1.3 Policies, Procedures, Programs, and Funding
Candidates research, recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school, district, state, and federal technology plans and guidelines. Funding strategies may include the development, submission, and evaluation of formal grant proposals. (PSC 1.3/ISTE 1c)
Artifact
I chose my IT Grant Application project for Standard 1.3. For my project, I decided to write a grant asking for money for VR headsets to augment classroom instruction in our school. This will be a great first order of business for the Educational Technology Committee. The idea is to increase engagement and interest in educational technology and the benefits it provides to teachers throughout the school. I did the research and wrote the grant myself.
Standard 1.3, Policies, Procedures, Programs & Funding facilitates research, helps candidates recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school, district, state, and federal technology plans and guidelines. Funding strategies may include the development, submission, and evaluation of formal grant proposals. My IT Grant Application demonstrates my ability to research educational technology and apply funding strategies to assist classroom teachers to implement them into their subject area. Although McClure Middle School (MMS) is not as up to date as we need to be in implementing educational technology, my Current Reality project led me to believe that our school is poised to succeed if we make it more of a priority. The IT Grant Application could be a great agenda item once a Educational Technology Committee is formed. My recommendation is to start by using the IT Grant Application as a catalyst to build rapport among the faculty. The VR headsets could be a tremendous asset to all our staff and will help enrich both teaching and learning at MMS.
The IT Grant Application project gave me confidence. I have been lucky in that numerous colleagues have assisted me in obtaining grants for various items in my teaching career. This project helped me see that I am very capable of writing grants myself. If you see and need that isn’t being filled, then why not step up and try to fill it yourself. I have been reluctant to move forward or be too aggressive in the past, because frankly, it’s easier not to worry with it, but I see a gap in our school that needs to be filled and leaders lead. My professor for 7410 also expressed very encouraging words for my IT Grant Application and encouraged me to submit the application. One thing I would change is my reluctance to ask for more of the things our school may need to make the project succeed. Ten headsets do not seem to be a lot for the school, so I plan on asking other committee members on their thoughts on the number of headsets needed and possibly increasing the number if the group agrees with my assessment.
The VR headsets could augment curriculum at MMS. Research on VR headsets shows that “VR grabs and holds the attention of students. This has been documented in the reports of a number of research studies” (Panteldis, 2009). I love the fact that although VR is not new, it has not been implemented as much as it could be in education. The limited experience I have had with VR, such as in Nearpod for example, has been a very positive experience. VR is not something that students use regularly in a classroom. I also feel the multimodal aspect of VR adds to the learning experience as well. Teaching about a remote location may not have the appeal in a book or even on a web app, but if the students can digitally transport themselves, it really adds immersion to the content. The VR headsets that are provided by the IT Grant Application could be assessed by the classroom teachers in the level of engagement that they observe, which will translate into mastery of their standards.
References
Panteldis, V. (2009). Reasons to use Virtual Reality in education and training courses and a model to determine when to use Virtual Reality. Themes in Science and Technology Education, 2(1-2), 59-70.
Standard 1.3, Policies, Procedures, Programs & Funding facilitates research, helps candidates recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school, district, state, and federal technology plans and guidelines. Funding strategies may include the development, submission, and evaluation of formal grant proposals. My IT Grant Application demonstrates my ability to research educational technology and apply funding strategies to assist classroom teachers to implement them into their subject area. Although McClure Middle School (MMS) is not as up to date as we need to be in implementing educational technology, my Current Reality project led me to believe that our school is poised to succeed if we make it more of a priority. The IT Grant Application could be a great agenda item once a Educational Technology Committee is formed. My recommendation is to start by using the IT Grant Application as a catalyst to build rapport among the faculty. The VR headsets could be a tremendous asset to all our staff and will help enrich both teaching and learning at MMS.
The IT Grant Application project gave me confidence. I have been lucky in that numerous colleagues have assisted me in obtaining grants for various items in my teaching career. This project helped me see that I am very capable of writing grants myself. If you see and need that isn’t being filled, then why not step up and try to fill it yourself. I have been reluctant to move forward or be too aggressive in the past, because frankly, it’s easier not to worry with it, but I see a gap in our school that needs to be filled and leaders lead. My professor for 7410 also expressed very encouraging words for my IT Grant Application and encouraged me to submit the application. One thing I would change is my reluctance to ask for more of the things our school may need to make the project succeed. Ten headsets do not seem to be a lot for the school, so I plan on asking other committee members on their thoughts on the number of headsets needed and possibly increasing the number if the group agrees with my assessment.
The VR headsets could augment curriculum at MMS. Research on VR headsets shows that “VR grabs and holds the attention of students. This has been documented in the reports of a number of research studies” (Panteldis, 2009). I love the fact that although VR is not new, it has not been implemented as much as it could be in education. The limited experience I have had with VR, such as in Nearpod for example, has been a very positive experience. VR is not something that students use regularly in a classroom. I also feel the multimodal aspect of VR adds to the learning experience as well. Teaching about a remote location may not have the appeal in a book or even on a web app, but if the students can digitally transport themselves, it really adds immersion to the content. The VR headsets that are provided by the IT Grant Application could be assessed by the classroom teachers in the level of engagement that they observe, which will translate into mastery of their standards.
References
Panteldis, V. (2009). Reasons to use Virtual Reality in education and training courses and a model to determine when to use Virtual Reality. Themes in Science and Technology Education, 2(1-2), 59-70.
