Capacity+and+Commitment+of+Building+to+Implement+Grant

The school and principal will be expected to support the 21st century team which includes the four teachers, the coach and a building administrator. In Phase One, the team members will need to participate in the required professional development (including but not limited to two or three full days via face-to-face). A minimum of 45 hours will be required for online coursework during the summer. Additional time may be needed for other professional development and working and planning with the team throughout the summer as necessary to complete assignments and develop the action plan. Participation in learning communities will provide support and learning opportunities as well. To demonstrate the school’s capacity and commitment, address the following: • Provide a summary of the activities that the school conducted to ensure the acceptance of and commitment to the requirements and goals of this grant; • Provide information regarding other support available for the teachers and coach such as dedicated personnel for staff development and technology support, release time for planning, common planning time, etc. for both the summer months and during the school year; • Provide information regarding ordering, setting up and supporting the new technology; • Provide information regarding how the district and school plan to support the team members in terms of time spent, access to computers and various Web 2.0 tools and sites for teachers, including but not limited to Teacher Tube, You Tube, Google apps, blog and wiki sites, during the summer months for their participation in the online course and during the school year; • Explain the school’s commitment to transforming teaching and learning to include a focus on 21st century skills.
 * 7. Capacity and Commitment of School Building to Implement Grant **

Write below...space will expand as needed The 21C team of Volney Rogers is eager to participate in the 21st Century Technology Grant. They and their colleagues understand there is desperate need to engage students in the learning process. The staff has begun utilizing a variety of technology. Currently, Volney is utilizing Distance Learning, Promethean Boards and instructional classes on their use, and has computer availability in all classrooms. We hope to expand the use of the previously mentioned items and incorporate new technology in all classrooms. With current and new technology, students will acquire skills which will prepare them to live and work in the 21st century. Volney is committed to transforming teaching and learning. During a recent staff meeting the teachers utilized the CPS (Students Response System) to respond to various questions and discovered the capabilities for classroom use. The staff also experienced how using technology can be fun and engaging. We now have teachers taking classes or having more tech savvy colleagues teach them CPS use. Our district has an innovative tech team that provides wide varieties of new technology-enabled strategies with the offering of workshops throughout the school year. Our district tech team comes to the school and provides staff in-services in any tech areas needed. The school and district continue to assist the teachers in utilizing technology by providing ongoing professional development on integrating technology rich curriculum into the classrooms. The teachers and staff at Volney have collected and analyzed our data and understand we must increase our academic effectiveness. We know our students must meet or exceed the state academic content standards, but they must also have the skills needed to live in the 21st century. We know these skills must be taught in a technology rich environment. Our students deserve to have teachers that accelerate achievement for low performing students by providing deeper understanding of the content. Our students must be motivated and research shows our students are active participants when technology is incorporated into the curriculum. Our staff, with job embedded professional development, will incorporate 21st Century learning skills into the curriculum and have the students become actively engaged in learning. The Beta survey was utilized to determine the willingness of the staff at Volney to incorporate technology into the curriculum. The overwhelming majority wants to use technology, but is unsure of their skills in assessing, and integrating the best tools for their subject areas. The tech team is committed to assisting all staff with any technology concerns. The team is committed to participating in the staff development over the summer to increase their technology skills. All members of the tech team understand the importance of the life-long learning needed to be an educator. Times change, research provides us with new information on how to present ideas to our students. The tech team members will all have laptops to participate in the online training over the summer. Stipends will be paid for travel, lodging, and food. All members of the team know their contributions to this endeavor are valuable and will enable Volney to become a more productive environment. The tech team members will be provided with opportunities throughout the remainder of this school year to collaborate and discuss how to meet the students needs based on our data, and to incorporate new technological opportunities into the building. The tech team members have access to computers in their classrooms, were released to work on this phase of the grant, and given new tech tools to assist in the grant writing phase. Wikis were introduced and utilized. Blogs will be set up to provide communication opportunities over the summer. Volney and the 21C team are committed to moving into the 21st century.