TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION PROJECT GRANT PROPOSAL

Name of Applicant: Andrea Radford

District/School: Cobb County School District/Hillgrove High School

Date: July 10, 2021

Total Cost of Project: $7,380.00

Title of Project: Providing Digital Equity at Hillgrove High School

To what organization will you submit this grant application in the future?
Cobb Schools Foundation, Hillgrove Foundation, Hillgrove PTSA

I. Why is this project important (In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the need for the project and its
relevance to the shared vision for instructional technology)?

The importance of this project is based on the shared vision of the school and the school district
for all students to succeed in their preparation to be community and global citizens. To accomplish this
goal of preparing students to enter a work force of everchanging technology, we must increase the use of
collaborative learning methods with integrated technology. According to Devaney & Editor (2014),
digital equity is a social justice issue because the digital access gap prevents the access to information,
the opportunities for higher-order thinking skills, and the opportunities for engagement through
connections with others. Technology provides the creating, sharing, editing, and saving platforms for
students to form social emotional connections and collaborative working relationships with other
students, teachers, and community members, both local and distant.

For some students, digital equity is a huge gap for them to make the connections and the
relationships. During the pandemic, it became obvious that there are many more students without
devices and internet access than was first believed. Low socioeconomic status students do not own
devices, such as laptops and smartphones so therefore, internet access is not in the household. This
project will help close the digital gap by providing the school with laptops and portable wi-fi units to be
issued to students as needed. The students will be able to connect to the internet at home with a device
that will allow access to the district provided Office 365 account and Cobb Teaching and Learning
System, as well as other platforms being used in all subject areas.

II. What would you like to accomplish (In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the project and list
instructional objectives/project outcomes.)?

The objective for this technology integration project is to provide devices and internet access to
students to bridge the digital equity. By November 2021, Hillgrove High School will provide 10 laptops

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and 10 wi-fi hot spots to students in need for overnight or daily checkout from the media center.
According to the Hillgrove Profile sheet (Stewart & Sullivan, 2020), the percentage of economically
disadvantaged students was 22.5% of 2,329 students. That equates to the possibility of 524 students who
fall into the digital equity gap. The low SES student group is the target population for this project.
Fulfilling this objective will begin to close that gap.

Fulfilling this objective impacts all stakeholders even though the focus group is the low SES
group of students. Teacher collaborative teams will improve and apply higher-order thinking skill
lessons through the collaborative and cooperative learning that can happen with the increased access to
technology by all students. TKES Administrators will observe the lessons and support the teachers and
students with professional learning and specialized Hawk Hour sessions (weekly remediation and
enrichment sessions for students during the school day). Community members will facilitate Hawk Hour
sessions with career examples and personal experience of technology in current industries. The global
and local community is impacted with the graduation of students who are prepared to solve real-world
problems which is the goal of the school district and the school’s shared vision.

III. In what ways is this project an example of exemplary technology integration (In 2-3
paragraphs discuss your project regarding one or more of the following: LoTi, SAMR,
TPACK, TIM, etc.)?

This technology integration project is supported by the TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, and
Content Knowledge) framework and the TIM (Technology Integration Matrix) framework for
identifying stages of technology integration. According to Winkelman (2020), the three areas of teacher
knowledge are pedagogical, content, and technology. Without technology, the teacher remains in the
overlapping pedagogical and content area. This is the current reality for many students. The teacher does
not integrate technology because of the digital access gap for the students. The teacher might integrate
some technology during class, but it remains in the overlapping area of content and technological
knowledge because of available time with computers in the building. Students use technology for
practice and memorization. By bridging the digital access gap with laptops and wi-fi access at home, the
teacher can move to the overlapping area in the TPACK framework of pedagogical, content, and
technological. Students have the technology and time to apply their knowledge through the creation of
products and answers to real-world problems. Teachers and students are no longer constrained due to the
availability of a computer lab or computer cart during the school day.

According to Welsh (2019), the teacher decides the technology to use on the first two levels of
the TIM. When students have their own independent access to technology, the technology integration
moves to the levels of adaptation, infusion, and transformation. In the first stages of entry and adoption,
the teacher models the usage of the technology tools. As students have access to technology
independently, they apply higher-order thinking skills as they decide for themselves how and which
technology to use. This choice reflects that they are not being guided or told how to use the technology
which also raises the level of creativity. Having digital access during and after the school day provides
students with the opportunity to reach the level of transformation. Using these skills on their own
prepares them to successfully join the work force and the global community which is the shared vision
of the school.

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 IV. How will you complete the work? (Describe how the project will be completed.)

A. Describe how the instructional objectives/project outcomes will be met (2-3 paragraphs).

The project objective will be met by obtaining funding, procuring the equipment, creating,
and sharing resources, and offering the use of the equipment to students. The applicant and
the Media Specialists are the facilitators of the project. The facilitators will collaborate to
complete funding applications and the selection of equipment. Once the facilitators create
resources and prepare the equipment for checkout, teachers and students will complete the
project outcome.

Teachers and students meet the outcome of this project by technology integrated lessons
being used in the subject areas and by students who are low SES using the available
equipment to access the internet in any location. Any student will be able to check out the
equipment, but the focus group is the low SES which will be tracked with the online
checkout form and student information accessible through the district database.

B. Describe the time involved (project length including amount of time each day/week; include
a timeline for planning and implementation).

The time involved for this project is time-related to the purchase of the equipment to the
preparation of the equipment for student checkout. Once prepared for student checkout, the
equipment will be available for checkout in the media center during the school day. Students
will be given permission from the classroom teachers to go to the media center for
equipment checkout or to return the equipment. The following Table 1 includes the timeline
for equipment implementation.

Table 1
Project Timeline

Date Project item/activity or Hours

evaluation item
August 2021  Complete grant and 12 hours
procurement
applications/forms

September 2021  Purchase devices 2 hours

 Inventory devices 3 hours

October 2021  Set up devices for 6 hours

student checkout
 Create resource 8 hours
sheet and videos
 Post check out 1 hour
procedures,

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 instructional video
and sheet on school
website
 Inform staff and 1 hour
students of
checkout
procedures and
resources 3-5 minutes per student
 Begin equipment
checkout

November 2021 – May 2022 1 hour

 Perform monthly
audit of checkout
sheets
May 2022 5 hours
 Survey students,
parents, and
teachers for
feedback on project
results and future
plans

C. Describe the people involved (grade level/subject & # of students, teachers and/or staff,
other stakeholders).

Staff members including the three Media Specialists and approximately 120 certified
teachers are involved in this project. The Media Specialists will complete the procurement
forms, order, and inventory the equipment, create the instructional resources, share the
resources with the stakeholders, store, checkout, and check-in the equipment. They will
audit the use of the equipment monthly, and they will create a usage survey to conduct at the
end of the school year. The teachers will explain the equipment availability to students and
support students in the setup and usage. Students of grade levels 9-12 of all subjects are the
focus group of this project, particularly students of low socioeconomic status. The
approximate number of low SES students is 525. Any Hillgrove High School student is
eligible to check out the equipment.

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

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 Media Specialists will create a resource page and a short instructional video for students that
show directions for equipment home setup. The Media Specialists will train the 10
department heads who will support teachers who receive questions from students. Teachers
will review the resource page and video before equipment checkout begins. This is
technology professional learning that the teacher will complete during their planning block,
before or after class hours. The first time that the student checks out the equipment, the
Media Specialist will review the equipment setup with the student.

E. Describe the materials needed for the project (provide links to relevant websites; include a
written description of how the technology/ies will benefit students).

The materials or equipment needed for this project are ten laptops, 10 hot spot units, and 10
monthly wi-fi provider services. When this equipment is used by students, they will have
digital access to the internet and a laptop that allows the student to access Office 365
account and the Cobb Teaching and Learning System as well as other instructional websites
and platforms. This combination of laptop and wi-fi hot spot closes the digital equity gap for
students as they can access the web in any location.

Materials needed to implement this project:

1. Laptop-Microsoft Surface Laptop Go with teacher discount- $529.00 per laptop
New Lightweight Surface Laptop Go – The Everyday, Everywhere Laptop – Microsoft
Surface
2. Wi-fi or hot spot unit- $189.00 per unit
Amazon.com: NETGEAR Nighthawk M1 Mobile Hotspot 4G LTE Router MR1100-
100NAS - Up to 1Gbps Speed | Connect Up to 20 Devices | Create WLAN Anywhere |
Unlocked to Use Any Sim Card-Contact Your Carrier for Data Plan: Computers &
Accessories
3. Monthly fee for wi-fi provider - $25.00 per unit per month

V. What is the timeline for assessing accomplishments and objectives/project outcomes (In 2-3
paragraphs, describe the program evaluation procedure. Explain how each objective will be
measured and how success will be determined.)?

To assess the accomplishments and meeting the objectives of the project, monthly and an end-of-
the-school-year assessment will be conducted. The monthly assessment will begin in November
2021and end in May 2022. For the monthly assessment, when a student checks out the equipment, an
online checkout form will record their name and district I.D. number. The Media Specialist will perform
the monthly audit by cross-referencing the student information to confirm if they are listed in the low
SES population. This is the target population for this project. If more than 50% of the checkouts are by
low SES students, this project meets the objective of providing digital equity to students in need.

The feedback survey for students, parents, and teachers will be conducted in May 2022. The
Media Specialists will create the Microsoft Form survey and share through email, the school website,
and posters. This survey will provide data on the availability of equipment to consider adding equipment
inventory in the following 2022-2023 school year. The survey will also provide data on the resource

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sheet and instructional video as to the difficulty of setting up the equipment according to the
instructions. Survey respondents will make suggestions on future technology access programs and other
technology needs.

VI. How will the students be impacted by the project (In 2-3 paragraphs, include details regarding
how the impact on students will be assessed and reported to students, parents, teachers, and
others.)?

The impact on students by this project is measurable by the monthly checkout rosters audit, the
end-of-the-year survey, and teacher feedback. The capability to access the web will have an impact on
the students’ assignments and class success. Feedback from the students who checkout the devices will
provide data on the impact on their work resulting from using the equipment. The monthly checkout
audit results will be shared with administrators and teachers.

Teachers are a critical component of the impact results. Teachers will recommend students to
checkout equipment. Teachers will be the support line for students who have problems with the
equipment. The teacher feedback in the end-of-the-year survey will provide an assessment of the support
impact for students. Teachers will track usage of the equipment and the correlation to students using the
equipment to complete assignments, collaborate with others, or create products/projects. This project
reaches the objective when it is known that students who did not have digital equity now have digital
equity and are using it to be successful in their work.

VII. What is the proposed budget? Include information on the following:

A. Materials/supplies
Supplies for resources, forms, and instructional video – school provided = no cost.

B. Equipment
The cost of equipment:
10 laptops = $5,290.00
10 wi-fi hot spot units = $1890.00
8 months of internet service = $200.00

C. Total Cost of Proposed Project (include a line item for any required professional
development)
Professional Development – Resource sheet and instructional video = no cost.
Equipment = $7380.00
Total Cost of Proposed Project = $7,380.00

D. Additional Funding Sources

Possible additional funding sources include the school’s technology budget, Hillgrove
Foundation Grant, Hillgrove PTSA Grant, and Cobb Schools Foundation Grant

VIII. List your supporting references.

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Devaney, L., & Editor, M. (2014, November 12). 7 reasons digital equity is a social justice issue.

ESchool News. https://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/11/12/digital-equity-access-938/2/

Stewart, A., & Sullivan, J. (2020). School Profile.

https://tb2cdn.schoolwebmasters.com/accnt_399010/site_399011/School-Profile-Hillgrove-

High-School-hillgrove.pdf

Welsh, J. (2019, May 6). What do we mean by “independent access”? TIM.

https://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/what-do-we-mean-by-independent-access/

Winkelman, R. (2020, February 25). TPACK and the Technology Integration Matrix. TIM.

https://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/tpack-and-the-technology-integration-matrix/

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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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