Need Money for Technology

Are you sitting in your classroom wondering why you do not have the same technology products as the other teachers have in their schools? Are you wondering how you can get those technology items for the students in your classroom.

Why not try Donors Choose. What is Donors Choose you are asking.

"DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need."

So what do you do to get funding for your technology needs. Well all you have to do is to start with an idea, then take that to Donors Choose and then sit back and wait. Well it is not that easy but its pretty close. The process is very simple and easy to follow and will have you online and going in just a few minutes.
So what do you have to do? First you have to create an account with Donors Choose. You can find out more About Donors Choose from their webpage. This page gives you a broad overview of all aspects of the website from how it works to partners to affiliates and many other areas which will provide you with the necessary information to make an informed decision as to participating in the program.

So what you have to do is to set up your account by providing a small amount of information including your school email address and location, which you pick from a list of locations in the area in which you are from. Donors Choose will only send supplies to your school location they will not deliver products to alternative addresses. Then of course you have to check off that you agree with the terms of the agreement for using the site.

What else do you have to do? You will need to keep them apprised of the progress your students are making while using the technology in the classroom. This can be shown through video and pictures of the students interacting with the technology. You will also need to maintain your account and update any information that needs to be changed or modified.

Once a project is accepted, "fully-funded," you will be notified and will have a predetermined amount of time to respond with a Yes or No to the materials. Once that is done you will be required to send feedback on your project. This can be in the form of video, photos, letters thanking the donors for the funds to make your project take shape.

Go take a look at the site, sign up and get started with that project idea you may have set aside because you or your school did not have the money to purchase the necessary technology to complete the task.

Need Tuition Money for College?

Are you a graduating senior in high school this May? Are you thinking about going to college but do not know if you can afford to go?

There are many different ways in which you can help yourself to get your education paid for. One of those ways is to go to the College Foundation of North Carolina otherwise known as CFNC.org
This is a great website set up for residents of North Carolina to "Help you Plan, Apply and Pay for College." You will create an account to go in and setup your profile information and identify which colleges that you would like to apply to. Then you will enter in additional financial information with the help of your parents to identify your needs. If you then are awarded any amounts you are notified and offered the amount in which you will accept or decline according you the amounts and what your needs are.

One thing that is beneficial to residents of North Carolina is that on February 19, 2011 CFNC is having a statewide FAFSA Day. CFNC will have areas setup around the state that will help you fill out and answer questions about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA) for those who are planning to attend a College or University during the 2011-2012 academic year.
There are 9 locations in Forsyth Co. from Kernersville to Clemmons that will be set up to answer your questions and help you fill out the form. If you do not live in Forsyth County but still live in North Carolina you can follow this link to an interactive map to find locations in your county.

If you are planning on attending college it wouldn't it be great to see if you are able to get a little help with paying for your tuition. Check out the site, look for local locations and if you can visit one of them to help you get the forms filled out and submitted.

Let's Talk Money

I know that this is a sore subject for everyone right now. We do not know whether or not money is coming into the schools or going out of the schools. So what do we do to keep up with the Jones' so to speak?

Let's take a look at some available options out there that can assist us in easing the pain. Yes I am talking about Grants if you have not already figured it out. There are many grants out there that can help you as teachers to get what you think is necessary to aid in student achievement.

So what is available, now for a while now I have been sharing a few Grants through our WSFCS wiki page, but I think I will also give you some more information here as well as those grants.

Upcoming and Current offerings:

The NEA Foundation is offering $5000 per award to improve student achievement. Available for all grades and universities to show students involved in critical thinking and problem solving skills. Find out more here. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2009.

Send your Teachers, yes teacher, to attend a Free math and science education camp. The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is taking nominations for teachers in grades 3-5 to attend a summer camp where they will learn ideas and experiments to take back to their classrooms. Find out more information here. The deadline for applications is October 31, 2009.

AverMedia is giving away, once a month, their AverVision CP300 gooseneck 3.2MP document camera. This contest coincides with their Teacher Forum where teachers share best practices for teaching with visual technologies. Find out more about the contests here. This is an ongoing application so no deadline.

Check out my upcoming posts on how to successfully search and write for grants.