Throughout this course we have discussed intensively bringing as well as utilizing technology into the classroom. However, there seems to be the underlying issue of finances for school districts, especially those districts who serve lower socio economic students. Conduct a little research and find out if there are any type of grants available for school districts who cannot afford technology. Technology can include anything from iPads to Smartboards or extra computers. After conducting your own research decided if it's worth all the work since filling out, applying and waiting on grant money is a long process. Is it worth the wait? Should school districts resort to other methods to get resources and if so what ideas do you have?
32 Comments
Crissina Kemp
4/21/2013 02:10:00 pm
This is a very important question, especially when school budgets are constrained and getting cut. I did some research online and found there are some great resources out there for schools looking for grants for all types of things. Below is a great website with a very comprehensive list of different organizations and foundations with a variety of grant opportunities for schools. Some of them were grant opportunities for technology in higher need schools.
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Wendy Walker
4/23/2013 04:41:19 am
You are right, it is so important that they make sure the technology will even be beneficial. There is also a lot of time invested in grants, often on the administrator or teacher's personal time. I see it as the time invested is going toward the students' education and it is worth it.
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Melissa Lovette
4/23/2013 11:19:38 am
Crissina, Thanks so much for all the great information. I'm taking a lot of this to my school administration. You are correct in the fact that grants are an investment in time when it comes to writing them. I'm going to investigate exactly who would be in charge of writing those grants, since I'm not for sure. Curriculum director possibly?
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Laurel Thornton
4/24/2013 09:41:29 am
Really good to know. I had no idea there were that many grants available to teachers. All it takes is some paperwork. This is great, since all of us are feeling the push to bring technology into the classroom, but we're also all under major budget constraints. And I'm sure administration would love to see it as well.
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Kayla Y.
4/26/2013 12:57:09 am
You offered a lot of helpful information into a world that I already didn't really understand. I now have some very helpful insight in front of me to use if I ever find myself or anyone I know applying for grants. You really helped open my mind to the fact that grants are ultimately for the kids and it will always be worth the push.
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Mary McGee
4/22/2013 02:04:23 am
http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/grants/ this sites gives an array of education grants and some for technology.
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Melissa Lovette
4/22/2013 12:21:19 pm
Yes you made a good point. You need to have a good grant writer in place in order to receive the grants since they are highly competitive. Fundraisers are also a good idea as well however it's best to try and sell a product which you know might go over well with the parents.
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Dane Frazier
4/23/2013 02:16:35 pm
I know how hard it is to get money for things that are needed for a program that doesn't have the budget that it should. It is very tuff and help is needed from other sources. Having a grant writer would be very beneficial.
Caleb Haynes
4/25/2013 06:53:10 am
I definitely agree that having a grant writer would be such a great idea. I believe this job should be designated in a certain staff members job description. This would save many teachers alot of time and would allow one person time to strictly be able to focus on finding grants.
Armegis Spearman
5/4/2013 03:15:33 pm
The grant writer is an important step in the process and most people fail to realize this.Fundraisers are an excellent way to raise money for the needs of your class or sports team. I have watched many groups of students succeed in getting what they needed by setting and attaining high goals. We first have to do the homework to ensure the rules are followed by the institution or district before we can begin to entertain the thought of helping the kids. Something has to be done.
Kayla Y.
4/26/2013 12:59:32 am
Good grant writers are so important! Especially if you want to have a decent chance at being selected for the grant. It's unfortunate that not everyone has access to a grant writer. I know many teachers that volunteer to do the grant writing when a grant writer is not available to be used.
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Zech Bowman
4/28/2013 01:17:41 pm
Great point. I really don't like the fact that some of these grants are so competitive. I know there is only so much money that can be handed out, but when it comes to improving education, does it have to be a competition?
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Wendy Walker
4/23/2013 04:38:19 am
I think it is possible to find a myriad of ways to raise money. Even directly contacting companies for information about what they offer and how they can appeal to the company. There are the typical fundraisers but it is also important to get the community involved. Look for sponsers and businesses willing to donate money for technology, especially the ones who use it most - they understand the need for it.
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Troy Holbrook
4/23/2013 05:03:06 am
Many states also have clearinghouses/auctions that redistribute unneeded items to schools and other state institutions. Sometimes federal property is distributed down to the state level simply because the Federal government just has no idea how to dispose of otherwise serviceable property. The following website from the General Services Administration outlines steps for government agencies to use when disposing of property and also steps to be used for the redistribution of property.
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Cassandra Nappier
4/24/2013 04:02:42 pm
I agree with directly contacting companies. It is amazing how much they will donate at times for tax write-offs. One of the things I found while researching was that of a Best Buy give-a-way. The amount of product they were giving away was not listed, but it was a Sweepstakes.
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Colie Trawick
4/25/2013 01:03:29 am
Yes, I agree, grants cannot and should not be the only way that districts look to raise money but I don't believe it is a waste of time. If you have 3 different avenues of raising monies then you have more likely a chance to be successful.
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Heather Carlton
4/26/2013 01:48:01 pm
Yes, I recently read an article about school districts partnering up with local businesses who donate, loan, and sponsor different technology. For schools who are short on money, I think this is a very effective solution!
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Laurel Thornton
4/24/2013 09:38:21 am
My district has started a foundation to provide teachers with grants for thier classroom. Because the push right now is for technology, that is one of the main purposes for the foundation. We are able to fill out the paper work and hopefully be given the grant for our classrooms. I would like my next major purchase for my classroom to be an iPad. Hopefully I will get the grant and be able to use it for that.
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Mary McGee
4/28/2013 10:12:19 am
That is fantastic that your district provided a foundation for grants for the classrooms, this is the first time I have heard of this. Much can be taken from their lead.
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Crissina Kemp
4/29/2013 08:38:36 am
I thought your school's idea of starting a foundations for classroom grants was great. With school budgets continuing to be cut, it is going to make it more difficulty and competitive to receive grants and starting at the school level through a foundation for gifts works great for involving the community and not having to spend countless hours gathering data and writing grants, which most teachers don't have time to do. I think a lot of schools are looking for grants for classroom technology now.
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Cassandra Nappier
4/24/2013 03:49:14 pm
I actually found a website with different grants on it. http://www.grantsalert.com/grants/all This website had posted different grants that can be applied for as well as the due dates for the applications. One of the grants I found was called "Win a Wireless Lab". This was actually a sweepstakes but I was entertained so I looked into it even more. What I found astonished me. The sweepstakes gave away up to $40,000 worth of two Wireless Labs. These $40,000 Prize Packages Include 20 Notebooks, A Power-packed Tech Bundle, Hands-on Training And A $5,000 Digital Media Grant From Discovery Education.
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Colie Trawick
4/25/2013 01:05:10 am
Find as many avenues as possible, because you won't get every grant you apply for.
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Mary McGee
4/28/2013 10:14:02 am
Absolutely explore many avenues grants are difficult to come by. I cannot even count how many grants I have written that have been denied though some were approved. It is so important to have a seasoned grant writer.
Colie Trawick
4/25/2013 12:59:11 am
I don't think it is a waste of time to file for grants. They are a lot of work and most districts can't afford to hire a grant writer so usually a teacher or administrator will volunteer to do it. I think researching and going after all different avenues is beneficial for school districts. The funds and budgets for public schools are being cut every year so they have to find new means to get the things the district needs to give the best opportunity possible to our students.
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4/25/2013 06:49:55 am
After doing some research I found that there are grants that are available for schools to fund technology. The problem with this is they are very hard to find and "hunt" out. One of the articles that I read and the one that I am sharing said that finding these grants and filing for them is almost a "Big Job" in itself. So it is hard for teachers to have time to be able to find these grants, but they definitely are available out there.
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Armegis Spearman
5/4/2013 03:20:20 pm
This is the main problem with the grants that are supposedly available. The teacher has to jump through so many hoops and over hurdles that all have to fit within the time that she or he has to do their job. Most have families and extra activities to deal with everyday also that takes the rest of their day. They usually have work to do when they get home along with planning out their lesson if it got off track for some reason., Why can this be a more simple process for a school? It is different than a personal business attempting to secure a grant.
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Kayla Yount
4/26/2013 12:53:55 am
From what I've researched the grant process can be very long and difficult. It takes a lot of time and effort to put proposals together, and the chances of being chosen for the grant can be very slim. Chances increase if you have a great grant writer, but sometimes that resource is not available. There are many different types of fundraising that can be done to help raise money for schools. And sometimes I think we can reach out to local businesses for help. We shouldn't just cut our losses when we aren't approved for grants. I think the schools need to be proactive and find ways other than grants to raise money in the event that they aren't approved.
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Troy Holbrook
4/27/2013 02:09:21 am
Some institutions do in fact have designated grants writers for the very reason that was stated above. Writing effective grants does take time and skill; it is not a task that just anybody can accomplish. There are courses that one can take to learn how to write grant proposals. Here is a site that offers a course at the Johnson County Community College continuing education that teaches grant writing.
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Crissina Kemp
4/29/2013 08:34:56 am
I am currently employed in a grant funded program that has to submit a grant proposal for our program every five years. Because grant writing is so laborious, time consuming, we collaborate with a grant writer to complete our grant proposal. With education budget cuts increasing, grants are becoming more competitive and harder to be selected for funding. Fundraising is also an option, but with the economy still trying to recover, it can be difficult to raise substantial amounts of funding for expensive items like technology devices for students. It is going to continue to be difficult for schools to find money and also keep from losing money out of their budgets. It is also difficult for staff to find time to research and apply for grants because we are currently trying to do more for our students with less resources.
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Heather Carlton
4/26/2013 01:50:56 pm
The work to obtain grant money is definitely worth it if it means enhancing students' learning experience.
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Zech Bowman
4/28/2013 01:15:48 pm
This is a great question to think about. There are several grants out there and it is definitely worth the time and effort put in. As stated earlier, it is often very difficult to get grants if you do not have a terrific grant writer.
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Armegis Spearman
5/4/2013 03:10:08 pm
http://teachinglikeits2999.blogspot.com/2011/05/idont-have-ipads-writing-ipadtechnology.html
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Student BlogThis blog is for class conversations for ED 514 at Central Methodist University. These post are by the students of ED 514. We invite input form other teachers about how they use technology in their classrooms. Archives
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