Gold Rush; An Insiders Look at the Grant Writing Experience

A little over a year ago a meeting was held for high needs schools eligible to apply for a 3-year competitive grant. The grant application could not have come at a worse time. Schools were packing and shuttering their doors. To make matters worse, the grant was due in the middle of August when all staff members enjoy their vacations. This was going to be difficult. After all, who would want to work on a grant during the summer? Fortunately, tough economic times has a funny way of inspiring people to write even in the heat of the summer.

And so it was… Against the heat of a sweltering sun, the brave, the foolish, and just the plain naïve embarked on a Gold Rush. One such tale begins in the eastern section of Brooklyn. A teacher in his mid forties attends a grant meeting and begins his journey looking for inspiration. As a young adolescent he always enjoyed Beatles music; especially Sergeant Pepper. He always loved the opening…

It was twenty years ago today,

Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play

They've been going in and out of style

But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.

So may I introduce to you…

That was it… He would call the grant, “It Was 5o Years Ago Today” observing all the historical happenings in that neighborhood. And why not? This neighborhood produced famous TV personalities, athletes, comedians, poets, and other notables. There was only one problem; luminous as these people were… they were not connected to STEM… you know; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. For days, the teacher would toil with this theme. Perhaps if he conducted more research a STEM connection could be found. However, he would have no such luck. The simple truth was… this was not working. He needed a new angle… a new way to look at this.

Our hero proceeds to turn on the radio and listens to Neil Young’s “Hank to Hendrix” and its comparative use of varying pop icons and cried… “I got it! Why not call the grant From Pong to the Xbox?” This grant would explore the evolution of gaming technology… starting with Pong, Space Invaders, and Galaxian. It would then move to the 2^nd generation of gaming looking at Pac Man, Pole Position, and Donkey Kong… followed by the modern era of gaming. Certainly, the elements of game design would lend itself to a project centered on STEM.

This project was starting to shape up. Our hero was finding some great resources on the web. Per chance he bumped into a few of his school colleagues and shared with them what he was planning. They did not say much. However, our hero could see from their dour expressions that they were not impressed. Needless to say he was demoralized. Our hero was now questioning the validity of his idea. Perhaps he should scrap this idea and go back to his original idea. For days he would pace in his apartment back and forth. Tommy (his 8 year old kid) asked, “Are you OK, dad?” “Yes, little man. I just got lots on my mind.” Tommy said, “Why don’t you watch Sponge Bob with me?”

Our hero watches Sponge Bob with his kid and becomes fascinated. He instantly enjoys the clever subtly of the program and does some research. He learns that the Sponge Bob creator used to teach marine biology. A few days later he unleashes the “The Legend of Ocean Town”. He shares with his colleagues the following abstract….

“The Legend of Ocean Town” will have students create a digital mockumentary depicting the life and times of Ocean Town. This mockumentary will explore the housing structures, sea life, foods, sports, politics, culture, medical advancements, and ecological issues of that fictional era. Additionally, they will create a companion web site entitled “Living in Ocean Town” which will include a travel brochure, findings from research/interviews with marine biologists/scientists/and other experts, a customized wikipedia profiling ancient and modern sea life, blue prints of proposed housing structures, personalized maps of Ocean Town using Google Map Technology, as well as pod casts documenting the making of the digital documentary.

His colleagues love the idea and offer to help him with this project. A few weeks later our hero submits the grant application. And a few months later… he receives a letter learning that his school was awarded the grant.

Editor’s Note- This story is based on a true story and is dedicated to the relentless spirit of educators.

The 10 Zens of Technology Planning

by Jacob Gutnicki

Your principal has drafted you to create a school based technology plan. You are both enthused and scared at this prospect. Where do I start? Do we purchase iPods for all the students? Perhaps we should invest in netbooks. I hear they are really cheap. Then again… I hear they are kind of flimsy and the keyboard is too small. Wait a minute… How are we paying for this?

With this in mind, I share with you “The Ten Zens of Technology Planning”

1. Establish a committee with stakeholders of varying interests- Make sure to include a Special Education teacher, ELL teacher, Math teacher, Science teacher, an administrator, as well as teachers from the other subjects and interests as this will promote school-wide buy in to the plan.

2. Conduct a Hardware and Instructional Needs Inventory- The Hardware Inventory should catalog the age, functionality, and condition of the technology equipment. The Instructional Needs Inventory will help the school determine what instructional focus the computer hardware will be used for.

3. Developing a Long Term Plan- Ask your committee the following; “In 5 years what 3 technological milestones do we wish to achieve?”

4. Developing a Short Term Goal- Ask your committee the following; “In 5 months what one goal do we wish to accomplish?”

5. Develop Activities to Achieve the Short Term Goal- Once the committee agrees on a short term goal, it becomes important to create a mini timeline of what activities must be carried out to fulfill the short term goal.

6. Grants- Grants are often a major funding source to help schools acquire and update technology with in a school. With this in mind, schools should aggressively seek grant opportunities. This includes funds available from local politicians, private foundations, donations, and public grants. In many cases, simply writing a letter and making a few phone calls can help a school net a grant or donation. For example, a company purchases new computers and may wish to donate their old computers as it helps them avoid potential recycling costs and can be used as a tax write off. Similarly, a local politician is running for reelection and might have funds to help a local school. Likewise, a philanthropist creates a grant opportunity offering free computers to promote his/her cause. In each of these scenarios the school that proactively seeks these opportunities is far more likely to benefit from one or all of these opportunities.

7. Repair and Repurpose Technology- All too often, schools are ready to throw out equipment that appears to be older. This is a shame as older computers can often be nursed back to health by re-imaging the machine. Additionally, older machines can be used as dedicated writing and research centers where as newer machines could handle photo and video editing applications which tend to be more taxing. If a machine is beyond repair, cannibalize it and use it for spare parts. Not only is it environmentally sound, it also teaches students a valuable lesson about computer repair.

8. Be Wary of Purchasing the Newest Technology Toy- New products typically are ridden with hardware problems, have a limited number of applications, and are cost prohibitive. For example, in 2007 the iPhone cost 500 dollars, was buggy, and had very limited features. Three years and several upgrades later the device costs only 100 dollars and has approximately 200,000 applications that can be used. One may also recall a number of school systems purchased the 1^st generation tablet based laptops, which proved to be costly, underpowered, and buggy.

9. Research Software Solutions- As we all know there is no shortage of vendors trying to sell their wares. The best way to determine the effectiveness of a program is to test the software. Fortunately, acquiring trial versions of the software is fairly easy to do as reputable companies will usually offer white papers documenting the effectiveness of their product and will offer a demo version of their software.

10. Avoid Drive By Professional Development- All too often, schools will conduct one-session of professional development. This is a recipe for failure, as multiple sessions are needed to see a cohesive improvement. Additionally, follow up workshops are critical. It is also important to offer a menu of workshops as adults learning how to use technology have very different needs.

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Related post Incorporating Innovation into Strategic Planning that Will Enrich Learning

The Evolution of Teaching Science

by Jacob Gutnicki

When you were in middle school what was your least favorite subject? Was it Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies, Art, or was it something else? I have often posed this question to college students enrolled in a teacher preparation program. Invariably, the top 2 answers are always Math and Science. Even more telling, Science always wins the “unpopularity contest” by a landslide.

I proceed to continue my line of questioning and ask them why they feel this way. The answers vary but the consensus is that they do not see the point of science. Simply put, it is not relevant to their lives. I then follow up by asking, “What is the purpose of science?” This question usually gets all kinds of responses like to learn about life, machines, chemicals, weather, and other big scientific words. I then respond, “The purpose of science is to learn how things work.”

This in short is the problem with the current approach used to teach science. Much time is spent doling out vocabulary words that do not help the student understand science content. In fact, the use of acronyms and scientific words succeeds in only confusing students more. Many educational experts have stressed the importance of using hands on materials and have advocated for the purchase of Science labs. Unfortunately, the high cost of science materials has been a major obstacle in assuring the meaningful teaching of science. Additionally, many science teachers do not have the pedagogic background to teach science in a way that is meaningful. It is no wonder that many college students avoid majoring in Science programs as science is viewed as bad medicine. Subsequently, only 29% of United States middle school students are considered proficient or above proficiency in the area of Science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam. Even more disturbing, Middle School students have shown no progress since the last NAEP exam.

In an effort to address this educational crisis, our government and private foundations have devoted money to various grant programs including the Math Science Partnership Grants, National Science Foundation Grants, Toshiba America Foundation Grants, America Honda Foundation Grants, Motorola Innovation Grants, and various Science Scholarships. Thanks to the Math Science Partnership program, school districts across the USA have offered its teachers professional development in the area of Math, Science, as well as Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM). Similarly, other funding sources have given students the opportunity to use state of the art science equipment in a hands-on manner.

However, many of these grant programs have not fostered the paradigm shift needed to transform Science Education in a manner that will address the needs of the 21^st Century Student. This is because many of these grant programs are limited in their mandate as they simply require that pedagogues take college level courses in the area of science. However, the grant programs do not require direct instruction with students. In fact, student after school programs are discouraged. Additionally, the audit of these grant programs amount to simple bean counting. Another words, the external evaluators will count how many teachers took 30 hours of course work. However, they will not assess the effectiveness of the given course work. Subsequently, it is no surprise that the elementary cohort of schools showed only modest progress on the most recent NAEP Science Exam.

With this in mind, I propose the following;

1. Require the infusion of technology in all science courses. This is essential as technology gives students access to; virtual labs, science experts via video conferencing, USB Science probes, authentic science data with a computer, real-time computer based models, and other innovative science practices.

2. Require that every science lesson have a hands on component during which the student will perform the science concept, demonstrate the science concept, or create a presentation on the scientific idea in their own words.

3. Provide veteran and new science teachers with the requisite training and resources needed to teach science in a hands-on manner. This initiative would require professional development that is carefully designed to address the knowledge gap that many science teachers have. Similarly, pre-service programs must address the knowledge gap as well.

4. Future Science Grants should directly target the middle and secondary schools. This in turn will ensure that limited funds are directed towards the student population that desperately needs sound science education.

5. Hold vendors and Higher Education Institutes accountable for the services they provide. All too often we direct accountability measures towards the pedagogues but turn a blind eye to the content providers mentioned above. This in turn has resulted in sub-standard professional development services from content providers. With this in mind, professional development offerings given by vendors and colleges should be observed and evaluated. The results of the evaluation should then be made public via the What Works Clearing House web site.

Final Thought- Naturally, it goes without saying that these ideas only scratch the surface of this very complicated issue. However, it is clear that our current practices must change. In short, we must reverse the trend in which a shrinking number of students enroll in science-based programs during their post secondary years. In a quest to address this perplexing issue we must be prepared to invest properly and welcome educational change.

The Innovative Educator’s Birthday Wish – Help Me Fund Innovative Classrooms By Supporting My Donor’s Choose Giving Page

A year has gone by since I had not 1, not 2, but 3 SPECTACULAR 40^TH birthday celebrations with family and friends in Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and the North Fork of Long Island. I spent nearly an entire month where all those close to me celebrated ME and I felt truly blessed and thankful. A year later I’m turning 41. I’ve had enough of celebrating me.

For my 41^st birthday, the best gift I can get is funding innovative educators. As @kevinhoneycutt rhythmically explains in this YouTube video, students need their teachers to learn and there are teachers who are stepping up to the plate. Please take a minute to take a listen.

Honeycutt shares this message with teachers in his video, “Kids are changing any fool can tell and the ways that you’re teaching have to change as well.”

Unfortunately, even though it is the 21st century, equity and access to modern resources is considered a privilege rather than a right and even students who have their own personal learning devices are banned from bringing them to school in many districts. Fortunately there are teachers ready to take on the challenge of preparing students for the 21st century, but they need our help. You may have noticed a recent addition on the right side of my blog where the DonorChoose.org widget has been established for just this purpose. When you click on the widget you are brought directly to The Innovative Educator's Giving Page at DonorChoose.org. All the projects are specifically focused on innovation. You can help grant my birthday wish by going to The Innovative Educator's Giving Page and clicking on the below widget on the right-hand side of my page or below.

My birthday is on September 20th and I’m asking for all my friends, colleagues, and readers, to make a tax deductible donation in increments of $41 dollars for my 41^st birthday. Early presents and late presents are encouraged! If you fund a project you will get photos and a letter from the teacher and his or her class too. My goal is to help educators raise $1000 dollars toward helping them incorporate innovative practices into their teaching and learning.

I’ve started off the process by donating my $41 dollars to a project called "Getting In-Touch With Our Latino Community". I have helped 125 students through this project and already received my thank you letter. Pictures will be coming once the project gets underway.

If you are an innovative educator who is looking for funding for your classroom please include your project on DonorChoose.org and I will add you to The Innovative Educator's Giving Page. Simply share your link and your request for donations as a comment to this post or email me with a request. You can challenge your friends and family to support the work you are doing with your students too. Everybody wins!

DonorChoose.org is a fantastic organization that I began using close to a decade ago as a literacy coach. I worked with teachers to write proposals to fund classroom libraries. Every project was fully funded. For my birthday wish, I invite you to please join me in supporting teachers who are doing this important work.

If you're an innovative educator who would like to spread the word about DonorsChoose.org I've created a short video overview that you can share.

Free online screencasting tool

Funding Innovative Ideas with Learning Technology Grants

Innovative educators often share frustration around not being able to effectively implement some of their ideas due to lack of funding. The reality for most schools is that in addition to what the district provides, they’ll need to advocate for funding to support the programs and initiatives they want to put in place. The first step in doing so is for schools to ensure they have Ideas for Getting Started with 21st Century Teaching and Learning which includes having a plan that takes into account knowing what equipment you want and how you intend to integrate technology into the curriculum. Once a school knows what they want they are ready to start working to gain funding to support their plans.

New York State has a grant designed to do this called the Learning Technology Grant (LTG). The program was created to promote collaboration between public school districts/BOCES and nonpublic schools of all denominations.

Program Purpose
1) promote an increase in continuous, progressive integration of instructional technology in classrooms and library media centers to improve student academic performance in relation to the New York State Learning Standards,
2) provide ongoing, sustained professional development focused on increasing knowledge and skills of teachers in the use of instructional technology to help students attain higher levels of performance in the New York State Learning Standards, and
3) make use of recognized model programs that are based on research and have shown promise of significantly increasing student academic achievement.

The program goals for LTG 2009 - 2012 are to:
1) improve student academic performance in achieving the New York State Learning Standards, with emphasis on programs focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
2) increase the use of instructional technology in the classroom and/or school library media center.
3) enhance collaborative projects among classrooms and library media centers.

To find out about NYC DOE school library programs, contacts and automation, click here.

Examples of Learning Technologies include:

• Information delivery systems or services used to provide distance learning;
  (i.e. Moodle/Blackboard, Compass Learning, Apex Learning , InfoSource)
• Interactive telecommunications, including equipment and services;
  (i.e. Skype, webinar software, video conferencing)
  
• Computer technology integrated into classroom or school library media center instruction;
  (i.e. laptops, netbooks, eReaders, projectors, interactive whiteboards)
  
• Networking among schools and libraries, including network equipment;
  (i.e. Library Automation)
• Multimedia equipment and data storage;
  (digital/video cameras, iPod/iTouch, servers, hard drives)
• Education related materials, services and software
  (i.e. Robotics, probes, graphing calculators, MOUSE Squads, Sim games, Geometer Sketchpad, Rise of Nations, Kindles)
  
  

Eligibility
-Eligible applicants are public school districts and BOCES, or consortiums thereof. Applicants must give nonpublic schools of all denominations within their boundaries the opportunity to participate. Here is the listing of Non Public Schools.
-Applicants must also include at least one SURR or SINI (i.e., SINI, Corrective Action, or Restructuring) school building in the application to be considered for funding.
-No other entities are permitted to participate (community-based organizations, charter schools, etc.).
-New York City Department of Education schools can click here to see if they are eligible. Note you must request access to the list with an NYC DOE email address.

Allowable Activities and Costs
The NYC allocation for this initiative is $1,785,000. Successful applications may be funded for three years at a maximum allocation of $50,000 per year, contingent upon the availability of funds for each school year. Approximately 35 grants will be awarded to NYC DOE schools.
-A minimum of 45% of the project budget must be used for ongoing, sustained professional development, including mentoring and/or in-classroom coaching of teachers to improve instruction using technology.
-No more than 45% of the funds may be used for purchase of equipment (e.g., computers, PDA’s, interactive whiteboards, alpha smarts, etc.)
-No more than five (5%) percent of the funds may be used for program administration not including indirect costs.
-No more than five (5%) percent of the funds may be used for evaluation. Below are evaluators currently evaluating Title 2D grants in New York City.

Sampling of NYC DOE Current Grant Evaluators
1) Design and Development Resources for Education and the Arts
http://www.dndrea.org/Home.asp
Josephine Imbimbo | [email protected]
Queens / Bronx
2) Research Works Inc
http://www.researchworks.org
Dr. Kathleen Toms | [email protected]
Manhattan
4) American Education Solutions
Elaine Rosales | [email protected]
Staten Island / Brooklyn

Peer Review
Grants should include a peer review process. Statewide Peer Review is a program created by the New York State Department of Education that helps teachers document, assess, and discuss the work they complete as part of the New York State Learning Technology Grant. New York State encourages use of its Statewide Peer Review process to assist teachers in changing classroom practice to help students reach higher levels of achievement in relation to the learning standards. (http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysatl/whatpr.html) Schools interested in receiving support to implement this process can contact Teaching Matters, a company with proven experience in implementing this process which you can learn more about here.

Project Period
Three years: November 1, 2009 - June 30, 2012. The initial year one project period will run from 11/1/09-6/30/10. A budget for the first year only (11/1/09-6/30/10) must be submitted with this application. Grants will be renewable for the next two years contingent upon the State legislature appropriating funds, satisfactory performance in the previous year and timely receipt of the annual report. No extension or carryover of funds from year to year is allowed.

Due Date
Submit one (1) original and three (3) copies of the complete application postmarked by August 21, 2009.

Page Limits
The Proposal Narrative should contain no more than 14 pages. A page is 8 ½ x 11 one-sided and single-spaced with one-inch margins on top, bottom and sides. Use Times Roman or Arial font in 12-point size.

Tips for Project Abstract
Remember to include the following:
• The names of the schools in the grant
• The name of the project and what it does
• The activities included in the project
• The standards supported in the project
• Indicate that the two schools will use the peer review process

Collaboration Tools to Consider for Writing the Grants
Consider using collaborative tools to collaborate in writing the grant with those at your school and your partner school. Tools may include:
• Video conference using Skype
• Chat using www.TinyChat.com
• Collaborate on single documents using docs.google.com
• Share and collect documents and resources using Wikispaces.com
• Engage in online discussion forums using Ning. Wikispaces discussion tabs are also an option
• Set up free conference calls using www.freeconferencecall.com

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Additional Information and support.

• Discussion forum - Learning Technology Grants Questions, Information, Help.
• LTG Grant PowerPoint Presentation
• Additional helpful documents and materials visit LTG 2009-2012.
• Q&A from the state site here. Questions/answers from readers visit LTG FAQs.
  

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Additional Grant Opportunities
Tech & Learning and Dell once again bring you the annual grants directory calendar! Leverage available resources by increasing your awareness of existing grant opportunities and associated deadlines, and help address the pain point of limited budgets. PLUS, get the Top 10 Tips from T&L's Grant Guru -- hints that can help you rake in the funds!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE VALUABLE RESOURCE.

Gates Foundation & Stephen Colbert Team Up to Support Teachers Looking to Fund Innovative Educational Ideas that Prepare Kids for College Success

In my new role as a Technology Innovation Manager I have been working furiously on writing three grants that will provide funding for schools across Manhattan to receive support in educating innovatively with 21^st Century tools. The grants are $700,000 each per year for three years. If funded these grants will definitely support schools in implementing innovative practices, however, what I, and the schools, need to keep in mind is that these grants are just a piece of the puzzle and while they will certainly support schools in using technology to enhance teaching and learning, they will need to find ways to supplement and grow upon the opportunities provided by the grant.

At a classroom level when I was a teacher, library media specialist, staff developer, and literacy coach one of my favorite and most effective ways I found to support the innovative practices I was trying to implement was DonorsChoose.org. At DonorsChoose.org there is a simple process where you can write a grant for what you want funded and philanthropists looking to contribute can select your project and fund it in exchange for a follow up narrative and photos sharing with them how they helped impact student achievement.

Now the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is putting some additional muscle behind the organization with something called the “Double Your Impact” program to fund 50 percent of teachers’ classroom projects aimed at promoting college readiness among students in high-need and underserved urban and rural public schools. I see this as a great vehicle for teachers at schools who are awarded grants and trying to supplement their efforts in using technology to educate innovatively.

I was honored to be invited to the program announcement this week at an event moderated by TV personality Stephen Colbert, a DonorsChoose.org board member (Sadly, work related to the looming grant deadline prevented me from attending). “Double Your Impact” will be funded with a $4.1 million investment from the Gates Foundation and is expected to support more than 17,000 classroom projects, touching more than 300,000 students across the nation. By enabling DonorsChoose.org to contribute half of the required dollars, the grant helps to incentivize individual “citizen philanthropists” to donate and accelerate the process of fully funding projects.

“Teachers across the country are creating classroom projects and lessons that engage kids in creative and innovative ways. Generous citizen philanthropists, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s invaluable support, are making sure they have the materials needed to spark the passion for learning,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “This grant helps us drive attention and contributions to projects aimed at preparing kids to succeed in college.”

“DonorsChoose.org supports teachers in a truly powerful way—engaging the public in support of teachers and the innovative energy they bring to the classroom,” said Vicki L. Phillips, director of education at the Gates Foundation. “We hope this partnership will give citizen donors an added incentive to support projects that empower public school teachers to help prepare students to graduate ready to succeed in college and beyond.”

“DonorsChoose.org allows people from all walks of life to help specific classrooms directly,” said Stephen Colbert. “As I endeavor to protect our children from bears, DonorsChoose.org is protecting public school kids from classrooms that lack the materials necessary to rigorously prepare them for college.”

While many organizations raise funds for basic school supplies, the DonorsChoose.org model supports specific classroom projects that are submitted and designed by any public school teacher in the U.S. to further defined educational goals. Under the “Double Your Impact” initiative, the requests eligible for 50 percent funding from DonorsChoose.org through the grant from the Gates Foundation are those that promote college-readiness. Such projects include student trips to college campuses as well as classroom books, SAT/ACT preparation materials, and other resources that strengthen the learning experience.

“DonorsChoose.org has helped provide the additional materials, such as college essay prep books, that can help teachers like me create programs that are targeted to the unique needs of our students and get them really excited about learning,” said Elizabeth Smith, a teacher at Manhattan Bridges High School where the announcement was made. “My goal is to create opportunities for my students to learn in innovative, inspiring ways. This has made all the difference in what our students believe they can achieve.”

To date, 88,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $30.3 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Visit www.DonorsChoose.org, and help your class join the 1.8 million students who have already benefited from the support provided by DonorsChoose.org.