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So You Think You’re Smarter Than a Grant Reader

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(The Five Habits of Highly Effective Competitive EETT Grant Writers)

If this column were a game show, it would be Jeopardy. I’d begin by saying, “I’ll take Great Mistakes in Grant Writing for $100, Alex.” The answer that is revealed reads, “Too many grant writers.” I quickly ring in with my response, “Who writes grants in isolation?”

This, we’re afraid, is too often the case. From our perspective as grant trainers and groomers, we encounter too many grant writers who ask for CTAP’s assistance only at the last minute. Don’t repeat their mistake by assuming you’re smarter than the grant readers. Successful grant applicants, and those who have effectively implemented Competitive EETT grants, share a variety of behaviors. As you begin to prepare your application, CTAP recommends you adopt these five habits.

1. Read the RFA
While seemingly simplistic, the Competitive EETT RFA is both complex and specific about grant requirements. The 13 page scoring rubric is a critical road map that should be compared to existing drafts throughout the writing process. Keep your highlighter in hand as you read the RFA multiple times.

2. Work Closely with CTAP
The biggest mistake made by unsuccessful writers is to work in isolation. CTAP personnel are professional grant trainers and groomers whose primary goal is to help you craft an intelligent, well-written plan that exceeds the criteria. Shortly after the RFA is released, CTAP regions host grant training workshops to assist you in preparing your plan, they’ll share a writing template that includes the proper formatting and all required forms, and they’ll offer assistance in collecting teacher and student data for your initial benchmarks. More importantly, CTAP will encourage you to continually submit application drafts. Their critical, non-partisan eye, is an essential grant writing step which will result in detailed advice for improving both your application and your chances for being funded. Especially important is CTAP guidance for your initial drafts to help correct any missteps or misalignment with the criteria. It is not unusual for CTAP staff to read five or more drafts of a successful application.

3. Assemble an inclusive grant writing team
Given the grant’s complex requirements and a brief submission timeline, a team approach facilitates stakeholder buy-in. An inclusive team is necessary as you divide up the many tasks required to assemble the application and it’s 25 page narrative. Your team, comprised of teachers and administrators from your intended target schools, as well as district technical and curricular representation, will provide a solid base of creative ideas. It will also help to ensure that all partners buy-in to the grant’s objectives and activities. From this larger group you’ll assemble a small writing team that will meet and write throughout the brief timeframe. The team’s grant concept and educational solutions must be shared with potential target teachers and administrators who will be charged with implementing the grant’s activities. Without their initial support and guidance, successful applications often result in an unsuccessful implementation. Create a team and share the load.

4. Determine your overall curricular objectives
All grants are about creating an elegant solution for a given problem. Having read the RFA, attended the CTAP grant inservice and assembled an inclusive team, the next step is to brainstorm solutions. How and in which subjects can technology be utilized to improve student academic achievement? Working with your intended target group, which curricular units will be infused with technologies, what data will be collected to mark your progress, and what professional development is necessary in order to implement the grant’s benchmarks?

5. Think data, all the time
Project evaluation is not only the section with the most points; it’s also woven into all the plan’s components. Once you’ve determined your target student and teacher group and established teacher support, appoint a team member to collect student achievement data, student technology use data, and teacher technology proficiency data. CTAP can assist you in setting up both a target teacher group as well as student groups in EdTechProfile. After teachers and students have completed the assessment, CTAP can help select specific data points for use in your application. Then, during grant implementation, you’ll continue to collect the same data points on a regular basis in order to measure progress towards your benchmarks.

Overall, grant writing can be rewarding experience that unites a district’s vision for utilizing technology to improve student achievement. CTAP offers our assistance to work with you throughout the process.

Will a Funding Drought Bear a Technology Famine?

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While education is now coping with massive cuts and technology funds seem to be drying up, we should not give up hope. When times get tough, as they do, the tough get creative. Below is an opening I’m working on for the next onCTAP column. I’d appreciate your comments.

 Will a Funding Drought Bear a Technology Famine?
Money has stopped falling from the sky. Worse, the once wet-with-funds technology grounds are quickly becoming dust barren. Torrents of technology funding consisting of federal Enhancing Education Through Technology grants, California K12EdTechVoucher awards, and even general funds are becoming scarce. The President’s proposed budgets eliminates Title II, Part D (EETT) which has been one of two consistent sources of technology funds available to districts (the other, E-rate, provides discounts to services). The massive California K12EdTech Voucher program closed on June 30th. If your district got through the voucher door in time, you have several more years in which to submit your vouchers for reimbursement.

Yet, panic and despair are not responses that will forward your vision or improve academic achievement through technology integration. Clouds of funding will return some day. Rain will fall again. Until then, though, how will you make the best of our new situation?

CUE and CTAP: 50 Years of Educational Technology Leadership

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by Brian Bridges

Few will argue of CUE’s importance or that CUE’s founders and leaders have shaped California’s educational technology landscape. In CLRN’s article this month, you read that early CUE members Bobby Goodson (former CUE President) and Ann Lathrop (CUE Platinum Award winner) are responsible for creating the software clearinghouse and its present day successor, CLRN. Few know, though, that within CUE’s 30th “pearl” anniversary lies CTAP’s 20th anniversary, China. While CUE was founded in 1978, CTAP was created in 1988. Together, we celebrate 50 years of education technology leadership.

Both anniversaries are a testament of CTAP’s and CUE’s symbiotic relationship, where each organization supports the other towards common goals. Here are just a few examples of the intermingling of CUE and CTAP leaders. Ellis Vance, CTAP Region 7 director retired to become CUE’s Executive Director. After retiring from CUE, he accepted CLRN’s Directorship. John Vaille, one of CUE’s Pearl Anniversary co-chairs, was CUE’s Executive Director before leaving to become Director of CLRN’s predecessor, the software clearinghouse. Two current CUE board members have roots in CTAP: one is Program Director for CTAP Region 4 and the other was program manager for CTAP Region 6. Another important linkage is John Cradler, a CUE Gold Disk and Platinum Disk recipient, who served as CUE’s legislative consultant for five years. Over the past 20 years, John has helped shape our present through writing and shepherding education technology legislation and by performing a variety of education technology program evaluations. Many of the historical connections listed below are due to John Cradler’s passionate involvement.

While CUE was founded by educators, CTAP’s roots are legislative and are written into Ed Code. California’s education technology landscape began in 1983 with AB 803, which created and funded a variety of technology initiatives. Sponsored by Assembly Members Sam Farr and Bob Nayler, AB 803 funded school-based technology grants, supported purchases of instructional video programs, and created 18 Teacher Educational and Computing Centers (TEC Centers). During this time, CUE leaders Bobby Goodson and Leroy Finkel served on the state Ed Tech Committee and helped to ensure that the programs were implemented as intended.

When the TEC Centers were eliminated in 1987, John Cradler, Leroy Finkel and others launched efforts to restore the programs. John, with help form Leroy and Ann Lathrop, developed a “white paper” to encourage new legislation. That year, Assembly Member Sam Farr introduced AB 1470 which established the California Technology Project (CTP) and funded a variety of programs including the software and instructional video clearinghouses (CLRN’s predecessor), summer technology training institutes, research and development grants, and model technology schools.

CTP’s objectives in 1988 very closely mirrored CTAP’s present day goals: 1) Providing technology integration professional development; 2) Assisting schools with developing their technology grant applications; 3) Coordinating technology use resources; and 4) Providing individualized technical assistance to schools.

Follow-up legislation, AB 1510, continued funding several technology programs, including the CTP, the instructional video and software clearinghouses, and school-based technology grants. 1997 legislation, AB 1761, also know as the Sweeney bill, established the Digital High School program, which provided substantial technology funding to every California high school. The Sweeney bill also gave CTP an “A” for assistance. Eleven CTAP regions were established to provide assistance with professional development, learning resources, technology planning, and coordination with state, local and federal programs.

However, as each technology bill sunsets and a new bill is introduced, CUE, CTAP, and John Cradler are there to express support and shepherd bills through the legislative maze. The current impending sunset of CTAP/SETS legislation is no different. Throughout the years, CUE leaders have provided constant support for continued education technology funding and professional development. CTAP salutes CUE for 30 years of education technology leadership. Together, we work to assist educators and administrators to improve student academic achievement through technology integration.

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Winter onCTAP Podcast

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by Brian Bridges

In celebration of Jamendo surpassing the 6000 album mark, I’m posting this issue’s onCTAP column here. Jamedo.com’s albums all contain Creative Common’s licenses which allow teachers to download and use this music for non-commercial purposes. This includes the ability to use music in podcasts and multimedia projects outside the four classroom walls. Each podcast episode, I select one of the Jamendo tracks as my entry and exit music. You’ll find links to some of my favorite podcast music, as well as some tracks I’ve edited for you to download, at my PB wiki site, brianbridges.pbwiki.com

2007 Winter onCTAP Column

The music selected for this episode called Another World and is from Tomislav Ocvirek’s album, Ephemeris. Listen to the entire track below.

Another World

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Copyright, Internet Safety, and File Sharing, oh my!

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by Brian Bridges

How Acceptable is Your Acceptable Use Policy? How does your technology plan address copyright, fair use, and Internet safety, particularly in these times when a variety of Web 2.0 tools are empowering students and teachers? How will your school’s culture be affected by your new policies?

Unnoticed by most educators last fall, was a new law, AB 307, which requires districts to add two new sections to their technology plans. Future plans will need to demonstrate how students will learn about Internet safety, copyright, plagiarism, and illegal file sharing. While the requirements don’t take effect until July 1, 2008, we recommend that districts revisit both their technology plans and their Acceptable Use Policies to address not only AB 307’s requirements, but also Web 2.0 tools that educators and students are beginning to use. During this school year, take advantage of a variety of CTAP and other online Internet safety, copyright, and fair use resources to help you formulate your new policies.

Specifically, the law states that technology plans should express how schools will, “…educate pupils and teachers on the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom, Internet safety, avoiding plagiarism, the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright so that pupils can distinguish between lawful and unlawful online downloading, and the implications of illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing.”

Many CTAP regions are offering workshops or have posted resources online to assist districts with adapting their cultures to the new law. CTAP Region 4 has developed a Cybersafety page that has a variety of free resources and online tutorials. The Cybersafety page addresses six components, each with separate resources for educators, parents, and students: Personal Information, Social Networks, Cyber Predators, Intellectual Property, Inappropriate Content, and Cyberbullying.

The nonprofit web site, iSafe offers free Internet Safety courses geared toward specific audiences: students, parents, and educators. Once you create an account, you may choose from live, interactive web casts, or in-depth and-demand videos that progress you through their curriculum.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, which passed a law similar to California’s, has created an excellent guide, which can be accessed through their Department of Education web site. The Guidelines and Resources for Internet Safety in Schools contains separate advice and web links for parents, students, teachers, administrators, and school boards. It also includes an extensive list of web resources as well as standards relating to the ethical use of technology. California districts would be wise to review Virginia’s Internet safety standards as they craft goals and objectives for their revised technology plans.

California’s Education Technology Planning: A Guide for School Districts, which is the foundation document for district technology plans, has been updated by CTAP’s Program Management Committee and will soon be available. Newly created sections pose open-ended questions to guide writing teams as they craft objectives and activities.

However, the new requirement to educate students about copyright, illegal downloading, and Internet safety shouldn’t be taken as an open-ended invitation to turn off the Web 2.0 tap or to scare students and educators into abandoning their rights. As the Electronic Freedom Foundation reminds us, “…giving students a healthy dose of caution is different than making them “scared straight.”” “…students must receive a fair and balanced perspective from their instructors.” This would include informing them about both their rights and their responsibilities. While students should be informed about copyright restrictions and the implications of illegal downloading, the fair use guidelines provide classrooms with broad rights to utilize resources within the four walls. How districts approach these new requirements will impact school cultures as well as the teaching and learning process. We would advise you to conduct careful research and consult your stakeholders as you craft these new sections for your technology plan.

Finally, many thanks to Bonnie Marks, Director of CTAP 4, for serving as Coordinating Council Chairperson for the past year. We’ve all benefited from your leadership.

OnCTAP Podcast
Find this and other OnCTAP podcasts at the iTunes store by searching for CTAP, or link directly to the podcast site:

 

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Professional Development in a Flat Word, Part 2

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by Brian Bridges

I’ve been thinking about the Flat World, ever since reading Thomas Freedman’s book, “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century.” It’s an excellent look into how the world has changed the past six years. His previous book ” The Lexus and The Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization” shows us how globalization has connected countries and economies and how the “herd” of investors helps keep economies in check. Both books are tightly connected, but it’s the flat world that’s been consuming our attention.

My question: Given how the flat world is moving jobs offshore, how will our mission at CTAP be affected? Our work is primarily customer service. We provide a great deal of professional development directed to teachers, administrators, and technical support personnel, in both large and small groups, both hands-on and lecture style; we inservice district teams to write their technology plans and then help groom them; and we assist in helping districts meet their CDE obligations. How, though, will the flat world impact our professional development work, and what should we do now, to combat the oncoming wave?

Technology Skills classes, still one of the staples of hands-on training, consist of classes in word processing, presentation software, and other productivity programs. While many users prefer to attend these classes in a “live” setting where they are in the same location as the presenter, many online skills training sites are equally competitive. Take Atomic Learning . For an annual fee, users have access to an unlimited number of pre-recorded skills classes, each consisting of a varying number of one to three minute video clips that explain and demonstrate a discreet skill. This enables users to access just the training components they need. Users can choose to watch an entire class, or they can select any of the individual components. In a flat world, pre-recorded skills classes enable educators to learn the specific skills they need at the time they desire and to return to the class any time they want to refresh their knowledge.

CTAP Region 3 Director Ben Anderson understands flat-world professional development, and he’s developed a model and a web site for ensuring electronic access to his professional development classes. His site, the EdTech Leadership Network hosts both live and recorded training. On one hand, he’s developed a skills training site, CTAP Multimedia Technology Tutorials, that is similar to Atomic Learning. For an annual subscription fee, users will have unlimited access to all their skills tutorials.

However, Region 3 has also entered the world of live, online training through their CTAP Live Online Staff Development Workshops. Using Breeze Live (now renamed Adobe Connect), educators may participate in live, two-hour classes on a variety of skills. Session leaders use video and audio as they demonstrate program components. Breeze Live also includes components to broadcast PowerPoint presentations or desktop programs, chat screens that allow students to participate in discussions, and file libraries to distribute handouts. CTAP 3 is competing in the flat world and broadening their customer base to include educators not only from their region, but from any region in the world.

Good news for educators. While the enterprise version of Adobe Connect (Breeze Live) still costs more than $10K per year, they now offer a smaller license that all0ws you to host one training room with up to 15 participants at a time. For $39 per month, you, too, can now enter the world of flat professional development.
New K12HSN Program
In our last article, we highlighted the K12 High Speed Network as a free resource for use in group meetings or trainings. Recently, the K12HSN, in partnership with Polycom has introduced the K12HSN Interactive Desktop Solution (KIDS) program. Through a three-step process that includes a brief application, online training, and accountability reporting, teachers will receive a free copy of Polycom’s desktop client for Windows. More information is available at: <http://www.k12hsn.org/conferencing/training/>. Some CTAP regions have begun to offer professional development using videoconferencing over the K12HSN, with workshops focused on integrating videoconferencing into the classroom. The KIDS program will do much to further this flat-world connectivity.

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Podcast Genres, Part 1

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Before I began teaching Podcasting in the Curriculum classes last summer, I spent a fair amount of time researching the state of the art. Despite being in education for more than 30 years, I’m still fairly paranoid about having sufficient content experience to fool the unenlightened.

That said, I wanted to present a complete experience to our classes, so that they could walk away with all the materials, ideas, and lesson plans to get them started. I learned a long time ago that people are willing to change if you only give them the words. During this extended research time, I found the words.

Part of my work was to fully understand how educators are using podcasts. In doing his, I discovered that the dozens of types of podcasts fall nicely in to seven genres. Genres, you know, like drama, comedy, & musical theatre…..Genres.

Seven Podcast Genres

1. Language Acquisition and Practice

World language teachers have jumped on podcasting as a means to both teach and reinforce language acquisition. Choose a language and you’ll find a variety of high-quality podcasts. There are so many, in fact, that iTunes created a separate category under Education just for them.

I’ve been studying Mandarin, so one of the Chinese podcasts in my iTunes library is ChinesePod. In little more than a year, ChinesePod has graduated into separate podcasts for Newbie, Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Pick a language and you’ll find a podcast that will help you acquire it.

2. Content Rebroadcasts

This would be repeats of previously created content, like school board meetings, athletic events, daily announcements, and school information. I’ve separated this category from classroom generated content, primarily because one is entertainment or information based while the latter is content standard based. Yes, school districts are beginning to podcast board meetings as a means to reach more stakeholders.

3. Course Casting

Course Casting envelops all content delivered by the classroom teacher from lectures and test reviews to class rules and homework assignments. Everything we do as educators is content, or the software for podcasting. iTunes University is full of college course podcasts, where students can time-shift their learning. Couldn’t attend today’s lecture, had trouble focusing, or need to review the lecture? Podcast lectures are the perfect way to TiVo your teaching. While universities like UC Berkeley are publicly posting full course podcasts (78 on the iTunes Store), many universities have private podcasting connections at iTunes, allowing many more full-course podcasts to be published.

K-12 teachers have also jumped on the course casting wagon. Sylvan Union School District’s Joe Wood records specific lectures for his class to review. Terry Daniels, from the same school, uses enhanced podcasts to share PowerPoint lessons that demonstrate math formulas and concepts. Both podcasts can also be found at iTunes.

I’ll share the remainder of the genres next time. As always, I’d appreciate your comments.

Brian

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