To the Editor:

The staff and board at Deep Root Center for Self-Directed Learning (DRC) in Canton, would like to gratefully acknowledge the Canton Community Fund (CCF) for awarding us a technology grant, for the second year in a row.

This nearly $1,600 is funding three new desktop computers, an innovative coding instrument called Ozibot (a little gizmo that enables students to develop code for computer programs as well as gaming), and a revolutionary distance-learning device called Kubi. This robotic arm, controlled by a person who is in a remote location, holds a tablet, (we chose an iPad) which enables them to join or lead our classes through video conferencing.

This not only opens up DRC's services to students who live in the far reaches of St. Lawrence County (or beyond), it also allows volunteer facilitators from around the globe to teach classes from their own offices, homes, or classrooms, thereby eliminating the time and hassle of traveling to DRC and quite literally opening a new world of possibilities for our students.

Thank you Canton Community Fund for continuously supporting Deep Root Center's efforts to provide our student members with access to state of the art learning tools. We are deeply grateful.

Maria Corse

Executive director of Deep Root Center for Self-Directed Learning