Hello! I teach fifth grade math and am thinking about writing a grant. The problem is, I'm not exactly sure what I want! The alumni for the school district I teach in have a group called Foundations and they use money in their budget to give teachers in the district items on their wishlist each year, as long as it is justified (we have a form to fill out). It can be anything from a program to use in our classrooms to electronics (with the exception of a Smartboard). I've never applied for anything because I was never really sure how to go about it, but I keep noticing other teachers have Elmos, projectors and Smartpads (?), or something like that, etc. and its from Foundations. I'd like to give it a shot, but I'm not familiar with a lot of the technology or how I would use it and am looking for your help! Any suggestions?? THANKS!
Apply for something that you know you will use and enjoy, something that will enhance the learning of your students. If you get an Elmo, you will definitely enjoy it and learn how to use it. Go and simply ask a colleague about their Elmos or Smartpads, have them give you simple guidelines on being successful. Get out there, get your feet wet! I recently had a Donorschoose proposal immediately awarded. I needed biographies for poor gifted kids.
The foundation I got a grant from only allowed funding for classroom "projects." In other words, no equipment, supplies, or field trips. We have a grocery store across the street that we could walk to, so I wrote and got a grant for shopping and cooking. But I realize this would be really hard with a large general ed class. If I could use the grant money for field trips, I would plan and write something like that. Another teacher at my school got a grant to take all the 6th graders for a three night camping trip at a local camgrounds where they did math and language arts activities. I know another gal who got a grant to bring in a dance insctructor once a week to teach all her kids "move and groove." I'm in the process right now of trying to think up something for my new position (but I don't know what that is yet so it's hard to come up with ideas!).
If you don't have an LCD projector, I would ask for that, plus an Elmo. It's the modern-day version of the overhead projector - you can demonstrate problems, or show a page from a book, or have a student place his work under it to show how he arrived at an answer. I no longer have students make large-scale posters for projects, because they can make an 8-1/2" x 11" poster that I can easily project up for everyone to see.
I just wrote & won one for a Neo2 Smartboard mobile lab which inlcudes 32 boards (pretty sure this is different from the smartboard you mentioned). I was awarded the full $5000! Just google it. They are student driven & of course, reusable from year to year. I am so excited to use them next school year. http://www.neo-direct.com/intro.aspx
Wow, thank you! The Elmo sounds awesome.. I looked into it more after posting this (and Mrs. K, those are some great ideas that didn't occur to me!). Also, Zoom, I think that is what our foundation does also, as these are some of the questions: What do you hope to accomplish? How are you going to do this? What is your time-line? What do you expect will result from this activity? and How will you evaluate this project? However, I am aware that the teachers who have asked for Smartboards, Elmos and LCD projectors from the Foundations have received them (although they are no longer doing Smartboards). I want to try! An Elmo sounds fantastic! As well as an LCD projector just for displaying things from the internet onto a big screen! Time to figure out how to answer these questions, though, since I'm not doing some sort of project... Thanks everyone!
We have a similar organization where I work. It's such a blessing to be able to get some of those "extras". Last year I wrote and won a grant for a classroom set of clickers. This year I wrote one for a SMART Board - bummer you can't do that. This fall I plan to write two - one for cards and cribbage boards and another for part of a classroom set of interwrite pads. (Our foundation funds only up to $3000) Look around your classroom - create your "dream" environment and then ask, one or two items at a time to get them funded! I've seen a variety of interesting and fun things funded in our district - laptops with cameras, flip cameras, Elmos, projectors, games for game nights, clickers, art supplies, etc. The items funded can be as broad as your imagination!
