Standard 1.

3 Policies, Programs & Funding

Candidate will research, recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs, and

funding to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school, district, state, and

federal technology plans and guidelines. Funding strategies may include the development, submission,

and evaluation of formal grant proposals.

This artifact is an Educational Technology Grant Proposal for Elkins Pointe Middle School. During

the 2019-2020 school year, Elkins Pointe Middle School is scheduled to receive a media center

renovation. For several years, Elkins Pointe has participated in a 1:1 device initiative with the district. In

these past three years, the number of students visiting the media center has dropped significantly, with

most visits simply to request repairs to school issued devices. And as aligned with the goals of the school

strategic plan, the media center space will be redesigned as a space for students to explore design

thinking through Makerspace curriculum, activities, and resources. This grant will support the

development of Makerspaces throughout the media center and will provide the tools and resources

needed for each space. This artifact illustrates how the potential funds from the grant will support

effective technology integration into the new media center Makerspaces.

This artifact aligns with the standard as the artifact, while created separately from the shared

vision, is based on the goals of the school’s shared vision. This artifact is designed to provide the funding

to encourage higher order thinking skills by providing opportunities for teachers and students to

develop executive functioning skills while working through the Makerspace activities. This artifact

demonstrates the ability to research and recommend effective policies, procedures, programs and

funding strategies. This included researching which basic components make up a Makerspace, which

resources were approved for use by the district, and which resources were going to support the school
improvement plan. This also allowed me to look for activities and resources that would support

instructional practices already in place in our classrooms. At its core, this artifact is a proposal to receive

funding to provide effective procedures and programs to better utilize the under-utilized media center.

Makerspace curriculum and activities can be a catalyst for student engagement in and out of the

classroom, and by bringing these engaging activities to the media center, Elkins Pointe hopes to better

utilize all of the space to increase learning experiences for all students. The implementation of this

program has changed significantly since the time of the initial proposal, however, the funding that was

raised has assisted in beginning the transition from traditional media center to Makerspace center

during the 1028-2019 school year.

This artifact provided me with an opportunity to complete a grant proposal for the first time,

with the exception of college and tuition grants many years ago. While completing the proposal, I

learned that it is important to begin the funding stages with a specific understanding of how and when

the funds will be used. Beginning the proposal, I had never tried to transform a media center space in to

a Makerspace but working through the proposal has given me a much stronger understanding of what it

takes to build a Makerspace from scratch. Working on this proposal has helped me to successfully begin

the transformation of two school media centers in to a 21st Century Makerspace. If I were to complete

this artifact again, I would work on it with a committee of educators instead of alone. I think this will

help ease the workload of preparing a grant proposal, but it will also provide better and stronger insight

in to how the funds can be used most effectively and efficiently.

As mentioned earlier, I have seen a direct impact on the school, the students, and the staff.

Staff members have been positive in their feedback in the product that their students have produced in

the Makerspace. Many teachers have shared their surprise and pleasure with the way that Maker

curriculum and activities can engage even the students that are usually least engaged. The

administration, while skeptical of shifting from fewer books and traditional materials in the media
center to cardboard, duct tape, and robots in the Makerspace, has shown pleasure with the number of

students that are excited about getting to school early so that can spend a few extra minutes before the

day tinkering with their latest invention. Specifically, at Elkins Pointe, the Makerspace brings a small

group of students to the Makerspace twice a week. These students have been identified as at risk

students for a variety of reasons. One of the greatest benefits of working so closely with the Makerspace

is watching the look on teachers faces when they see how engaged these “at-risk” students have

become in the Makerspace. The project has helped open teachers’ eyes to the idea that every student

wants to learn, maybe they just have found how or what they want to learn yet.