Sample Grant Proposal



REQUEST FOR FUNDING TO

STRENGTHEN 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

IN PRESCHOOL BY USE OF THE APPLE IPAD

Stowe Cooperative Nursery School

Stowe, Vermont

Jackie Mackner

April 2013

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Stowe Cooperative Nursery School, located in Stowe, Vermont, proposes to purchase twenty Apple iPads for use in regular classrooms to support and enhance the learning of its 21st Century Preschool learners. The Stowe Cooperative School seeks funding to purchase the Apple iPads by the start of the school year on August 28, 2013, and to provide necessary teacher training throughout the 2013-2014 school year.

STOWE COOPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL

Our Community

The Stowe Cooperative Nursery School is committed to providing an affordable, stimulating, creative learning environment. Our mission statement is that we believe in each child's right to develop a sense of self that is positive and capable. We offer a relaxed and warm learning atmosphere. A balanced program of indoor and outdoor activities encourages children to be curious, create, discover, make choices based on interest, and interact positively with others.

Our staff goal is to work together as a team, involving parents and the community in a positive manner, for the good of all of the children.  The Co-op staff guides and organizes learning in a way that does not force or impose educational materials upon students; the thought is that learning should be fun and based around interests that children hold. They are able to make standards clear, consistent and understandable to all children and, at the same time, be sensitive to each child's needs.

Parents and teachers work together to run the school.   The school is owned and administered by the membership with tuition paying for their child's attendance as well as funds raised being used for the school's expenses: salaries, rent, maintenance, supplies and equipment and day-to-day operating expenses.  The parents, through the Board of Directors and committees, handle general operation of the school.  All parents with children at the Co-op are encouraged to become involved in the school's operation and class activities.  

Our Students

The Stowe Cooperative Nursery School student population for the 2012-2013 school year includes 45 students in two preschool classes. These preschool classrooms serve the needs of children aged three to five in physical, sensory, emotional, communication, cognitive, social, and academic growth and learning to prepare them for Kindergarten and the following elementary school years. With such a high academic rigor and focus, Stowe Cooperative Nursery School students rank high above their elementary peers in areas of Math, Foreign Language, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science and Technology as well as social emotional, physical, sensory, and communication skills, well-known as a “Co-op Kid” in their continuing educational years.

Our Teachers

The Stowe Cooperative Nursery School is outfitted with four teachers. Each teacher on the teaching staff has graduated with at least a Bachelor of Science/Art in Education or related area of education and two of the head teachers each possess a Masters of Education, one with a focus in the area of Technology.

STATEMENT OF NEED

An Apple ipad is a touch screen, hand-held, flat “computer.” Instructors and students can draw directly on the surface of the Apple ipad with their fingertips. Participants can manipulate and interact with software applications. Using these “Apps”, or applications that can be downloaded for free or for a price as low as $0.99, our youngest students can “read” a story by tapping each word to hear it read aloud, trace or draw numbers and shapes, arrange letters to make words, take pictures and videos, learn pre-reading skills, sequencing, sound-letter recognition and patterns. These applications help young students learn important concepts while having fun all through the use of their tiny fingertips.

The Apple iPad has unique capacities to accommodate multiple learning styles and varying physical and mental abilities. Visual learners can easily see text, moving images, and other colorful displays, even from the back of a large classroom. Auditory learners can experience the lesson through sound provided by the iPad’s USB cord and headphones and/or speakers. Kinesthetic learners can physically manipulate text, images and other stimuli directly on the screen with the touch of a finger. Hearing-impaired students, who rely heavily on visual learning, benefit from the large display area of the screen and the ability to highlight and touch portions of text or images. Students with impaired vision can manipulate objects and perceive large-font text on the ample display surface of the Ipad, as well as listen to accompanying sound. The hand-held flat device allows full participation by mobility-impaired students who may not be able to reach other classroom items. Students who are learning to use a pencil, mouse, or keyboard can draw on an iPad with a finger.

Research has shown that iPad lessons are extremely effective in holding students’ attention. Sandra Calvert, founder and director of the Children’s Digital Media Center based at Georgetown University states, “What we see is a lot of promise, and informal observations to suggest kids are very engaged" (Malone, 2011) after testing the Apple iPad with preschoolers in a Chicago area school.

Teachers can introduce applications and lessons on the iPad and then give individual time to learn and explore, working around the classroom physically to pay attention to individual student needs, a crucial benefit in classrooms. “Whether the tablet is used to teach reading and arithmetic basics to kindergartners, or to create a presentation for teenagers, the iPad is a chameleon in the classroom with the flexibility to adapt to any kind of curriculum.” (Ion, 2012)

Stowe Cooperative Nursery School educators are continually seeking innovative methods to engage an academically rigorous population of students in 21st Century skills and methods with a wide range of needs, learning abilities and cognitive developments in both classrooms. The Apple iPad is a flexible, efficient tool that addresses the diverse abilities and multiple learning styles of all Stowe Cooperative Nursery School students.

PROPOSED INITIATIVE

The Stowe Cooperative School proposes to purchase Apple iPads and related accessories for use in individual classrooms to support and enhance the learning of all students in the school. One iPad will be permanently loaned to each head teacher to use and integrate into school curriculum as well as for use in professional duties. Nineteen additional Apple iPads will be purchased for use by students and shared between both classes. Purchase of the Apple iPads and accessories will be completed before the start of school by August 2013 to allow adequate time for delivery and practice by teachers for the 2013-2014 school year.

Thorough training is a key factor in the successful implementation of any new technology. The technology media specialist from Stowe Elementary School will train all head teachers and assistants in educational, functional, and professional use of the iPad during a full-day, on-site “Train the Teachers” session in September 2013. Teachers will in turn train the parents during an “In-Service” day in October 2013 and continual parent-teacher-student training will follow, occurring once a month throughout the year after school. Ongoing training outside of these workshops is also provided in the form of free online interactive orientation sessions and downloadable training materials, in addition to the Apple iPad’s Help menu and tutorials provided on the device by Apple. Teachers will also have free online access to teacher-developed lesson plans correlated to Vermont State Standards as well as numerous other reputable websites such as .

It is anticipated that a successful implementation of Apple iPad technology at the Stowe Cooperative Nursery School will result in:

1. Increased enthusiasm, discussion, interaction, and retention of material by students during iPad lessons, as well as ease of use and increased teacher efficiency and productivity as reported in qualitative surveys of all parents and general classroom teachers.

2. Measurable progress towards academic and behavioral goals set forth in initial student assessments occurring in October.

CONCLUSION

From his study How Do Teachers Prioritize the Adoption of Technology in the Classroom, Kurt (2012) states, “We are living in a technological era, technology is changing the way we live and function and as a result, instructional technologies are important to education. Society is changing rapidly and technology is being used in all parts of our lives; children should be able to function naturally in this technological society and schools play an important role in preparing children for this society” (pp. 225-226). Thus being said, the Apple iPad is an effective way to truly integrate 21st century skills, methods, and technology into the Stowe Cooperative Nursery School and provide the necessary technological skills for immensely growing and changing technological society while making learning accessible, appropriate, and just plain fun for students with diverse learning needs and styles.

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REFERENCES

Ion, F. (2012, April 18). IPads in the classroom are changing the face of education. MacLife. Retrieved from

Kurt, S. (2012). How do teachers prioritize the adoption of technology in the classroom?. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 18:2, 217-231

Malone, T. (2011, 5 10). Finger paints, picture books and ipads — the newest classroom tools for some preschools, kindergartens. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from

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