ORONO – The Maine Writing Project, located at the University of Maine, has received a competitive grant to develop and expand professional development for teachers in the areas of technology, writing and learning. The $15,000 grant from the National Writing Project will enable a team of six Maine teachers to sharpen their skills and mentor other educators in using technology to teach writing in creative ways.

The six teachers tapped to head the initiative are all Maine Writing Project teacher-consultants, who have completed the project’s invitational summer institute and demonstrated leadership in their schools. They are:

. Jamie Heans, Brewer High School.

. Seth Mitchell, Brewer High School.

. David Boardman, Winthrop High School.

. Debra Butterfield, Gardiner Middle School.

. Teresa Kane, Warsaw Middle School, Pittsfield.

. Lincoln MacIsaac, Mountain Valley High School, Rumford.

Already leaders in using technology effectively in their classrooms, the teacher-consultants will focus on developing expertise and curriculum in the art and practice of digital storytelling during the one-year grant period, which began July 1. Digital storytelling allows students to enhance their writing with digital design tools such as images, voice and music, adding greater dimension and description to characters and situations.

During the year, the teacher-consultants will attend a digital storytelling institute, provide professional development for other educators, develop curriculum and use the technique in their own classrooms. In summer 2006, the teachers will develop and present a workshop on digital storytelling at the university’s annual summer technology institute for educators.

“We have great access to technology in Maine, but in many schools, it is underutilized,” said Tanya Baker, the Maine Writing Project’s co-director for professional development. “Schools can do more to help students be producers rather than just consumers of digital text.”

The Maine Writing Project, established in 1997 within the UMaine College of Education and Human Development, is directed by Rich Kent, assistant professor of literacy education. It is an affiliate of the National Writing Project, a federally funded professional development program dedicated to the improvement of student writing and the teaching of writing across the curriculum in all grade levels.