AURORA — S.W. Snowden Media Coordinator Joy McCracken received a $4,189 Century Link Clarke M. Williams Foundation Teacher and Technology grant to purchase up-to-date technology for newscast projects with her students.

McCracken said she wrote the grant proposal to gain technological components to produce student-created news programs at the school. The grant award will pay for a professional HD camcorder, an iPad Air, and a new computer with software to be able to film and edit the programs.

“We constantly look for authentic ways to test our children’s knowledge,” McCracken said. “It’s not just something you can find in a book. Creating is one of the highest orders of thinking — it takes all kind of thought to create.”

McCracken said she and her students had been using out dated technology prior to receiving the grant.

“This is going to branch out and I hope to involve the community,” McCracken said. “It will be perpetual. This is something that will be doable for several years. This year’s children are already excited about next year.”

According to a press release, Century Link announced the winner of the grant program today. The program, offered since 2008, awards grants to schools in Century Link’s local service areas on behalf of teachers who have developed specific plans to innovatively implement technology in their classroom.

“We are very pleased to be a part of providing innovative technology in the classroom that enhances the learning experience for students in these schools,” said Century Link Vice President Rondi Furgason, in the release. “It is exciting to see teachers implement creative teaching techniques that assist students in hands-on learning.”

More than 65 teachers applied for grants, with 20 winners selected by a review committee comprised of community members and Century Link representatives, according to the release.