INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL

Name of Applicant: Breannia Stewart

District/School: Gwinnett County School

Date: 7/14/19

Total Cost of Project:​ ​106,440 (30 Chromebooks at $259 per Chromebook for 10 classes with two
wall mounted charging stations per class as $1422 each).

Title of Project: Digital equity through Chromebooks

To what organization will you submit this grant application in the future?: A major technology
company that is known for helping titie l one schools, ie Google, Microsoft.

Why is this project important?

Meadowcreek High School is a large suburban high school in the Gwinnett County School District.
It is located about thirty minutes north of Atlanta and currently has almost 3500 students in
attendance. Meadowcreek is a title I school with a very diverse population, which includes students
from all over the world. Eighty-two percent are on free and reduced lunch and roughly six-seven
percent are of Hispanic descent (Best High School U.S. News Rankings, 2019). Many of
Meadowcreek’s student lack access to technology at home. This usually means there is a lack of
internet access as well. In an effort to support ISTE’s essential conditions for equitable access, there
is a need for increased access to technology devices throughout the day. For this reason,
Meadowcreek would like to increase the number of Chromebooks for 10 classes, by providing a
classroom set of 30 computers for each class.

ISTE describes equitable access as a “robust and reliable access to current and emerging
technologies and digital resources, with connectivity for all students, including those with special
needs, teachers, staff and school leaders” (ISTE, 2019). Meadowcreek students deserve the
opportunity to have robust and reliable access while they are at school because some may not have
this same type of access at home. By achieving this project it will support the shared vision for the
school to increase technology and collaboration. This multifaceted project will has the potential to
have a big impact on not only the students but the Meadowcreek community, because it will
provide more opportunities for collaboration with those outside of the school building. This project
will also assist with supporting those with special needs to access the curriculum and enhance their
learning.

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What would you like to accomplish?

Over the past school year, all of the classes that have an End of Course (EOC) test, have received a
class set of Chromebooks. While this is a great step in improving access to technology, there are
still many classes that have not received a class set of Chromebooks. In an effort to increase digital
equity and move closer to a 1:1 ratio of devices, Meadowcreek will begin to install a classroom set
of Chromebooks in at least ten classrooms. This project looks to create the beginning steps of
digital equity for all the students at Meadowcreek. “Digital equity is a social justice goal of
ensuring that all students have access to information and communications technologies for learning
regardless of socioeconomic status, physical disability, language, race, gender, or any other
characteristics that have been linked with unequal treatment”(Judge, Puckett, & Cabuk, 2004).
With only six content areas having a class set, it is important to improve access to technology for
each content area and every subgroup.

The project will entail purchasing 30 Chromebooks for at least ten classes. The HP Chromebook
11 G6 EE is a great device that offers a compact design, but enough computing power for most
classroom projects. Each set of Chromebooks will come with a wall mounted changing station.
The charging station will not only provide storage, when the computers are not in use, but also a
way of protecting them from theft. The instructional objectives are an increased frequency of
student use of technology, student centered project based learning, increased student-teacher
communication, and improved problem solving skills (Doran & Herold, 2016). When all of these
objectives combine, they can help to achieve the overall goal of boosting student test scores across
all subject areas.

In what ways is this project an example of exemplary technology integration?

Exemplary technology integration is always the goal for any instructional technology leaders. This
project seeks to allow students to increase their Level of Technology Integration (LoTi) level to a
minimum of a four by creating opportunities for two-way collaboration with experts outside the
classroom. The eventual goal will be to achieve a six on the Loti scale, where students are creating
products that are “innovative, authentic, and extend beyond conventional strategies” (ISTE, 2016).
For example, the use of Project Based Learning (PBL) can encourage projects that promote a
technology rich environment and “learning outcomes beyond conventional strategies” (ISTE,
2016) . An essential component for creating this type of outcome is focusing on digital equity by
using the Chromebooks.

Another way in which this project can create an exemplary technology integration is through
Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge or TPACK. The Chromebooks will allow
teachers to generate lessons that make technology a pivotal part of the lesson and not just a
complementary tools, separate from the content. “. . . Instructional planning should include each
part of the TPACK framework and allow us to create and develop the overlapping knowledge to

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 make the best learning environment for our students”(McGraw-Hill, 2019). The Chromebooks will
be a flexible tool that can be used to support TPACK in a variety of content areas and pedagogical
approaches. With a focus on LoTi and TPACK Meadowcreek will ensure that it is providing a 21st
century classroom where student centered learning is the norm.

How will you complete the work?

Because of the proximity and access to the Chromebook, an increased frequency of student use of
technology is inevitable. WIth more devices in the classroom, teachers are able to promote more
student centered project based learning. The outcome of increased student-teacher communication
can also help foster a positive learning environment that encourages improved problem solving
skills.

Describe the time involved.

This project will take a total of 19 hours to install all the charging stations and distribute the
classroom set of chromebooks.
Project Timeline
Month Project Item/Activity Hours
August Discuss the logistics of the purchasing and 3 hours
distributing the Chromebooks with the head of
school.
September Install charging stations 8 hours
September Distribute Chromebooks to students 8 hours
Total 100 hours
.
Describe the people involved

The people involved in this project are 9-12 students, administrators, ten 9-12 non EOC teachers,
and the Lead School Technology Coordinator (LSTC).

Describe any professional development that you or others will complete prior to implementing the grant.

In accordance with ISTC’s essential condition of ongoing professional learning, Meadowcreek will
continue to provide professional development before, during, and after the implementation. “The
National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education report, “Teaching the Teachers,”
notes that most professional development today is ineffective because it neither changes teaching
practices nor improves student learning” (Zarrow 2019). In an effort to make professional
development more relevant, during the 2019-2020 school year, as new tools emerge, the
school/county will provide additional standards-based, student-centered training on the new Web 2.0
tools that are available that can specifically link standards to the activity.

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Describe the materials needed for the project.

The materials needed for the project are:

300 Chromebooks 11 G6 EE
https://www.staples.com/hp-chromebook-14-db0060nr-14-laptop-amd-dual-core-a4-9120c-5uy60ua-
aba/product_24389942?fromSearchPage?fromSearchPage?fromSearchPage?fromSearchPage?fromS
earchPage

20 Changing stations
https://www.schoolspecialty.com/powergistics-charging-station-1599792?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpavpBR
DQARIsAPfTwizv_jWROP10Jr_2zih4GTioEVfxKdsMwY7uwkDdqXPHfpUMO7eJiSoaApv7EAL
w_wcB

What is the timeline for assessing accomplishments and objectives/project outcomes?

Gwinnett County has a clear focus on graduating the most high performing students in the nation.
One way in which they accomplish this goal is by focusing on mastering academic knowledge skills
(AKS) standards. These standards are typically assessed using formal and informal testing. The
evaluation procedure for this project will take place using the county formal assessments. The data
collected will be compared to the previous school year. If students see a 10% growth in their test
scores after the Chromebook implementation, then the project will be considered a success. The
project should take place over the course of a year. It is also recommended that a second year of data
be collected to continue to monitor the level of success the Chromebooks have on student
achievement.
Each objective will be measured using teacher observations. Administrators and the LSTC
should witness an increased frequency of student use of technology, student centered project based
learning, increased student-teacher communication, and improved problem solving skills. These
observations will take place throughout the school year in the ten classes selected to receive the
Chromebooks. To allow for a random selection of data, all observations will be unannounced. The
data collected during these observations will not be used as a part of the teacher’s annual evaluation.
These observations are only to be used to see if the Chromebooks are making an impact on teaching
and learning.

How will the students be impacted by the project?

A study was conducted at West Point University in a general psychology class, in which they
used a control group that did not receive laptops and an experimental group that did, to look at the
effects of a one to one program on test scores. The professor saw scores that were “significantly
higher on all six exams than students in the control group” (DiGangi, et al., 2007). A similar study
was conducted at North Carolina State University and they saw improved problem-solving skills

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 after implementing the one to one program compared to the control group (DiGangi, et al., 2007).
The benefits of creating a one to one ratio of students to devices has a clear impact on academic
success. The project with make a marked impact on achievement scores across all grade levels and
content areas.

Teachers will be impacted by the project because they will be able to improve their pedagogical
skills related to instructional technology. This type of impact can continue to have an effect on
students for years to come. Because there is a large number of low income students at Meadowcreek,
the project can impact parents by lessening the need for parents to provide access to technology at
home. The student’s ability to access technology will go up during the school day. This project will
not completely alleviate the need for technology at home, but it will at least supplement for the lack
of access to a device or the internet. Potentially this project could so have a wider ripple effect on the
community and other stakeholders, because it will provide the students with more opportunities to
collaborate with others outside of their classroom.

What is the proposed budget?

The proposed budget is $106,440. This will account for 30 Chromebooks and 20 wall mounted
charging stations. Beyond the computer and the charging station, there are no other costs associated
with the installation. Professional development is already embedded in the county budget, so no
additional cost will be associated with professional development.

References.

Best High School U.S. News Rankings. (2019). Best High School U.S. News Rankings. Best High
School U.S. News Rankings. Retrieved from
www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/georgia/districts/gwinnett-county/meadowcreek-
high-school-5950/student-body

Doran, L., & Herold, B. (2016, May 17). 1-to-1 Laptop Initiatives Boost Student Scores, Study Finds.
Retrieved July 13, 2019, from
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/05/18/1-to-1-laptop-initiatives-boost-student-scores-st
udy.html

McGraw-Hill:. (2019). What is TPACK theory and how can it be used in the classroom. Retrieved July
13, 2019, from
https://www.mheducation.ca/blog/what-is-tpack-theory-and-how-can-it-be-used-in-the-classroo
m/

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 INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL
EVALUATION FORM/SCORING RUBRIC

Total Points (out of 300): __________

1. Impacts a variety of skill levels and/or learning styles or impacts an important target population.

Possible number of points: 60 __________

2. Clearly identifies standards and learning objectives/project outcomes being addressed.

Possible number of points: 60 __________

3. Pedagogically sound, based on research and/or best practices.

Possible number of points: 60 __________

4. Clear plan for assessment of project and goals with examples of implementation methods.

Possible number of points: 60 __________

5. Impacts large number of students and/or can be recycled/reused.

Possible number of points: 60 __________

General Comments:

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Adapted from: The Education Foundation of Oconee County, Inc.

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