45-foot mobile Inspiration Lab was parked at the former W. Townes Lea Elementary School on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during the month of May to explore interest.
“In my 35 years in public education, there has never been a more important time for collaboration and building strong partnerships,” stated DPS Superintendent Dr. Stanley Jones. “Working with IALR gives our teachers access to a world-class mobile lab that will provide a unique experience for both teachers and students.”
“We are extremely grateful for the partnership we have with Danville Public Schools and other area school divisions to support the instructional needs of our area’s educators as well as the learning and WiFi access needs of our students and the community at large,” said Dr. Julie Brown, Director of Advanced Learning at IALR. “Continuing to leverage the advanced technology of our mobile Inspiration Lab is one way we can keep our region moving forward.”
Teachers were invited to reserve an individual appointment time on the Inspiration Lab to record their next virtual lesson and to teach students from an engaging, new setting. The mobile lab offers advanced technology and resources to complement a wide range of instructional topics, especially regarding science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). IALR also invited teachers to take advantage of instructional resources for coding, robotics, electronics and more.
Students, their families and the community were offered access to the Inspiration Lab’s WiFi hotspot from noon-4 p.m., every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month. Personal mobile devices could be used to connect from outside the lab and within the parking lot of the school. For information, please contact Bruce Waller at bruce.waller@ialr.org or 434-770-8777.
