| What has changed since last year? |
| | Based on feedback received from applicants and evaluators participating in last year's program, several changes have been implemented for this year. These include: - The addition of a provision making last year's grant recipients ineligible for funding this year.
- An increase in the number of people participating in the evaluation process. This group now includes both the district technology team and the district's media specialists.
- An addition of a presentation component that allows grant finalists to better explain their projects.
- Updated hardware specifications and pricing.
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| When are the applications due? |
| | Completed applications must be received by 6:00 PM on Friday, February 15, 2008 |
| Can I turn in more than one as long as my total does not go over the $5000? |
| | Teachers should limit their participation to a single proposal. |
| In the event that an entire request cannot be granted, will you award some of what is requested, or is it all or nothing? |
| | The proposals will be considered and evaluated in their entirety. Ideally, the resources you're asking for are necessary components of your proposal. If you can't accomplish your project goals without the resources, it would be unfair to give you less than what you need and still expect you to meet your goals. |
| Can I resubmit a proposal that was not funded last year? |
| | Unfunded proposals from previous years may be resubmitted for consideration. It is strongly recommended that applicants consider revising and improving their proposals. It is also necessary to re-do the budget portion of the proposal, because pricing information has changed. Please also note that there have been some changes in the application guidelines and evaluation process for this year. |
| Since you have teachers serving on the evaluation committee who may also have submitted proposals, what are you doing to make sure the evaluation process is fair? |
| | District technology team members are among the strongest users of technology in the district. While they're certainly not the only ones who use technology effectively, they are, for the most part, leaders in this area. Disqualifying them from consideration in these grants, therefore, would be counterproductive to the district's technology goals. At the same time, their input in the evaluation process is invaluable. As teachers with experience using technology with students on a daily basis, they have unique perspectives that are needed in the evaluation process. The following provisions are made for technology team members who are submitting proposals:- Tech team members who would otherwise be eligible for grant awards are invited to participate.
- During the first round of proposal evaluation, as much identifying information will be removed from the proposals as practical. They will be evaluated blindly by at least four different people. No one will evaluate his or her own proposal. These evaluations will be done independently from one another.
- If a tech team member becomes a finalist, his or her presentation will be completed before seeing the presentations from other applicants.
- Tech team members will recuse themselves from any discussion or evaluation of their own proposals.
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| Why didn't my building have any projects funded last year? |
| | Proposal funding is not done with the goal of creating equity among buildings, grade levels, subjects, or other subgroups of our staff and student population. Proposals are evaluated only on the merits of the projects and their alignment with the stated goals of the program. |
| What if I can't do a presentation on March 10? |
| | March 10 has been selected as the day for finalist presentations because it conflicts with the fewest number of district scheduled events. Having all of the presentations on this day will allow the team to evaluate and compare them fairly. Presentations will be scheduled in 15 minute blocks starting at 3:00 PM. Each presentation is expected to take 5-10 minutes, including any questions the committee may have. If you cannot be present at this time, you may want to consider saving your proposal for another year or seeking other funding sources.
If you're working on the grant as a member of a team, it would be critical for everyone on the team to participate in the presentation (though it is recommended). So you could hedge your bet by working with someone else, with the understanding that he or she would take care of the presentation if you're not available. In some cases, this strategy be make it possible for people with potential scheduling conflicts to participate. |
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