Educational Grant - Assignment Example

Executive Overview I have just been promoted to grant for a new charter school. The first task in this scenario is to write a $10,000 grant for curricular technology integration for my target area, which is third grade mathematics. In this grant, only up to $4,000 can be spent on computer hardware, and the rest must be spent on software and other items and tools. This assignment includes a concise executive overview, a statement of educational needs the proposal addresses, a statement of specific goals and objectives, a brief narrative summary, a budget spreadsheet that identifies costs in categories, e.g. hardware, software, etc., and a budget narrative that explains the costs. Statement of Educational Needs I am a teacher at the new charter school and have been assigned to teach mathematics classes to third grade students. The problem is that I am concerned with the recent poor performance of my students. My time is spent more disciplining than actually instructing students. I have determined that, although the school has a computer lab that all teachers are able to share, each teacher only has one computer in his or her individual classrooms. I have noticed my students struggling with basic math skills that they are currently performing drill-and-practice exercises on paper and through the use of flash cards. From my previous experience, I have noted that computerized drill-and-practice mathematics software is not only effective in helping to teach children basic math skills when they find them boring or repetitive, but the students also find the software fun to use. According to the text, the relative advantage of this type of technology solution is that “attention-getting displays, immediate feedback, and interaction combine to create motivating practice” (Roblyer, 2005, pg. 54). Goals and Objectives The students are not meeting grade level expectations for mathematics word problem solving and the school is in need of implementing and enforcing new math word problem strategies to increase the achievement of students in this highly tested area. I am well aware that my third grade students can benefit greatly by using computer software that is designed to help them learn basic skills such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, and that computer games can serve as a powerful and fun motivational learning tool. Narrative Summary I am a third grade math teacher at an elementary school in a low-income neighborhood. Although the school has a computer lab that all teachers are able to share, each teacher only has one computer in his or her individual classrooms. My students are currently struggling with basic math skills and mathematics software is not only effective in helping to teach children these basic math skills, but students also enjoy engaging with the software. This grant, if approved, will allow for the purchase of five new computer systems and corresponding mathematical drill-and-practice software that can be placed in the school’s shared computer lab and utilized by all third grade mathematics students. Budget Quantity Description Price Total Cost 5 Computers $669 $3,345 5 Primary Games CD-Rom 1-5 for new computers $300 $1,500 15 Primary Games CD-Rom 1-5 for existing computers $300 $4,500 Total Cost $9,345 Budget Narrative/Rationale Shown by Low Price For the hardware, we chose the following system so that we could maximize what we got for our money. We will be purchasing five of the complete systems that are detailed below. This information came directly from the Dell website (2008): Compatibility Instructions Congratulations! Your system is ready to be built. We have some recommendations for you highlighted in green below. My System Details PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Duo Proc E4500 (2.20GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800FSB) edit OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition edit PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE No Pre-installed Productivity Software edit Dell Recommends Microsoft Office Basic Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook PREINSTALLED! Upgrade to Microsoft® Office Basic 2007 (Word, Excel, Outlook) [add $149] MONITOR Dell 17 inch Widescreen E178WFP Analog Flat Panel Monitor edit MEMORY 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz - 2DIMMs edit OPTICAL DRIVE Single Drive: 16X DVD-ROM Drive edit HARD DRIVE 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ edit VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8300GS edit FLOPPY OR MEDIA READER No Floppy Drive edit MODEM & WIRELESS No Modem Option edit SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio edit My Accessories SPEAKERS Dell A225 2.0 Speakers edit KEYBOARD Dell USB Keyboard edit MOUSE Dell Scroll Mouse edit My Software SECURITY No Pre-installed Anti-Virus/Security Software edit ONLINE BUSINESS GROWTH TOOLS Free Microsoft Office Live Small Business edit ADOBE SOFTWARE Adobe Acrobat Reader edit My Services & Warranties WARRANTY & SERVICE 1 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 1 Year NBD On-Site Service edit Dell Recommends Upgrade to 3 Years of Service and protect your investment! Upgrade to 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service [add $129] DELL DATASAFE™ ONLINE BACKUP No Online Data Back Up Installed edit AUTOMATED PC TUNEUP No Dell Automated PC Tune Up Installed edit STANDARD VOSTRO SERVICES TOOLS Dell Network Assistant edit PURCHASE INTENT Purchase is not intended for resale. edit ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM Labels Windows® XP DIAL-UP INTERNET ACCESS No ISP requested Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet Starting Price $669 Lease from $18/mo. (48 pmts)3 The software that has been chosen includes the following: Ghostblasters I-III, Fraction Flags, 501 Darts, Checkout Darts, Billy Bug and his Quest for Grub, Spin to Win, Spooky Sequences and Tiles, Banana Hunt, Sum Sense, New Ghost Blaster Missions, Billy Bug 2, Give the Dog a Bone, Powerlines, Word Workout, Speed Grid Challenge, Scrambled, Gridlock, Splat Squares, Hexabonds, Division Divers, Fraction Run, Top Spot, Eggs to Order, Multiple Wipeout, Dice Connect, Hi – Lo Fractions, Number Box, Power Pods, Sequence Squares, Reflect-a-Sketch, Translation Station, Swimming Pool Sid, Balloon Burst, Treasure Island, Divipods, Multipods, Ghostblasters-The Return, Skill Stop 1000, Difference Pyramid and Symmetrical Patterns, Arithmagons, Decimal Challenge, Eggs on Legs, Fraction Freeze, Inequalities, Shape Up, Sid Says…, Sum Shuffle, and Snap Games (Primary Games, 2008). The games to be acquired support several standards for third graders through teaching them how to solve word problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For instance, the problems teach: Addition and subtraction of time and money Addition and subtraction involving measurement Demonstrating an understanding of patterns, relations, and functions Recalling and using addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts to 81 CEF 1.3.1 NS 1.18, 1.19 Solving 2-step addition and subtraction, and 1-step multiplication problems based on practical situations CEF 1.3.3 NS 1.31 Adding and subtracting decimals using money as a model CEF 1.3.5 NS 1.29 Recognizing and creating patterns CEF 2.3.1 NS 2.2, 2.4) Identifying missing terms and missing numbers CEF 2.3.3 NS 2.5 Completing number sentences with the appropriate words and symbols for addition, subtraction, less than, greater than, an equal to CEF 2.3.4 NS 2.6 Selecting appropriate units of measurement CEF 3.3.2 NS 3.1 Using models, pictures, diagrams, tables, charts, and graphs to solve problems and represent mathematical ideas CEF 7.3.7 NS 7.4 References Aplusmath. (2008). Aplusmath. Retrieved April 6, 2006, from http://www.aplusmath.com/games/ Dell. (2008). The Dell Online Store. Retrieved April 6, 2006, from http://ecomm.dell.com/dellstore/basket.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&itemtype=CFG&oid=b2427be8-3fa0-45ce-b935-fa49f465a474 Primary Games. (2008). Primary Games. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from http://www.primarygames.co.uk/siteclick.html Roblyer, M. (2006). Integrating educational technology into teaching, (4th ed.). Upper SaddleRiver, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. Read More