Google Classroom Professional Development Grant Proposal

FRIT 7232: Visionary Leadership

in Instructional Technology

Developed by: Nathan Erwin, Jennifer Shoemate,

and A. Michelle Wynn

Abstract:

ABC Academy has around 40 teachers that provide direct instruction within the school,

30 female teachers and 10 males. One hundred percent of ABC Academy’s teachers have 3+

years of experience. There are currently 987 students enrolled with 1,200 Chromebooks divided

into carts throughout the school. This information was obtained from the district’s student

information system and the district Google administrator account. Our grant proposal is a year

long initiative that would provide educators with numerous professional development

opportunities and activities to ensure a thorough understanding of Google Classroom and the

Google Environment and best practices as they implement the LMS. Our grant proposal consists

of three main goals. Goal #1 is to train and assist educators in using Google Classroom and

other aspects of the Google environment. Goal #2 is to help teachers utilize Google Classroom

to effectively communicate with students and stakeholders. Goal #3 is to implement Google

Forms within Google Classroom. Educators will have the opportunity to earn monetary

incentives by attendance, and completion of optional Google Educator Exams. By the end of the

year, we expect 90% of educators in our school to achieve some level of proficiency within

Google Classroom.

Proposal Text

Demonstrated Need:

This year is the first year that teachers are getting to experiment with the value that the

Chromebooks can add to their classroom. Many teachers are still overwhelmed with the idea of

a learning management system and lack the knowledge to create one, not to mention fully

integrate it into their physical classrooms. Interviews were conducted with teachers across all
three grade levels to determine what types of professional development would be most beneficial

to them. The most requested by far was Google Classroom. A common theme was that teachers

seem to recognize the benefit of an online learning environment for posting links to allow their

students ease of access to resources. Many teachers didn’t seem to know where to begin or how

use Google Classroom for more advanced features such as timely feedback, communication, or

formative and summative evaluation. A poll was conducted to determine the level of knowledge

that teachers currently have in using Google Classroom. It was determined that only 10.9% of

teachers currently use Google Classroom daily, 32.7% expressed a need for additional training,

21.8% had no idea about how to use Google Classroom, and 34.5% had not used it at all.

GOALS and Objectives:

SMART Goal 1​​: 90% of teachers will utilize Google Classroom and incorporate two Google

Instructional applications (Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, etc.) into their classroom routines by the

end of the year.

Objectives​​:

● Teachers will attend a minimum of three PLC sessions over this topic during their

planning time.

● Teachers will create a minimum of one class within Google Classroom.

● Teachers will collaborate to discover ideas for incorporating Google instructional

applications within Google Classroom.

SMART Goal 2​​: 90% of teachers will utilize Google Classroom to effectively communicate

with students and stakeholders via discussion posts, built-in calendar feature, reminders,

feedback on assignments by the end of the school year.

Objectives:

● Teachers will attend a minimum of two PLC session over this topic during the school

year.

● Teachers will provide examples of ways they implemented a strategy to communicate

with students using Google Classroom.

● Teachers will collaborate to share strategies and utilization techniques implemented in

order to facilitate the learning of others.

SMART Goal 3:​​ 90 % of teachers will utilize Google Forms within Google Classroom by

uploading two formative assessments for two assignments by the end of the school year.

Objectives:

● Teachers will attend a minimum of five PLC sessions over this topic during the school

year.

● Teacher will create two formative assessments for one class within Google Classroom.

● Teachers will collaborate with their content level teachers to form the two formative

assessments to be used and administer them to students.

Plan of Operation:

The beginning of the year meetings will consist of PLC sessions conducted during their

planning time that will introduce Google Classroom and the rationale for the school decision in

implementing this resource. Continued professional development will occur throughout the

school year based upon the goals established from the teacher’s poll. The activities will be based

upon the teacher’s choice in what areas they need to gain information about how to use Google

Classroom effectively. Once a teacher chooses which PD to attend, then they will work towards
their objectives within each session’s course. All activities will be kinestic in that teachers

themselves will actively participate digitally within Google Classroom. All teachers will bring

their devices with them to the PD in order to develop these skills throughout the school year.

These activities are effective in that they provide resources needed for the teachers to succeed,

they allow collaboration with other content level teachers, and these activities will be active in

how the teacher can learn through coaching. When teachers come back in January from

Christmas break, they will have the opportunity to attend a full day of professional development

which will consist of multiple sessions that will allow teachers to review information they have

forgotten or accelerate their knowledge by choosing topics they have not yet learned. The

second half of the year will focus on formative and summative assessment using Google

Classroom and we will end the year with the program evaluation. Educators will have the

opportunity to earn monetary incentives by attendance, and completion of optional Google

Educator Exams.

Timeline Activity Goal/Objective

Addressed

Pre- ● Announce the school goals for incorporating Google ● Smart

Planning Classroom Goals 1,
● Explain what Google Classroom is and discuss the data 2, & 3
that led school leaders to pursue this opportunity.
● Provide an article discussing the benefits of using a
LMS. Ask that they read this before the next meeting.

August/ ● Conduct 1 PLC leading teachers in creating Google ● SMART

September Classrooms for all classes they teach. Goal 1
● Conduct 1 PLC on Google Drive featuring Google
Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides and their
integration with Google Classroom
● Provide work session for teachers to collaborate and
create quality assignments that they will utilize with
their students within Google Classroom
October/ ● Conduct 1 PLC discussing appropriate student Smart Goal 1, 2,
November feedback and 3
● Conduct 1 PLC highlighting strategies for
communicating with students and stakeholders through
the use of Google Calendar, discussions,
announcements, and the parent/guardian feature within
Google Classroom.
● Google Forms Formative Assessment PLC #1
○ Teachers will be given a quick intro about the
features of creating a quiz on Google Forms
through a walk-through presentation.
○ The teachers will create an ongoing quiz within
Google Forms. This session of PLC will focus
on the types of questions; how to format them
with images and how to add questions, youtube
videos and sections.
○ The teachers will complete an exit ticket prior
toward leaving the PLC by creating questions
within their own quiz.

December ● Google Forms Formative Assessment PLC #2 Smart Goal 1,2,

○ Teachers will be given another walk-through and 3
presentation about how to edit the answers
within their questions from the previous PLC
within their ongoing quiz on Google Forms.
○ The teachers will also be presented with
information about the settings and other tabs
found at the top right of Google Forms.
Teachers will add the Technology Instructor to
their form as a collaborator to view their form
and it’s progress.
○ Prior towards leaving, the teachers will
complete the key to their ongoing Google
Forms with point totals.

January/ ● New Year’s Google Classroom Kick-Off PLC Day Smart Goal 1, 2,
February ● Google Forms Formative Assessment PLC #3 and 3
○ The teachers will be grouped within their
content level teams. The teachers will bring a
formative assessment to use within Google
Forms and will be given time to create it while
they are in the PLC.
○ Teachers will add collaborators and complete
one of the two formative assessments prior to
leaving their PLC. Teachers will be given a
 deadline to administer the formative assessment
within their classrooms so that the data can be
used for the next PLC in February.
○ Google Forms Formative Assessment PLC #4
○ The teachers will again be grouped within their
content level teams. A quick walk-through
presentation will be given about how to view
and score the responses within Google Forms.
The teachers will be shown how to view the
data on their formative assessments and will be
shown how to export it to a Google
Spreadsheet.
○ Prior to leaving, teachers will complete a Data
Reflection Sheet on the Google Form that they
created to change, or make revisions for next
PLC in March.

March/ ● Google Forms Formative Assessment PLC #5 Smart Goal 3

April ○ This session will focus on creating their final
assessment to be implemented with an April
Deadline.
○ The Technology Instructor leading the session
will be used as a needs basis only on what each
group needs as they complete their second
Google Form.
○ The teachers will complete a quick Google
Form in survey format to provide constructive
response for the planning team to use next year
for reflective purposes.

May ● Evaluate Program

● Review Survey Results

Evaluation Plan:

Goal: Evidence:

90% of teachers will utilize Google Teachers will share their instructional applications

Classroom and incorporate two Google digitally through Google and allow the Coordinators to
Instructional applications (Docs, Sheets, view their progress throughout the year in order to

Forms, Slides, etc.) into their classroom achieve their goal. The coordinators will also provide

routines by the end of the year. constructive feedback if needed within their applications.

90% of teachers will utilize Google The timeline and goals specifically addressed the

Classroom to effectively communicate requirements to effectively use this within their

with students and stakeholders via classrooms, teachers can provide instant feedback with

discussion posts, built-in calendar feature, their students on assessments, classwork and

reminders, feedback on assignments by assignments. Teachers were encouraged however during

the end of the school year. each session to use it more than the required amount, and

the stipend allowed for motivation as well as the efficient

resources. Evidence will be based on discussion posts

within Google Classroom to meet these goals.

90 % of teachers will utilize Google Based on evidence from the survey results of the Google

Forms within Google Classroom by Forms session, these assignments will be reviewed at the

uploading two formative assessments for end for data purposes. Also the data provided by Google

two assignments by the end of the school Forms can directly aid teachers in their instruction and

year. allow them to spend less time on collecting and

organizing data, and more time implementing

differentiation based on results of Google Forms. This

goal will be met based on uploading two assessments by

March/April of the school year.

Budget:

Google Classroom is a wonderful free product developed by Google for classroom

teachers. While the program is free, the properly implemented grant will have a few expenses.

Our proposal includes $1,500 for supplies to provide each teacher with a notebook containing a

paper manual to be kept along with additional resources provided throughout the grant. The

supplies cost also covers a printed poster for each teacher containing the Google Classroom

Student Norms that the school has collaboratively determined to implement in order to guide

students in best practices for participating in a productive and safe online learning environment.

An important piece of any new incentive is to get buy-in from the teachers so that

everyone is working as a team to make the grant a success. For this reason, we propose a series

of incentives. Teachers that attend ALL sessions and display top-notch participation will be

eligible to receive a $50 stipend at the end of the grant. Teachers that also achieve Educator

Level 1 Google Certification will also receive a $100 stipend. Finally teachers who receive level

1 and Educator Level 2 Google Certifications will receive a $150 stipend. This is a total of $300

that participating teachers will be eligible to receive at the end of the grant. We feel like

investing in the teachers as they spend additional time improving their classrooms is a solid way

to increase technology integration within our school. Exam fees, up to $1,400, will be covered

by the grant. The final expense will be for the additional personnel. This grant will require a

part time grant coordinator position and one full time instructional coach position for an

estimated $150,000 depending on the experiences and education level of the chosen applicants.
Items/Services Cost:

Supplies (Notebooks, copies, poster printing $1,500

printer ink and paper, etc)

Stipends for teachers attending all sessions and $2,000

displaying top notch participation.
40 teachers @ $50 each.

Bonus stipend for Level 1 Google Certification $4,000

40 teachers @ $100 each.

Level 1 Google Certification Exam Fee $400

40 teachers @ $10 each

Bonus stipend for Level 2 Google Certification 40 $6,000

teachers @ $150 each.

Level 2 Google Certification Exam Fee $1,000

40 teachers @ $25 each.

Personnel (Coordinators and presenters) $150,000

Total: $164,900

References:

Google For Education Teacher Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2018, from

https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/certification
Appendex:

Appendix A

Needs Assessment Poll Results

 Appendix B

Google Professional Development Survey