The Internet2 Community Anchor Program Launches its Second Annual Distance Learning Scholarship Program

By Stephanie Stenberg, Director of the Internet2 Community Anchor Program

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The Internet2 Community Anchor Program (CAP) has launched its second annual distance learning scholarship program intended to give K-12 teachers free, one-on-one distance learning programs for their classes through the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC).

Any teacher from a K-12 school that is connected to Internet2 via a state or regional research and education network can apply to use the scholarship to pay for a one-on-one distance learning class from the CILC. Teachers can apply for the scholarship regardless of whether their school is holding in-person classes or distance learning.

Courses from the CILC expand opportunities for students to interact and learn live from any of the CILC’s 175 content providers from around the world. Teachers can choose from any of the over 2,000 professionally delivered programs offered, all of which have been evaluated by teachers and can be sorted by topic or by recommendation. Students can participate in experiences like dissecting a sheep’s brain to sharpen observation and analysis skills with experts from the Adventures In Medicine & Science (AIMS) Program of Saint Louis University or learn about Aztec art, myths, and writing systems from the Cleveland Museum of Art, without ever leaving their classroom. 

The scholarship application is open now, and the last day to submit an application is Friday, November 19, 2021. CAP will review applications, verify eligibility, and award scholarships. Scholarship recipients will be chosen at Internet2’s sole discretion. Once classrooms have completed their CILC program, CAP may survey or interview teachers to learn about their experiences and share their stories via a series of social media or blog posts. 

Last year, CAP awarded 39 distance learning scholarships to teachers in seven states. Winner Laurel Adams from Illinois took her 6-12^th grade students back to October of 1962 where they became intelligence analysts for the CIA during the Cuban Missile Crisis, courtesy of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. In New York, teacher Kelly Grimaldi’s third grade students talked culture, geography, and history with experts at Australian science education provider Fizzics Education. Sixth graders in Connecticut teacher Louise Morrison’s class connected with the Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas to learn how and why weather is created.

For more information and scholarship criteria, please visit the CAP Distance Learning Scholarship Program webpage.

Related web pages and blog posts:

• CAP Distance Learning Scholarship Program (includes application)
• CAP Announces 2021 CAP Distance Learning Scholarship Winners
• Select 2021 CAP Distance Learning Scholarship Winner Profiles:
  —Illinois Teacher Transports Students to 1962 with CAP Distance Learning Scholarship
  —New York Teacher Creates Global Connections with CAP Distance Learning Scholarship
  —Connecticut Teacher Brings Wonder to Weather with CAP Distance Learning Scholarship
• Internet2 CAP K-12 Curriculum Resources
• Presidential Primary Sources Project, a free web series about U.S. presidents (runs January-March every year)
• Community Anchor Program (CAP)