After searching through the directory for awhile, I came across two grants that I am very interested in applying for. Unfortunately, the grant I am most interested in has closed for this year's applications, so I will save you the time and just mention why I like that without going through my follow up. The one that has closed and I hope to apply for next school year is the NCTM Connecting Math to Other Subject Areas. This grant would allow math teachers the funding to find better ways to help students relate mathematics to other subjects and fields (Hopefully answering the everyday question, "When will I ever use this?").
The grant I will be applying for is the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator Award. This award is meant for an educator under the age of 35 who uses technology in innovative and effective ways. The award for this is a $1,000 stipend for travel along with registration to ISTE's annual conference and one-year membership. I have been interested in educational technology since my undergraduate days, and I have been fortunate enough to experience and learn through through West Chester's Educational Technology courses. I love to include technology in my classroom in any way that will improve student engagement and understanding. Although I may not be the most innovative teacher out there when it comes to technology integration, I do my best to continue including it everyday in my practice in a variety of ways. If I were to be lucky enough to win this, the opportunity to learn and collaborate at the ISTE conference would be invaluable to my future as an educator.
The next steps for me will be to prepare for the nomination and application period that will open up December 1st. The main items that I will need to have in order are the letters of recommendation and multimedia materials. I hope to have my department chair and principal or assistant principal write letters of recommendation over the next few weeks. On my end, I plan to go through my educational technology portfolio that I developed in Dr. Penny's previous class, along with my history of digital materials that I have used in class. Depending on the number of items and the type of items ISTE is looking for, I will try and select my most innovative and effective pieces to have ready for the application.
This sounds like a great grant for you. I really like the fact that it will help students understand why they need math in the first place. I feel that each year that question is asked numerous times and hopefully it will finally be answered.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree this a great grant and I think that is an interesting question that you mentioned in the first paragraph. I know that some schools get awarded grants for technology and never use them. I think the reason for that may be because there was no collaboration and consensus among teaches. I hope that you get awarded this grant as it seems that it will of great use to you.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's great that your grant is more experience than money. If you were to win, the collaboration and experiences you would have, would have more value than the money that most of us are looking for. Good luck with your grant!
ReplyDeleteThis grant will not only really help you in your career and education, but also help your students in the long run. You will be exposed to so many great ideas for teaching and relating math. This grant is so simple, but seems to perfectly fit your needs.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fantastic opportunity for you, and I think that it will also benefit your school and students. Good luck, it sounds fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI really like the nature of this grant. I gree with your first paragraph about getting money for technology but not having the funds be used for that purpose. I think the experiences you will get along the way can and will be life changing. Best of luck in your journey with this grant. Please keep us posted on the outcome.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Job Aaron. If I were under 35 I would apply. Connecting math to everyday life is something I suspect you attempt to do everyday in your class. This sounds like a wonderful fit for you and your students.
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