The grant money will be spent in four main areas: training time, technology support, software upgrades, and hardware upgrades for better displaying of computer work in class. (See chart for a detailed breakdown of the grant budget.)
The training budget includes four days of in-service workshops, of which a half day has been used already and another day and a half are scheduled for next fall. "Teachers are always saying, ÔI don't have time to learn this,' explained high school media center coordinator Joan Nevitt, who wrote the grant application. "This gives them time."
For training tools, the grant will pay for a 15-month subscription to Connected University, which is an online service with guides to more basic skills like e-mailing and Internet researching to more advanced topics like designing web pages and running advanced software. "It covers just about every range, from someone who's just getting started and not very comfortable to someone who feels computer literate," said Nevitt.
Connected University will allow staff to work at their own pace in learning technology skills. It also has a message board to facilitate teacher interaction.
The grant will also fund the purchase of a video library on troubleshooting and operating specific programs that will be kept in the high school media center. These video tapes will also be available to the general public for borrowing, Nevitt said.
The software upgrades should help the district have uniform computer systems, which will enable better transferring of files from computer to computer. Some of the computers in the labs are currently not even compatible.
The grant includes money to purchase a video projector for each building. This device will project computer images onto a screen. Two video televisions per school building will also provide options for displaying information on a computer screen to an entire class.
These pieces of technology are becoming necessary because of the emphasis on computers in learning. "It's very cumbersome to get the whole class around one computer," said Nevitt.
The grant will help the district purchase these items in a year when money is becoming increasingly tight, not only here but in schools around the state. "We're just glad to get it in a year that a lot of school districts we're counting on it," said Nevitt.
The school also plans on developing its own website, included in the grant request, but the logistics of doing this internally have yet to be worked out.