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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 09.12.11

Contacts:
Kelly Caraher, CDW-G Public Relations
(847) 968-0729
kellyc@cdw.com

Christina Scripps, Discovery Education
240-662-6502
christina_scripps@discovery.com


Put Down Your Pencils – The 21st-Century Classroom Arrives for Three Lucky Schools

– Ninth Annual Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes from CDW-G and Discovery Education Receives More Than 600,000 Entries and Awards $200,000 in Prizes –

VERNON HILLS, Ill., and SILVER SPRING, Md. – September 12, 2011 – Going back to school will be a little more high tech for three schools selected as the grand prize winners in the 2011 Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes. Sponsored by CDW Government LLC (CDW-G), a leading provider of technology solutions to government, education and healthcare customers, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content services to U.S. classrooms, the 2011 sweepstakes awarded nearly $200,000 in customized classroom technologies to 43 schools nationwide.

Piner Elementary School (Morning View, Ky.), Spaulding School (Gurnee, Ill.) and St. Veronica Catholic School (Chantilly, Va.) each won one of three state-of-the-art 21st-century classrooms, which include notebook computers or tablet PCs, an interactive whiteboard, a student response system, a projector, a document camera and more. CDW-G and Discovery Education announced the grand prize winners live at 11 a.m. ET today on the Win a Wireless Lab Facebook and Twitter pages (@WinWirelessLab).

“During the last nine years, the Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes has put technology into the hands of students and teachers at hundreds of schools around the country,” said Julie Smith, vice president for K-12 education, CDW-G. “CDW-G and Discovery Education are providing schools with classroom technologies that help teachers improve learning and the adoption of 21st-century skills.”

CDW-G and Discovery Education received more than 600,000 entries from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Of those, nearly 7,000 unique entries came via Twitter – the second year that entry method was available.

“Discovery Education is delighted to continue its partnership with CDW-G by providing schools and teachers the tools and resources they need to successfully transition their classroom and instruction into the 21st-century,” said Mary Rollins, vice president, Discovery Education. “These tools will help create environments that move classroom instruction beyond the limitations of a static textbook and into a digital world that promotes collaboration, creativity and participatory learning.”

The winning schools anticipate benefits for both students and teachers:

  • “The mobile classroom is something that our school has wanted and needed, but we were unable to afford it on our own,” said Christi Jefferds, principal at Piner Elementary School. “The wireless lab will help our students use the curriculum in ways that are meaningful and natural to them and help us develop our students into global learners.”
  • “Technology use in support of student achievement is a critical component of our district’s strategic plan,” said Phil Hintz, director of technology for the Spaulding School. “The new lab will not only help us achieve our strategic planning goals, but it will also put more accessible technology in the hands of our students.”
  • “The addition of the mobile lab gives our teachers the opportunity to integrate online learning into their curriculum, beyond students’ weekly designated lab time,” said Mary Baldwin, principal at St. Veronica Catholic School. “The new wireless lab is also a boost to our science, technology, engineering and mathematics initiatives in the coming year, and we expect science and mathematics teachers to take full advantage of the lab.”

    • Each grand prize winner will receive a 21st-century classroom valued at approximately $43,000, including:

  • $5,000 Discovery Education digital media grant
  • Customized package of at least 20 notebook computers or tablet PCs from HP, Lenovo or Toshiba
  • 3 wireless access points from Cisco, D-Link or HP
  • 1 mobile cart from Bretford
  • 1 interactive whiteboard from PolyVision
  • 20 student response devices from Qwizdom
  • 1 video projector from Epson
  • 1 document camera from AVerMedia
  • 1 laser jet or ink jet printer from Epson, HP or Xerox
  • 1 digital camcorder from Sony

    • For a full list of prizes, please visit http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/wawl/prizes/. The full list of winners is available at http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com.

    About CDW-G
    A wholly owned subsidiary of CDW LLC, ranked No. 38 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies, CDW Government LLC (CDW-G) is a leading provider of technology solutions to government, education and healthcare customers. The company features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs. The company’s solutions architects and engineers offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include notebooks, desktops, printers, servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions.

    For more information about CDW-G product offerings, procurement options, service and solutions, call 1.800.808.4239, email cdwgsales@cdwg.com or visit the CDW-G Web site at CDWG.com.

    About Discovery Education
    Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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