Funding Paper Mary Jefferson and Deidre Koziak Role of Technology Leader ET 630
Funding Paper Mary Jefferson and Deidre Koziak Role of Technology Leader ET 630
Funding Paper Mary Jefferson and Deidre Koziak Role of Technology Leader ET 630
Funding Paper
Mary Jefferson and Deidre Koziak
Role of Technology Leader
ET 630
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Description of Needs
Norwood teachers have always strived to meet the needs of their students. As our world
continues to change and become more technology centered we need to make sure we are giving
our students experiences with technology that will prepare them for their futures. For many
reasons most of our students are not able to experience parts of the world that are outside their
community in Dundalk. In order to help solve this problem we want to look beyond field trips
and use technology to give our students these opportunities. Virtual reality goggles can be used
in many ways and can help students apply what they are learning. Our students deserve to see
what the world has to offer and virtual goggles can help us achieve that! We have found several
grants that Norwood is eligible to apply to that would help us purchase this technology.
Our Makerspace provides our students with great opportunities to express their creative
thinking. As of now, most teachers are utilizing this space to build projects with their students
using the recycled and donated materials it supplies. We want to create a space where students
go beyond creating projects and start to practice problem-solving skills using computer science
programs and technology tools. This requires us to put an innovative spin on our Makerspace. In
order to fulfill these needs, we found several grants that we would like to apply for. These grants
specify in STEM education and how to encourage students to take interest in science and
engineering. We hope that by receiving this grant we could purchase coding devices for each
classroom, and update our Makerspace materials to reflect innovative 21st century learning.
In order to provide our students with successful 21st century learning experiences, we
want our staff to feel confident planning and implementing STEM lessons. At Norwood, we are
fortunate enough to have classroom technologies to incorporate into daily instruction. However,
some teachers may not feel comfortable incorporating it into their lessons. We want to provide
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our staff with professional learning experiences that will build their confidence in planning
meaningful Makerspace lessons that align with their grade levels curriculum. Giving our staff the
time to collaborate, plan, and reflect on STEM education lesson planning will contribute to
Norwood’s vision of innovative learning. The teachers will feel more confident teaching
Makerspace lessons, and our students will engage in purposeful learning with real-world
applications.
Lockheed Martin is a large corporation that is using it local and corporate offices to serve
the community. Lockheed Martin has 3 locations within the Baltimore area. The company also
has 418 jobs postings in Maryland. They are a global company with local roots. This company
offers a grant as well as many other programs that schools and non-profit organizations can
apply for. I think in addition to applying for this grant we should look at some of the resources
they offer to see if we have any connections to our curriculum. There is no deadline to apply for
this grant. However, since there is no deadline and they accept applications all year, some
projects will have to wait for the next budget cycle. The website also mentioned that depending
on what the grant is for will determine what office, local or cooperate, will fund the project.
In order to apply for the Lockheed Martin grant, the organization must be a non-profit or
tax-exempt and align with the companies philanthropic goals. One of their main goals is STEM
education. Using VR goggles will fall perfectly in alignment with this goal. The goggles will
also students opportunities to learn beyond their school's walls. Providing virtual field trips is
important for students in high-poverty areas where parents cannot afford field trips. The goggles
will allow students an experience in connection with what they are learning.
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The website does not list a minimum or maximum amount. When I reached out to the
company they responded that there is not a minimum or maximum amount. This is another great
reason to apply for this grant. We can ask for exactly what we need for our school without
having to meet a certain amount. The Google Expedition Kits range in price from $4,000 for 10
or over $9,000 for 30. With the unlimited amount of the grant, I think we could apply to get one
or two larger kits to be split between grade levels. We could have teachers sign up to use them
technology, reading, engineering, art, and math. We have a makerspace and have taken on other
elements of a STEM school such as a 3D printer, a business and engineering club as well as
using technology in every subject. These innovations, as well as our strong administration and
award-winning faculty, make us an outstanding candidate for this grant. Having virtual reality
goggles seems like the next step for us as a school. We are always looking for the next best thing
for our students and the goggles are just that. We will be able to transform the way our students
As mentioned before Lockheed Martin also offers a variety of programs for students in
grades K-12. All of those programs are also STEM-related. If we are unable to get this grant one
of the other programs we could look into applying for could be Generation Beyond. This
program brings space science into the classroom. They offer a virtual tour of their technology
centers as well as an interactive space flight. This is just one of the many options. Their website
also has lessons for each grade-level as well as projects that can be used for grades K-12. One of
the programs connects the school with an employee and together with the teacher and employee
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will conduct the selected lesson. One of the lessons in this program for kindergarten students is a
paper airplane experience. This experience aligns perfectly with our transportation unit.
After spending time looking at this company and all of their philanthropic efforts I feel
that we would be doing our students a disservice if we did not try and take advantage of one of
the many STEM innovations they are offering. The grant does not have a maximum amount so
we could apply for enough virtual reality goggles for each grade level to have a set. Another
benefit to applying for this grant is a potential partnership with their local office. It is important
that we show our students the multitude of different jobs that can come from having a STEM
education. Norwood needs virtual reality goggles so we can give our students experiences that go
beyond Baltimore. The time constraints and regulations that the county has implemented make it
hard for teachers to find experiences around Baltimore that are meaningful and fun for the
students.
In conclusion, Norwood should apply for this grant because we meet the criteria, have a
need and our students would benefit from this grant. Transportation, cost and lack of support are
some of the reasons teachers at our school feel frustrated when planning a field trip. As good
teachers we know it is in the best interest of our students to provide them with opportunities to
learn outside their classroom. However, the counties guidelines, the cost and issues with
transportation keep us from giving our students these opportunities. I our low income area it is
hard for parents to pay for an expensive field trip but it is hard to plan one that doesn’t cost a lot
of money.
technology that will allow us to continually give students a way to see the world. Traditionally
we go on two field trips a year. With the goggles we would be able to use them monthly or
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weekly in order to fit the curriculum. This grant does not have a minimum or maximum amount
so we would be able to apply for a large set to be shared between the school. Lockheed Martin’s
philanthropic goals align with our goals making this an easy choice.
Resources:
Where to Begin
Teachers at our school are finding it harder to incorporate field trips into their plans. A
large percentage of our families have a low-income so, we cannot rely on the parents to fund the
trips. Field trips provide students with experiences to learn in a different way. If we take this
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opportunity away from our students because their parents cannot fund it we are creating a larger
social divide between our students and students that come from a higher income family. Schools
like ours are faced with the challenge of finding an alternative to field trips so our students can
have real-life science and exploration experiences. The Honda Power of Dreams grant is looking
for organizations like ours. We are a school that focuses on innovations and engaging our
students. The Virtual reality goggles are a technology that will give our students an alternative to
field trips. This tool will help our teachers to give students more than they did in the past since
they will be able to do multiple trips within units. In the past, we have also run into problems
with transportation and timing. In order to use the county buses, we have to be picked up and
dropped off during a small window of time. This does not leave time to go far from the school or
much time at the destination. The Power of Dreams Grant by Honda is the answer to this
problem. This grant would allow our school to purchase multiple virtual reality goggles. This
technology will help our teachers to expand our students’ knowledge to outside the classroom.
This grant has three deadlines each year. Since we have never applied for this grant
before we can turn in the application on February 1st or August 1. Once we apply we cannot
apply again for one year. Returning applicants also have a different due date.
The website for the grant offers an eligibility quiz. After completing the quiz it said we
were eligible to apply and offered a button to create a login. In order to be eligible, we have to be
a nonprofit organization with a focus on STEM education for youth. Other factors that will be
considered are the type of innovation, the impact, and its chances of a high success rate. We are
applying for money that would help us fund an innovative way to go on field trips, as well as
something that would impact all of our students. This innovation is also a way to give students a
chance to see something they would not be able to experience in Baltimore. In an elementary
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school, it is hard to give students an experience of habitats, like the ocean, without going to the
aquarium or zoo. The aquarium is very expensive to go to in Baltimore and the zoo takes longer
to explore than time allows. The VR goggles would allow all of the students to experience both
In order to receive this grant, we must submit an application that is for no less than
$20,000 and no more than $75,000. The grant also needs to see tax documents and audited
financial statements to prove we have less than $500,000 in revenue. The application also allows
for 12% of the grant money to go towards indirect costs. Our school could purchase a set for
each grade level in order to stay above $20,000 and below $75,000. The Power of Dreams gives
If we were to apply for three kits of 30 goggles we would need about $30,000. The
website said that the average grant size is around $45,000. Spending $30,000 does meet the
amount requirements. Additionally, we could build in time to pay teachers to have professional
development on this new tool. Teachers need training, and to see how they can easily implement
it into what they are already doing, to be successful with a new type of technology.
In this part of the application, the staff would like for us to be able to identify the who, what,
where, when and why of our program. After reviewing some of the past applications it appears
the grant goes to schools or programs that offer extra services for students. I think we have a
good chance of receiving this grant because we are using technology in order to give our students
Increasing technology in our school will help to close the digital divide for our students.
Our population is high poverty. Most families do have a smartphone or tablet but do not have a
computer. It is a teacher’s job to give their students the skills they need in order to be successful
when they are older. It is important that as teachers we work hard to give our students multiple
experiences with different forms of technology to help close the digital divide that exists between
Resources:
Applying for a grant
Eligibility
Email:
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The Motorola Solutions Foundation was founded in 1953 and is a charitable branch of
Motorola Solutions. This foundation has employees located all over the world. Their main goals
include forming successful partnerships, making strategic grants, and supporting innovations in
the areas in which it operates. In 2017, this foundation awarded over $9 million dollars in grants,
which benefitted over 3 million students across the globe. Motorola Solutions Foundation has
several different focuses ranging from education to disaster reliefs. In relation to our schools’
needs, the foundation looks to support programs that will advance STEM education through
In 2017, this foundation supported 143 technology and engineering programs in hopes of
preparing students for a future in innovation. Some of their past partnerships include the
American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Code.org, and the Penang Science Cluster.
These partnerships promoted computer science programming with real-world applications such
as how to solve community issues. Their main goal is to increase student interest in technology
and engineering, which in turn will create an increase in STEM careers in the future. The
foundations dedication towards innovation is why we believe this grant would be perfect to
support Norwood in getting Ozobots for our students. It not only funds STEM education, but
also provides teachers with professional development. Since most, if not all teachers would be
new to the Ozobots, this professional development opportunity could be crucial to successfully
applications for 2018 grants. In order to apply for a grant in 2019, all organizations must submit
an inquiry form by January of next year. From there, the team at Motorola Solutions Foundation
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will select organizations that fit best with technology and engineering programming. The
maximum grant request amount is $50,000. However, one of the cons towards applying to this
grant is that organizations looking to fund non-Motorola Solutions equipment will be lower in
priority. After contacting a member at the Motorola Solutions Foundation, we found that in order
to be considered, we would need a detailed description on all the ways in which Ozobots would
benefit our students at Norwood. Inquiries will be reviewed in alignment to the Foundations
guidelines before being considered. Our grant would be geared toward buying several Ozobot
classroom kits for our teachers, as well as professional development. Being that the maximum
grant request is so high, we would be able to provide all of our teachers with an Ozobot
classroom kit.
This foundation prides itself on helping teachers to improve their teaching of STEM
experiences. At Norwood, all teachers are using technology in daily instruction. We are given
monthly Makerspace time where our students work through the engineering design process to
create projects that are relative to their curriculum. Implementation of the Ozobots will be the
next step towards continuing to provide our students with innovative experiences that they have
never had before, which is why we think this would be an excellent grant for us to apply to.
Norwood is fortunate enough to have a Makerspace where we can provide our students with
hands-on project based learning. Applying for this grant would give our students experiences
with problem-solving solving skills outside of creating projects. We can incorporate the Ozobots
into our monthly allotted time in Makerspace, and continue to teach our students to work through
Resources:
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Grant Opportunities
Grant Priorities
Siemens Foundation
The goal of the Siemens’ Foundation is driven towards innovation. They work to advance
STEM education in grades K-12. They are inspired by research to provide students with
experiences they will take with them into the workforce. Over the years, the Siemens Foundation
has invested more than $100 million in education throughout the United States. They hope to
towards STEM technology and resources or a science lab makeover. In order to apply you must
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be located in the United States and a part-time or full-time teacher who provides direct
instruction to students in grades K-12. This would be a great grant for our school to apply to. In
our Makerspace, we have many materials to support our students in project-based learning, but
we are lacking technology tools. This relates to our schools’ need for coding devices and
computer science programs. It encourages its recipients to purchase gadgets, top-tier technology
and supplies for its students. The one con we found in applying to this grant is that it is chosen
entirely by luck of the draw. In order to apply we simply submitted our schools’ name and
address. You are able to vote for your school once a day to enhance its chances of winning. We
feel that if we were able to submit an explanation for wanting this grant, we would have a higher
If Norwood were to receive this grant opportunity, we would not only be able to
purchase Ozobots and other coding devices, but could also re-vamp our Makerspace to provide
our students with an advanced STEM education. We could purchase tools for our 3D printer,
MakeDo tool kits to help with creating projects, and coding devices to encourage problem-
solving skills. We could also use the winnings towards purchasing the Virtual Reality goggles
that will give our students real-life experiences outside of Baltimore. What’s great about this
Foundation is it not only provides wonderful grant opportunities, but it also gives educators in
grades K-12 detailed STEM lesson plans and resources that can be used in their current Maker
Labs. Winning this grant would take Norwood a huge step further towards innovation.
Incorporating coding and engineering into our lessons we will help build a foundation in
computer science for our students. Computer science is currently one of the largest job markets
but there are not enough graduates to fill all of the available positions. We hope that by giving
our students these opportunities to create and code, we will help to close the achievement gap.
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Our students will have science and technology experiences that they are unlikely to have outside
Resources:
This program provides funding for educators to support them in creating lessons to
improve student learning. Unfortunately, we have not been given training on our Makerspace,
3D printer, or coding. With the help of this grant our teachers could be given time to build
meaningful lessons using these new technologies. We would like to apply as a group to their
mentoring experiences for our faculty. The funding leans towards school proposals that
incorporate STEM into daily instruction. The award amount ranges from $2,000 to $5,000. The
school has twelve months from the date the award is given to use the money. Grants are available
to educators in public schools of higher education. One con of applying to this grant would be
that the students are not directly affected by the funding. However, after our teachers receive the
professional development, their long-range planning will be more successful and beneficial to
the students. Since this grant prioritizes schools who incorporate STEM education into daily
learning, we feel our proposal could be highly considered. We also have a close connection with
multitude of interns here on a daily basis. The training our teachers could receive from this grant
would benefit the interns who will get to take part in the lessons.
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The grant can be applied in multiple ways. Educators may use it to fund a conference that
requires travel, room and board. It may also be used towards a stipend for extra work for
educators. We would like to apply to use the money for stipends for our teachers to stay after
school and develop Makerspace and coding lessons. We feel that our teachers have the ability to
create engaging lessons for our students and giving them this time would increase the student’s
The grant has three deadlines throughout the course of each year. We have missed the
first deadline which was one February 1st. We have two more dates that we can still apply by. If
we apply by June 1st we will know if we receive the grant by September 15th. The third deadline
Information on a designated lead teacher is required to apply as the award contact person.
Our administration cannot serve as a lead or partner. We feel that Norwood’s technology
committee would be great for this position. If we apply for the $5,000 group grant we would also
need to include a partner information in case the lead is unable to fulfill their duties. We have
two technology liaisons so this should not be a problem. Adrienne Ross will be the lead since she
is the most experienced and will be heading the project. Mary Jefferson will be the partner and
take over if Adrienne is unavailable. We feel that we already have a great leadership team set up
to begin this project. The narrative for the proposal has eight sections. The sections include a
summary, professional development plan, activities, goals, needs, sustainability, budget, and
selection criteria.
This grant has represented educators from all over the US at all grade levels and subject
areas. In 2013, Waverly Elementary School located in Ellicott City received $5,000 to
implement a heart rate monitoring program at their school. Another Maryland Elementary
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School received $2,000 for training other educators in best practices for teaching English
Language Learners. In Prince George’s County Public Schools a teacher was granted $5,000 to
assist educators working with English Language Learners. Another Maryland teacher at Oakdale
Elementary school received $2,000 to learn how to better implement technology in her art
classroom and seek better ways to use assessment. These previous grant recipients are a great
example of the range of funding needs the NEA Foundation is willing to support.
Resources:
Overview
Application
Grantee Archive