I've gotten some questions about grant writing to obtain technology resources for the classroom, and I didn't want to miss anybody who might be interested. The first suggestion I have is to think creatively. There are many grants available for many different situations--for instance, if I find a grant that will fund iPads in my classroom for early childhood literacy efforts, you can bet I will come up with a project that my high school child development students could implement with students at the preschool down the street from my school. The iPads might be required for that project but I'll be able to share that resource with all of my students. Be sure to think about special populations ( at-risk, low income, etc.) as well as special circumstances in your community.
As far as community goes, don't be afraid to ask local companies for some help with your efforts. The worst that can happen is they say no, right? Give a good sales pitch, though. Talk about the impact the funding will have on student achievement and paint a great picture of how the funding will make a difference to your students.
Another suggestion I have regarding grants is to approach the requirements with the same mindset that you might use to assess student achievement. In other words, if you gave students an essay question, you would look for evidence that they answered the question you had asked. A lot of extra information isn't really needed, but I would answer each question fully with complete sentences and restate the question in the response. I would also find some statistics to support my proposal (not too many though) and use the current educational buzzwords and attempt to organize my responses in the same order as the questions or grant requirements.
Finally, have someone proofread your proposal before you send it off and be sure to follow all of the required procedures. So, hop on the information superhighway and go find yourself some funding to get some tech tools in your classroom! Good luck!
