Questions+&+Answers

Post questions here that your team may have about assignments. Feel free to answer -- we all have much to contribute as well as to learn.

I hope everyone is busy working on his or her grant. Remember, there is no limit. Also, I need to clarify the Technology Plan. The technology plan that is sent into PDE is a part of the strategic plan and is VERY lengthy. All I want from your group is the mission statement, vision statement and your goals over the next 3 years. Be creative. Think about where you want your curriculum and teacher usage. Think about new merging technologies like Voice over IP, etc. Also...your school board is behind you 100 per cent. They have increased your yearly budget to $650,000. Have fun creating your district!!

Some questions have been raised about the grant.

1. Standards for teacher technology literacy. Go to ISTE web site and find out what the standards are. The standards should drive your survey that you will ask the teachers as well as their knowledge on any new programs you will be bringing into the district (like a new report card system, etc.) After you look at the results of the survey you will know what standards need to be addressed. (They are also on the Wiki.) 2. Be creative and come up with some programs. 3. Look at ISTE standards for students. That should drive what the students need to know and what should be taught. (They are also on the Wiki.) 4. 3 credits, 6 credits, 1 class per year…what ever your group decides. 5. List the classes and where they are taught and the skills that are employed. Do this in a table 6. This is after school or summer. 7. This is the name of your school district 8. This would be a table for your all the schools in the district. 9. This is a table with the appropriate info 10. This is a little tricky and you can be creative. Make sure you correlate this with your technology plans goals. Look at the component help that is listed. The component is such things as coaching/mentoring, professional development, curriculum redesign, instructional setting redesign, teaching and learning practices 11. You will take the component that is listed in the table for question 10 and put that in the first field in table 11. You will have to add the activity, the start date, end date, how it will be monitored and how you will evaluate the success. 12. This is the high school. 13. Create a table and using the pull downs fill in the table. 14. Remember I said be creative. You can have partnerships with businesses, community/organizations, and other educational agencies. 15. How did you create the partnerships mentioned above? What agreements did you have? 16. 17. In other words, you have to assure them that if you do not get the money next year in a grant you will not stop the progress of your new expected outcomes. 17. Look at PDE webs site and make sure you know what best practices are

Put the budget in a table or spreadsheet.

Hope this helps.

In #4 Can the graduation requirements be a list of skills learned rather than classes?

The list of skills comes later in the Grant Application. This is for specific Graduation Requirements seniors must achieve. I would put both. Ie. Computer Literacy Class (required for all students in x grade: skills taught-)

===#2 What programs do you currently offer, or have scheduled to offer -- the currently technology at Happy Valley doesn't lend itself to much professional development--however, above it says "be creative and come up with some programs" -- does this mean that we should include professional development that takes place if the grant is approved?===

You are in charge of dictating the technology and the implementation for next year. It is commonly accepted that cultural and systemic change can not be maintained without comprehensive PD. Start with the basics, PD you would do anywhere,that any school could benefit from. Use that as a jumping off point for your grant proposal.

Also, realize that we have much harsher conclusions about this high schools technology deployment than can be reflected in this grant application. And, we also have full support of our board and admin to make improvements. One lesson I learned in CFF is that the whole departments, school, whatever really needs access to PD along with the affected teachers. I had CFF Teachers as trainers to their department by the 3rd MP. Sometimes mandates are less powerful than a helping hand from a peer.

With or without the grant technology change is needed in this district. You really need to win the approval of all of the teachers. This is where you need to be creative and have a sense of humor!

===**#3** I've got a question about the staff development plan. Do you want a detailed plan about how we will plan and carry out all of the district training: teacher website, gradebook, email, standards, Office, Podcasting, wikis, other web 2.0 tools, etc. etc. etc. or just training for one aspect.....teacher websites for example? Thanks, CJ===

You will need to give a timeline when you are going to do the staff development on each of these areas. You will explain how you will do the staff development (i.e first day school in each building, train the trainer, train dept. heads, tech person in school doing the trainer, company bringing in trainers, etc.)


 * Is the Staff Development plan for 3 years to go along with the technology plan or 5 years?**

The state requires 3 years but the district will want to know what you will be doing with their investment over the next 5 years. You will obviously have a detailed schedule of staff development for year 1 in your budget. The other years you will state the concepts that will be covered but since those years are not here you can not have detailed staff development. There may be concepts lingering from year 1 to year 2. You will giving another survey to see where they are with their technology knowledge. You will be monitoring how they are using the technologies. This can be the responsibility of the administration in each level through observations. They can give a report on usage. The board will want to know this if they are investing this type of money.

== ===**All tech plans and Acceptable Use Policy will be due by Monday, July 28. Please email them to me. I will be at Wilkes on Monday at 4:00 to answer any last minute questions. I will be emailing everyone all of the grants this weekend. This will be an opportunity to look at other classmates ideas. (Store them away for future reference!)

There has been a question on the cost of staff development. The cost will not be a part of your budget. Your budget should be what you are purchasing for the classroom. You need to explain what you are going to do with the business dept., etc. but that will not be your cost. What you are putting in your libraries and business class will be part of your budget.** === ==

Barb

**=I have tried to get as many prices as possible. Power School is around $10 per student. AR will probably run you 10,000. Compass learning around 40,000. I cannot find out anything about Teen Biz. Hope this helps.

**=We are on the final stretch. Next Monday and Tuesday I expect everyone to be in class unless you have previously talked to me. Make sure you have a PP printout of your 5 year plan and a spreadsheet with your first years budget. I have emailed you the rubric that I will be looking for with your staff development plan (that is part of year 1) of your 5 year plan. I am very impressed with what you have turned in thus far:) =** =**