An upgrade for learning.
Bored and frustrated, many of America's students have given up on the old ways of learning. A new program at the Summit County Educational Service Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, has piqued the interest of teachers and students in making technology an integral part of learning.Educators, this happens more often than you think:
Every day Marty's parents leave for work before her school bus arrives. She knows the attendance secretary will be calling soon. Later she'll have to convince her parents she really was sick. She just couldn't take one more day of Mr. Bowen's ramblings about history or Ms. Howard's worksheets on Shakespeare. Instead she'll spend the day playing a few video games and sneaking some time on her parents' Internet account.
This student is on strike - she's protesting an antiquated curriculum and learning environment. And striking students don't always stay at home. You've seen them sitting vacantly at their desks, perhaps daydreaming about something interesting. Education should engage students in their learning. The generation in high school now will graduate into a world of technology. Educators in every discipline should embrace this reality and take advantage of what technology has to offer them and their students. The Summit County Educational Service Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is a good example of how technology in the classroom can help create a new and interesting learning environment for students.
Two years ago President Clinton announced the first 19 education programs to receive federally funded Technology Learning Challenge Grants. In 1996, 24 more programs received grant money, bringing the funding total to $32 million. As this story went to press, the Education Department was reviewing a third round of potential recipients.
According to the Education Department, these grants are for programs that use "powerful new technologies and the information superhighway to transform ... factory era schools into information age learning centers."
The Educational Service Center in Summit County received one of the first grants to implement its [NEW.sup.3] program, which stands for New Knowledge, New Technology, New Work. The five-year, $6.8 million grant is helping the center serve more than 88,000 K-12 students from 18 surrounding schools districts, two full-time vocational schools and three universities. It also serves several foundations, nonprofit organizations and businesses. High school students generally attend the center after school and on weekends. Teachers also arrange class field trips during regular school hours.
New Work focus
[NEW.sup.3] program is three-pronged, but the New Work component is the end supported by its two preceding means. New Work capitalizes on students' interest in technology to encourage learning through real-world experiences instead of textbook-driven instruction.
A recent Byte magazine article included an analysis of 133 studies about the potential of technology to support the New Work idea, which also is a project at the Center for Leadership in School Reform in Louisville, Kentucky. The author found that when schools use technology effectively to change the work students perform, students show marked improvement in achievement, attitude, self-concept and relationships with teachers. The World Wide Web, e-mail and interactive computer lessons all contribute to a wider realm of learning for students, one that is interesting and relevant to the information age. Researchers and authors Arthur Costa and Rosemarie Liebmann say our students are living in an age in which knowledge doubles in less than five years. By 2020 they predict knowledge will double every 73 days. Such staggering numbers underscore the need for technology in schools - teachers, parents and the community can no longer teach students everything they need and want to know. Technology can help students access a wealth of information. But running cable through the building and setting up a computer lab is not enough. Teachers and administrators must receive the necessary training to support technology learning. (See sidebar on previous page.)
A seventh-grade life science class recently completed a New Work project about water pollution in a local river. With teacher guidance, students researched the Internet extensively for information about water pollution and its causes. They also exchanged and compared project results via e-mail with life science students at other local locations. Throughout the project students used electronic technology to graph their findings. One teacher noted that stepping back and letting students do all the work was difficult at first, but that the project was much more interesting and motivating than a traditional lecture.
Setting up shop
A networked, software-laden computer lab with Internet access is a cumbersome but necessary project. In the Educational Service Center's case, a line item in the state budget for education provided most of the funds for remodeling and hardware. The first 20 computer stations each cost approximately $4,200. Businesses that were interested in getting educators' feedback on their software packages also made donations totaling more than $175,000. The challenge grant money mostly went toward updating equipment and setting up for Internet access. There now are 25 computers in the lab.
Another main funding stream for [NEW.sup.3] is Ohio SchoolNet program, which is designed to bring technology into classrooms. SchoolNet provides $95 million in bond revenue to school districts over five years. Of the $95 million, $50 million pays for telecommunication wiring. The remaining $45 million pays for computers and related technology in the section of the state with the lowest wealth, which does not include Summit County.
But before we started spending the money, we made sure to get input from the community and businesses. Summit County staff involved with the [NEW.sup.3] project - eventually about 20 people - met with Rotary clubs and other community-based organizations to talk about the project and collect feedback. A major concern was the need for basic skills and how technology could play a role. A good example of how [NEW.sup.3] has addressed this concern is a recent "book publishing" project by a third-grade class. The students had to practice myriad skills. Not only did they have to use creative thinking, spelling, grammar and editing skills, they also 'were learning how to publish their book using a computer software program. As a bonus, parents attended a field trip to the center so the students could present their work and explain the publishing process. This was a great way to involve parents and practice students' communication skills.
This type of project is a far cry from simply making students write for five minutes about any given subject. Students can resent that exercise. Why not use technology - something that interests students - to breathe new life into otherwise monotonous curricula? Of course it will take more work from educators to learn about the Internet,new software and equipment, but the reward is students excited about learning.
RELATED ARTICLE: Preparing Teachers for Technology
All the mind-boggling and time-consuming work that goes into creating any kind of technology program loses all value if your teachers are not prepared to support it. A close partner of the [NEW.sup.3] program at the Summit County Educational Service Center is the Academy of Learning and Technology. It provides the hands-on courses teachers need to lead students through technology-based learning. We predict more than 2,300 teachers will graduate from the year-long academy courses in the next five years.
Bobbi Merrill, who teaches third-graders with learning disabilities, says her experiences at "Tech Academy" have been invaluable. Last year she participated as part of a team of teachers, two from her school - McDowell Elementary in Hudson, Ohio - and another from a neighboring school. Together they developed a plan to get their schools on the World Wide Web. They attended courses after school to learn hypertext markup language and Adobe PageMill, two main elements in Web page design and creation. But also as part of their Academy schooling, Merrill and her teammates made industry site visits so they could see how technology was being used in steel manufacturing, for example.
"I hadn't realized that almost everything was done by computer," says Merrill, who was expecting to see a factory floor sprawling with workers. Instead, it was computerized.
Merrill's team also made a field trip to one of Cleveland Clinic's robotics laboratories. The teachers observed how physicians were using computers to practice gall bladder surgery.
Merrill says those experiences really had an impact on her.
"It really helped me to see which jobs are becoming more and more available. Now we can start thinking about what kinds of jobs are going to be available to our children."
The challenge grant money covers the cost of the teachers' formal technology classes, which are taught by instructors hired by the school district. It also pays for speakers who come in periodically to make presentations about how technology is affecting schools and the job market.
"Tech Academy also challenged me to do things differently in my classroom, involving the children more in how to access the Internet and weaving it into my classroom curriculum in a meaningful way," Merrill says.
She and her colleagues succeeded in developing a Web page for McDowell Elementary. Visit <www.hudson.edu/mcdowell/welcome.htm>.
RELATED ARTICLE: A 10-MINUTE LESSON IN TECHNOLOGY GRANT WRITING
Developing a technology program can mean big spending - and most schools don't have deep pockets. Seeking a grant may be the answer, but first you need to know how to prepare your proposal and where to look for the money.
By Bruce Sliger and Terry McLeod
Educators often are frustrated in attempts to integrate technology into their districts, schools and classrooms. A primary frustration is finding the money to provide the hardware and software that will make a difference in student achievement. Many districts do not have the money in their budget for this big-ticket item.
Grants can be one way to address this problem. Schools receive millions of dollars every year through competitive grant processes. State and federal governments, foundations and corporations award these grants. Finding the funds for technology projects and programs is possible.
The "how" behind seeking technology grants
One of the first necessary steps in acquiring grant funds is to develop a technology plan. This sounds simple enough, but educators may be surprised to know that many schools and districts develop technology grant proposals that do not reflect proper planning. It's important to impress upon the funder how the technology will be used and integrated into the curriculum, as well as what impact the technology will have on student learning. Your plan should address the specific technology needs of your school or district. Strategic planning is an excellent way of determining this. If this particular approach is not familiar to you, that's OK. What you are trying to do is determine how your school or district can most effectively integrate technology. Think about these questions:
* What educational needs do your students have?
* What outcomes do you want for your students?
* What activities will you use to attain these outcomes?
* What methods will you use to assess student progress?
* What is the time frame in which student will master proposed outcomes?
A well-thought-out technology plan will benefit your grant-writing efforts. Funders like to work with organizations that have a clear idea of how they will use the technology.
Now we can become really creative. Ask yourself, how can I address my technology needs in the most innovative way? Funders like to see technology used in creative applications. Remember, they also like to see how the technology will be integrated into the school curriculum.
As you begin to develop your idea for a technology project or program also explore potential funding sources. Look to your own state department of education for funding streams. Next, look around your own state to find foundations and corporations that might fund technology projects. You can learn about foundations and corporations in your state by checking with your local library. Many libraries maintain grant-writing collections. It is important to take the time to carefully research your funding sources. The better the match between your idea and the funder, the better the chances for funding. When researching potential funders, also look at the other projects they fund. Does that foundation or corporation fund projects like yours? After you have narrowed your funding list, contact each source for current information on submission deadlines, application procedures, contact person and mailing address. The contact name is very important. You should always address your proposal to a specific individual to ensure that it doesn't fall through the cracks.
Knowing a great deal about your potential funders makes it easier to tailor your grant proposal to any requirements or interests. A grant proposal is a narrative of your program or project. It states the needs, activities, outcomes, costs and overall impact the money will have on your targeted population. This is what you will submit to a funding source for comments and potential approval.
The generic components of a grant proposal are the title page, abstract, introduction, statement of need, objective, procedures and activities, budget and appendix. (Most funders like to see a budget narrative.) Each component should be written in a clear and concise manner that will allow your potential funder to create a visual image of your program or project. Keep in mind that some funders - especially state and federal agencies - will have a standard format that may vary from these generic components.
Here are tips to keep in mind when preparing a technology grant proposal:
* Make personal contact with your potential funding source.
* Prepare your proposal so that it looks as professional as possible.
* Check to be sure you have followed the funding agency's guidelines.
* Plan your budget carefully. Do not inflate your budget. Funding sources look very carefully at these numbers. An inflated budget is a red flag.
* Use a team to formulate the proposal ideas. However, for consistency of format and wording, only one person should write the proposal.
* Spend extra time on the cover sheet and abstract. These are what funding sources will see and read first.
* Have someone proofread the proposal for any mistakes.
* After you complete the proposal, put it aside for a few days and then review it again. Fresh eyes and a clear head may catch a mistake or find an area in need of improvement.
The "where" behind seeking technology grants
These Internet sites are a sampling of funding possibilities for those seeking assistance with their technology needs.
* Distance Learning Funding Sourcebook www.technogrants.com
* U.S. Department of Education www.ed.gov/Technology
* National Science Foundation www.nsf.gov
* AT&T Learning Network www.att.com/learning_network/home.html
* CISCO Educational Archives www.cisco.com/edu
* Council of Foundations www.cof.org
* George Lucas Educational Foundation www.glef.org
* RESEARCHNET www.researchnet.asu.edu/funding/resubscribe.html
* KidSource www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/Donation.html
Bruce Sliger is an assistant professor at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and a grant consultant. His e-mail address is bsliger@avana.net.
Terry McLeod is a grant consultant for school systems, nonprofit organizations and service agencies. His e-mail address is tmcleod@aol.com.
Gay Fawcett is director of curriculum and instruction for the Summit County Educational Service Center and co-director of the [NEW.sup.3] project. She is a former elementary school teacher and language arts consultant. Steve Snyder is director of instructional technology for the Summit County Educational Service Center and co-director of the NEW project. He is a former kinder-garten teacher and elementary school principal.
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| Title Annotation: | includes related articles; making technology an integral part of learning |
|---|---|
| Author: | Fawcett, Gay; Snyder, Steve |
| Publication: | Techniques |
| Date: | Oct 1, 1997 |
| Words: | 2566 |
| Previous Article: | Technology data breakdown. |
| Next Article: | Re-tool or die. |
| Topics: | |