Manchester Center, Vermont – October 6, 2011 – Digital Wish has been awarded two Empowerment Grants from the Motorola Mobility Foundation to create a Mobile Apps Center and a Classroom Collaboration Finder. The Mobile Apps Center will allow teachers to search a large library of educational mobile apps, post reviews and ratings, get downloads, and share best practices for teaching. The Classroom Collaboration Finder will pair subject matter-expert volunteers with classrooms doing online projects.  Potential volunteers will be able to post a profile outlining their area of expertise and educators will post the projects they are planning.  A robust search engine will match volunteers and educators. These grant recognizes the important work and mission of Digital Wish, and will allow Digital Wish to continue helping educators acquire and utilize technology in their classrooms.

Founded in 2007, Digital Wish works to solve technology shortfalls in American classrooms. With these grant, Digital Wish’s Mobile Apps Center will provide teachers nationwide a place to search and share the best educational applications. These applications will enhance classroom learning for countless students and help teachers best utilize the technology they already have. The Classroom Collaboration Finder will let educators search and locate other classrooms and volunteers for collaborative projects, whether they be across the hall, the street, or the country. Any educator will be able to find an expert volunteer for any class project with just a simple search. Corporations will use the Classroom Collaboration Finder to encourage their employees to give back to their communities. Students will no longer be bounded by the four walls of the classroom as collaboration occurs in a safe environment over the internet.  

“We are excited and honored to win Empowerment Grants from the Motorola Mobility Foundation,” said Digital Wish Executive Director Heather Chirtea. “These funds will enable our organization to further engage students across the country with mobile computing, and also give corporations new ways to connect with their favorite classrooms.”

The Empowerment Grants support programs that leverage technology to build stronger communities and will provide non-profit organizations with funding to close the digital divide.  “The Empowerment Grants program is designed to help non-profits use new technologies, including digital media, to reach their mission and help strengthen communities,” said Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Mobility Foundation. “I’d like to congratulate this group of non-profits who are exploring innovative ways to use emerging technologies to help solve serious social issues.”

About Digital Wish
Digital Wish is a non-profit on a mission to solve technology shortfalls in K-12 classrooms. The www.digitalwish.org website is designed to help teachers locate much-needed funding for classroom technology. Teachers make technology wish lists, and supporters make those wishes come true. Digital Wish provides a host of fundraising ideas and allows teachers to e-mail and print their technology wish lists so that parents and community members can contribute. A new fundraising feature lets PTAs, and PTOs start online fundraisers for new classroom technology in just a few mouse clicks. Over 26,152 technology wishes have been granted. For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.digitalwish.org.

About Motorola Mobility Foundation

The Motorola Mobility Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Mobility. With employees located around the globe, Motorola Mobility seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships, fostering innovation and engaging stakeholders. The Motorola Mobility Foundation focuses its funding on education, community, health and wellness and disaster relief. For more information, on Motorola Mobility Corporate and Foundation giving, visit responsibility.motorola.com.