Writing a Grant for More Tech
Technology Grants that are Available through Organizations that have an Interest in Technologically Literate Students
Many organizations are granting funds to schools and teachers in order to buy technological equipment. This is a brief overview to getting started in writing grants.
For those teachers who find the challenge of a one-computer classroom too exhausting, how about trying your hand at grant-writing? Grant-writing is an excellent way to get more technology for your classroom, plus it is superb practice for teachers who want to branch out into a supervisory or administrative position.
There are standard steps to follow when writing a grant. As reported by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the basic steps include:
1. Identify the need
2. Find prospective grants (In this case, the grantor would be either a tech company or an organization that has a high technological or student interest.)
3. Write the proposal, including a budget and the uses for the funding
4. Tailor the proposal to the audience
5. Submit the proposal
For many grants, there are specific applications to fill out (which is nice, because the ambiguity is reduced and you know exactly what to submit!). Some organizations will not accept unsolicited proposals, so research a bit in order to find out what is available.
There are grants available through the government; No Child Left Behind has mandated that our students must become technologically literate. These grants are funded through tax dollars and are usually initiated through the state department of education. Most of the grants that individual teachers write are funded through private companies, sometimes with government help (also tax dollars). Usually the private companies are those that sell computers. The major companies, such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell, for the most part, have these grant programs available. There are some, such as Inspiration, that award small grants to purchase their software products. There are still others that will provide to teachers grants with which they can purchase various multimedia, such as the EDS Technology Grant Program. A list of grants can be accessed (to see what a huge amount of money is being offered!) at GrantsAlert.com, but this is only a sample of what is available. Try an internet search and browse a little to determine the best fit for your classroom needs.
See related articles:
Strategies in a One-Computer Class
Lessons in One-Computer Classrooms
Technology in the Classroom--Why?
