How to Enhance Education Through Technology Grants in Illinois
The Illinois state Board of Education program called Enhancing Education Through Technology Grants is part of the No Child Left Behind initiative. This grant money can help schoolteachers instruct students on how to use technology in their everyday lives, and give teachers the resources and training to use technology in the classroom regardless of a school's location or the students' economic status.
The goal of this grant is that students will be technologically literate by the end of eighth grade. This takes both teacher training and student use of technology in the classroom.
Instructions
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Teacher Training
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Use professional development days to train teachers on best practices for implementing technology into curriculum in elementary through high school. Twenty-five percent of the grant money is to be used to pay for these professional development sessions, according to the state Board of Education.
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Give teachers in the same grade level or subject area planning time to share technology lesson plans and find ways to implement technology into their classrooms.
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Check in with teachers or survey them to find where they are experiencing success with the Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant requirements and where they are having difficulties.
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Create a bulletin board in the teacher workroom for teachers to share popular websites, lesson ideas and questions.
Student Use of Technology
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Create projects and lesson ideas for which students have to use a computer or the Internet to complete the project and master objectives. Many teachers use WebQuests, in which they present students with a problem and students use websites to find information and solve the problem.
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Make computer and technology schedules in your classroom so all students have equal time using technology. Technology use should not be a reward for good behavior or only for students who complete work. With this grant, all students should have computer time each week and use it to master curriculum objectives.
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Survey and assess students on a regular basis about their comfort in using technology. With what are they struggling? What do they enjoy? Are objectives being met? Keep in mind the goal that all students should be technologically literate by the end of eighth grade.
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References
- Photo Credit computer image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
