See attachments

Assignment 3: The Grant Proposal (minimum 1250 words, plus budget) 

Refer to the grading rubric for this assignment that is in the course syllabus.

Here is the scenario to follow: 

Congratulations! You’ve just been promoted to the position of a grant writer for your

workplace, or if you are not currently employed, a new networked charter school. Your first task is to write a $20,000.00 grant for curricular technology integration for your content area.

Please note that you can only spend up to $12,000.00 on computer hardware; the rest must be spent on software, other items and tools, staff development, and technical support as in Assignment 2,assume that each classroom has four networked computers and the school has either a networked computer lab with 25 networked computers and/ or a portable wireless lab with 25 laptops/netbooks/mobile devices that all teachers share.

Your proposal should include: a concise executive overview, a statement of educational

and curricular needs the proposal addresses, statement of specific proposal goals and objectives

(remember goals are general and objectives are measurable), actual or proposed school

partnerships that will/could support the grant initiative, an explanation of the implementation

plan, a budget spreadsheet that identifies costs in categories, e.g., hardware, software, technical

support, staff development, etc., and a budget narrative that explains the costs in detail in the implementation plan, provide cited examples of best practices based on principles

of adult learning theory to support the choices made in the grant. Pedagogical and fiscal

rationales for proposed curricular purchases and examples of appropriate types of staff

development, i.e. online, in person during the school day or after school must be included, cited, and referenced in the budget narrative as in Assignment 2, make sure to discuss costs related to staff

development, scheduling, and maintenance. Outline plans and guidelines to configure

software/computer/technology systems in the classroom cluster and labs to use and share grant

resources. Also, discuss scheduling assume that each classroom has four networked computers and the school has either a networked computer lab with 25 networked computers and/ or a portable wireless lab with 25 laptops/netbooks/mobile devices that all teachers share.

Your proposal should include: a concise executive overview, a statement of educational
and curricular needs the proposal addresses, statement of specific proposal goals and objectives
(remember goals are general and objectives are measurable), actual or proposed school
partnerships that will/could support the grant initiative, an explanation of the implementation
plan, a budget spreadsheet that identifies costs in categories, e.g., hardware, software, technical

support, staff development, etc., and a budget narrative that explains the costs in detail.

In the implementation plan, provide cited examples of best practices based on principles

of adult learning theory to support the choices made in the grant. Pedagogical and fiscal
rationales for proposed curricular purchases and examples of appropriate types of staff

development, i.e. online, in person during the school day or after school must be included, cited, and referenced.

  In the budget narrative as in Assignment 2, make sure to discuss costs related to staff

development, scheduling, and maintenance. Outline plans and guidelines to configure
software/computer/technology systems in the classroom cluster and labs to use and share grant

resources. Discuss scheduling and cost issues.

Meet with the school or district technology specialist get information to answer the

following questions – How are local mass storage devices and media to store and share

information and resources installed? What are relevant issues regarding support personnel and

policies for selecting, installing, and maintaining wide area networks for the school district

and/or facilitated integration of a WAN that need to be included in the proposal? What

provisions for software packages used to operate a computer network system and/or local area network (LAN) are needed in the proposal?

You may include an augmented version of the technical and budget sections that you prepared for Assignment 2, the plan, or you may create new technical and budget sections for this assignment. Prioritize your choices so that if you are awarded less money, you will know what to eliminate first. Please revisit pp. 55-69 of the text and pay particular attention to Table 2.11, p. 67, as you prepare this assignment.

Sheet1

for Grant Proposal

.00

$20,000

The budget of the grant proposal is $20,000. The funds will be allocated to key

deliverables in the curricular technology integration. For instance, the school will use $10,000

from the funds to purchase 29 computer hardware that will be installed in classrooms and the computer lab. Four networked computers will be installed in each classroom, while the other 25 networked computers will installed in the lab. 50 percent of the budget is allocated to the computer hardware purchases because they are costly.On the other hand, computer software is

allocated $4,500, $1,500 for technical support, $3,000 for technical support, while other

expenses such as maintenance and scheduling are allocated $1,000. The program is scheduled to

be completed within six months.

The budget of the grant proposal is $20,000. The funds will be allocated to key

deliverables in the curricular technology integration. For instance, the school will use $10,000

from the funds to purchase 29 computer h ardware that will be installed in classrooms and the

computer lab. Four networked computers will be installed in each classroom, while the other 25

networked computers will installed in the lab. 50 percent of the budget is a llocated to the

computer hardware purchases because they are costly.On the other hand, computer software is

allocated $4,500, $1,500 for technical support, $3,000 for technical support, while other
expenses such as maintenance and scheduling are allocated $1,000. The program is scheduled to

be completed within six months.

Grant Proposal

First Last

Sample State University

Summer 2020

Grant Proposal

Executive Overview

The report details a grant proposal plan for curricular technology integration at a new networked charter school. In an attempt to make learning accessible, the school plans to adopt a curricular technology. Successful implementation of this project will help the networked charter school to meet various educational and curricular needs, including improving teacher-student interaction, achieving learner-centered teaching, and improving efficiency and accountability. The budget of the proposal is estimated to be $20,000, including $10,000 computer hardware expenses and $8,000 for software, staff development, maintenance, and other costs. The funding sources for the proposed program include State and Federal grants. The school will also partner with corporate and private foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to raise funds for the program. The implementation of the program will take approximately six months to be completed. The initial planning of the project will take one month, and the purchase and installation of the computer system. Staff development, which includes training of students and teachers on how to networked computers, will take two months, while configuration and testing of the computer system will be completed in the last month.

Statement of Educational and Curricular Needs

Integration of the curricular technology plays a critical role in the improvement of the overall educational outcomes. The implementation of this proposal will address various educational and curricular needs in the network charter school. First, the changes in the modern educational system have made it mandatory for schools to use technology to facilitate educational outcomes. The current education system requires teachers to account for student’s progress in school, hence the need to use the most efficient teaching approach. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 emphasizes accountability for quality and progress in school (Roblyer & Doering, 2012). Some students, including those with disabilities, find it difficult learning in traditional classrooms using typical teaching approaches. Therefore, curricular technology integration helps in ensuring that these students have access to assistive learning technologies and improve their interaction with instructors.

Another educational and curricular need being addressed by the proposed educational technology integration is the issue of a learner-centered teaching approach. This learning system requires reading materials to be customized to meet the diverse needs of the learner and ensure fairness and equality in the learning environment. The use of educational technologies such as hypermedia will help in achieving this goal. According to Gerjets & Kirschner (2009), hypermedia materials such as videos and graphics stimulate learner’s interest to learn and gain knowledge. Consequently, the emergence of online learning has increased the need for integration of curricular technology. Roblyer and Doering (2012) indicate that there is an increasing reliance on virtual K-12 courses in the U.S. mainstream education system. This phenomenon requires schools to implement educational technologies in their classroom. Overall, the proposed curricular technology integration seeks to improve teaching efficiency and enhance student learning outcomes.

Proposal Goals and Objectives

The main curricular technology integration proposal is to enhance student learning outcome through the use of educational technologies. The integration of curricular technology is the school is expected to enhance student achievement by increasing their access to unique information resources. The use of various technologies allows students to access a wide range of information, hence enriching their knowledge base. Integrating educational technology also allows students to organize ideas and solve problems using a variety of media and technologies.

Another goal of curricular technology integration is to provide a creative and meaningful learning environment for teachers and students. This proposal recognizes the need to create a supportive learning environment in the school. Some of the objectives for obtaining this goal includes adopting educational technology that allows instructors to transfer knowledge using media and other modern learning tools. Moreover, the grant proposal seeks to ensure that all students in the networked charter school have equitable access to learning opportunities and technology resources. This goal can be measured by the number of students who can access and use curricular technology in the school. Additionally, curricular technology integration project aims at increasing access to education by removing constraints of time and place. Objectively, education technology focuses on instituting distance learning by integrating online learning programs such as Zoom and Webex in the system.

Proposed School Partnerships

The integration of curricular technology in the school requires adequate funding. Roblyer & Doering (2012) argues that the success or failures of a technology plan depend on available funding. The funds are used in purchasing hardware and software and setting up the physical infrastructure that will help the school in fulfilling its curriculum needs. Even so, the school do not have a budget to finance the curricular technology proposal. As a result, they must establish partnerships with governments, companies or groups to achieve its goals and objectives.

The school can source funds for curricular technology integration from the federal grants. The federal government funds different initiatives such as educational technology integration through its grant programs. Grants.gov program, under the Office of Management and Budget, provides over 1000 federal funding opportunities to grant seekers Grant.gov, 2020). Alternatively, the charter school should consider sourcing funds for its project from the state Ed-Tech program. According to the U.S. Department of Education (ED, 2014), Ed-Tech program supports school technological initiatives by providing grants to State educational agencies (SEAs). As a result, the school should partner with both federal and state funding agencies to raise funds for its curricular technology integration initiative.

The school can also source funds from private groups and corporate organizations. Roblyer & Doering (2012) large companies such as Honda and Verizon have charity foundations that provide grants to technology-related programs in schools. Similarly, the school can raise funds for its project through private funding sources such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NEA Foundation, and Pearson funding. As a result, federal, state, corporate grants and private foundations are the major sources of funding to the school curricular technology integration program.

Implementation Plan

The implementation of the curricular technology integration program will take a maximum of six months to be completed. The project is estimated to cost approximately $20,000. These include the cost of purchasing computer hardware, software, installation fee and technical support, staff development, and other expense such as maintenance. The school plans to install four networked computers in each classroom and 25 others in the computer lab. In the initial phase, the school board will hold a meeting with all stakeholders to deliberate on the implementation of the program. The board will appoint a project manager will be responsible for managing and directing project resource. One of the tasks of the project manager will be selecting project team members who will undertake the actual implementation process.

The next step of the plan involves the planning of the program activities. At this stage, the project manager will identify project deliverables, prepare the project schedule, and assign tasks to the project team members. Some of the deliverables during the implementation of the curricular technology integration include identification and selection of appropriate software vendor, computer hardware purchases, preparing classrooms and computer labs for the installation of the computer system, and staff development, including allocation of materials and staff training.

After successful planning, the project manager, with the assistance of the project team members will identify potential risks that might affect the project. Some of the potential challenges that might jeopardize the implementation of this project include inadequate funds, inability to online and legal policies, and staff resistance. After the approval from the board to continue, the installation of the computer network in the school will commence. The process will begin with the installation of 25 networked computers in the school computer lab and followed by the other four computers in each classroom. The next step involves the training of teachers, students, and administrative staff responsible for handling the computers. Once the staff development activity has been completed, the team will configure software, test the computer system, and launch the project.

Budget Narrative

The budget of the grant proposal is $20,000. The funds will be allocated to key deliverables in curricular technology integration. For instance, the school will use $10,000 from the funds to purchase 29 computer hardware that will be installed in classrooms and the computer lab. Four networked computers will be installed in each classroom, while the other 25 networked computers will be installed in the lab. Fifty percent of the budget is allocated to computer hardware purchases because they are costly. On the other hand, computer software is allocated $4,500, $1,500 for technical support, $3,000 for technical support, while other expenses such as maintenance and scheduling are allocated $1,000. The program is scheduled to be completed within six months.

Staff development, which includes training, will be done in-person after school. According to Roblyer & Doering (2012), a learner must have hands-on technology to learn technology integration skills efficiently. Therefore, online training which involves watching demonstrations, will not be sufficient to achieve adequate staff development goals.

References

ED. (2014). Programs: Enhancing Education through Technology (Ed-Tech) State Program. U.S. Department of Education, Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/edtech/index.html

Gerjets P. & Kirschner P. (2009) Learning from Multimedia and Hypermedia. In: Balacheff N., Ludvigsen S., de Jong T., Lazonder A., Barnes S. (eds) Technology-Enhanced Learning. Springer, Dordrecht DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9827-7_15

Grants.gov. (2020). About Grants.gov. Retrieved from

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/about-grants-gov.html

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.