Brooke Russell, a science teacher, is applying for a fellowship to attend the National Science Teachers Association conference to gain new technological and pedagogical strategies. If selected, she will attend workshops and sessions focused on technology education. Upon returning, she will share what she learned with coworkers by providing ongoing professional development sessions. Her goals are to enhance student learning through improved technology integration, and to become a technology coach for her department and eventually the whole school. The fellowship will support her learning and ability to facilitate teacher growth in effectively utilizing classroom technology.
Brooke Russell, a science teacher, is applying for a fellowship to attend the National Science Teachers Association conference to gain new technological and pedagogical strategies. If selected, she will attend workshops and sessions focused on technology education. Upon returning, she will share what she learned with coworkers by providing ongoing professional development sessions. Her goals are to enhance student learning through improved technology integration, and to become a technology coach for her department and eventually the whole school. The fellowship will support her learning and ability to facilitate teacher growth in effectively utilizing classroom technology.
Brooke Russell, a science teacher, is applying for a fellowship to attend the National Science Teachers Association conference to gain new technological and pedagogical strategies. If selected, she will attend workshops and sessions focused on technology education. Upon returning, she will share what she learned with coworkers by providing ongoing professional development sessions. Her goals are to enhance student learning through improved technology integration, and to become a technology coach for her department and eventually the whole school. The fellowship will support her learning and ability to facilitate teacher growth in effectively utilizing classroom technology.
Brooke Russell, a science teacher, is applying for a fellowship to attend the National Science Teachers Association conference to gain new technological and pedagogical strategies. If selected, she will attend workshops and sessions focused on technology education. Upon returning, she will share what she learned with coworkers by providing ongoing professional development sessions. Her goals are to enhance student learning through improved technology integration, and to become a technology coach for her department and eventually the whole school. The fellowship will support her learning and ability to facilitate teacher growth in effectively utilizing classroom technology.
School Fax: Principal Name: Dr. Michael Short Principal Email: mshort@perrysburgschools.net
Current Teaching Assignments: Science
Current Grade Level: 9 - 12th Grade Subject Area of Project Activity: Science Estimated Dates of Fellowship: 03/12/2015 - 03/15/2015 Brief Description of Proposed Fellowship: Participate in the National Science Teacher Association at McCormick Place West in Chicago to enhance student achievement by gaining new and innovative pedagogical and technological strategies to use within the classroom.
I've previously been awarded a Fund for Teachers grant: No
Proposal Brief Description of Fellowship Participate in the National Science Teacher Association at McCormick Place West in Chicago to enhance student achievement by gaining new and innovative pedagogical and technological strategies to use within the classroom. Fellowship Rationale and Purpose In terms of my teaching practice, I would like to expand my professional growth by learning more technological pedagogical strategies to enhance student learning and achievement. In addition, I would like to provide the knowledge gained and provide ongoing guidance and professional development to the science teaching staff at the high school where I teach. I would like to explore how to effectively transition a traditional classroom into that of a digital-age classroom, how to meet the diverse learning styles of students, and new tools and strategies that actively engage students. This year, our district went one-to-one with MacBook Air laptops. I am currently obtaining my Master's Degree in Education Technology and explored the idea of becoming a Technology Coach in my future. I have a passion for technology and understand the many benefits it has to students and their education, as well teachers. As a long-term goal, I would like to become a Technology Coach to the entire high school and/or school district. To build myself up to that position, I would like to meet a short-term goal of mine and become a Technology Coach to the science department, in which I am a member of. I currently teach grades 10-12 in Biology and Ecology. Project Description I would like to attend the National Science Teachers Association conference held in Chicago, Illinois. The conference will occur March 12-15, 2015. At this conference, I would like to expand my professional growth in science education, specifically technology education. I will have access to over 1,500 sessions and hands-on workshops, as well as more than 400 exhibits to attend to. I will focus my attention and time primarily on the technology education sessions and exhibits. The time frame will be ongoing. I will take the knowledge gained from the professional development and immediately begin sharing what I learned with my coworkers. I have talked with my department chair and asked if we could set a dedicated time before or after school on a day during the week. After talking with all of the science teachers (12), we have decided to meet every Wednesday from 3:00-3:45. I am going to start my role as a Technology Coach January 14, 2014 (the first week back from Christmas break. By attending this conference, I will gain a variety of tools and strategies specific to science content to assist me in providing ongoing professional development to the science staff. Teacher Growth and Learning My fellowship will help me address my learning goals by helping me become an expert in the field of technology education, specifically science education. I want to eventually provide ongoing professional development to promote effective and sustained technology integration strategies among teachers of the high school and/or school district. I would like to gain the skills and tools from these workshops and sessions to provide my coworkers with a new set of experiences, skills, resources, and knowledge that will help them as they begin transforming their classroom to a technological framework. This fellowship will help me grow as a teacher by meeting my professional growth needs. In addition, I would like to become a technology facilitator to others. This is a passion of mine and I strive to extend my knowledge in regards to technology education. I feel that I encompass the drive and knowledge to be an asset to others in providing them with tools and ideas to effectively integrate technology. The new proposed learning will support my technology integration within my own classroom by also providing me with a new set of experiences, skills, resources, and knowledge. Student Growth and Learning Students will benefit in numerous ways. Students will, for one, become digitally literate. Students will also be exposed to authentic and meaning learning experiences through the integration of Web 2.0 tools, enhanced student achievement, increase in computer usage, and skills needed in todays workforce, and students excitement to learn. In addition, students will be more focused over extended periods of time, students can learn at their own pace, and engage in ongoing collaboration with other peers. These are just a few of the many benefits technology has on their education. The experience I receive from the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) conference will have a huge impact that extends beyond my classroom. I plan to effectively implement the strategies and tools learned from the workshops and sessions at NSTA, but also share the knowledge gained with staff members at my high school. I want to become a Technology Coach or Facilitator for them, in hopes of increasing their confidence and knowledge in integrating new technologies, as well as enhance their technology skills. Benefits to School Community Our school districts Strategic Plan is centered on increasing overall student achievement. With the increased demands from the state testing requirements, it is critical that we prepare our students for success in order to meet those high demands set by the state. My fellowship from attending NSTA and future professional development experiences will allow me to contribute to my school communitys efforts in engaging students and improving learning. I will gain important skills, resources, and tools to prepare the students of my community for the future. Students will not only need technology skills to meet the needs from the state, but also for their future endeavors. These skills may include the ease of accessing devices, communication infrastructure, workplace telecommunication tools, and digital security. I will share my fellowship with colleagues by providing ongoing professional development every Wednesday for approximately forty-five minutes. I will start working primarily with the science department and once I gain a variety of resources within all content areas and the confidence, I will extend my expertise and guidance to the entire high school and/or school district. Plan For Implementation of Fellowship Learning Taking the resources, information, and tools gained from NSTA, I plan to continue my exploration of educational tools in science education, as well as the benefits of integrating technology into the classroom. In addition, my short-term goal is to become a technology coach to the science department. Because of my passion and comfort with using technology to enhance the learning and achievement of my students, I want to become a facilitator to my coworkers who feel overwhelmed and apprehensive towards technology integration. I have already sat down with my department chair and explained my desire to provide our department with the knowledge, resources, skills, tools, etc., to help them transform their classrooms to meet the needs of our 21st century students. Given the thumbs up, I am ready to take on this challenge and become a technology coach to the science department at the high school where I teach. Professional development and collaboration will begin on January 14, 2014 and meet every Wednesday thereafter for forty-five minutes. I will begin with more introductory level technology tools and resources. In hopes of being able to attend NSTA, I will take the all of the materials learned, explore them in more detail, and present the information to the science staff. I want to be able to offer guidance and support to my coworkers, as well as give them ideas of how to Page 1 of 3
detail, and present the information to the science staff. I want to be able to offer guidance and support to my coworkers, as well as give them ideas of how to use a specific resource or tool within a particular lesson. Some of the sessions at NSTA are geared specifically towards Chemistry or Biology and I want to attend those and share the information presents, as well as become an expert with the information presented. This will lead me to my long-term goal of providing professional development and collaboration time to all staff members with different content specialties. I want to eventually take the role of a technology coach to the entire school and/or school district. This would allow me to provide continual professional development for teachers to support their technology integration efforts. I would start by offering before or after school professional development to all staff members or spend one day a week with a different content area and provide more one-on-one assistance in a small group setting. In addition, I would gain effective strategies and resources in all content areas, so that some of the professional development would be content specific. Overall, in the ideal situation, my role as a technology coach would become a full-time position. I would like to eventually transition out of the classroom and provide support and guidance throughout the school day. I would also spend part of my day becoming familiar with all the new technology resources that surface on a daily basis. Becoming a technology coach would be an amazing opportunity and experience. I would like to not only be a resource for teachers, but also an encourager who helps teachers become more comfortable and motivated to learn about new instructional strategies and the benefits of technology integration on student learning and achievement. Budget Narrative To attend NSTA, it would cost approximately $2,122.16. The location in which I teach is driving distance from Chicago, Illinois. Because of this, it is more cost-efficient to travel by car. For travel expenses, it would take a car 486 miles, round trip, to attend NSTA. At $0.56/mile, that would cost approximately $272.16. The conference is from March 12-15, 2015. Staying at the Holiday Inn, which is walking distance from the conference, it would cost approximately $1,400 ($324.00 per night + tax). This would be for four nights (Wednesday Saturday) and checking out on Sunday, March 15, 2014. The registration to attend the full conference is $345.00. The Holiday Inn provides a continental breakfast, which will reduce the cost for food per day. I will plan on eating the provided continental breakfast, a light lunch, and dinner each day of the conference. I budget $35.00 per day (3 days) for food, totaling $105.00.
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Itemized Budget Sheet
Length of Fellowship (days): 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Destination(s): City: Chicago
