Charles Lafitte Foundation Grant

While pursuing through the grants at getedfunding.com I immediatly stopped at the Charles Lafitte Foundation grant and thought it was a perfect match!

What is the grant?
The Charles Latiffe Foundation grants are awarded to a variety of fields including education, medicine, and children advocacy.  There is no specific amount rewarded, as rewards vary on applications.  By looking past at past grant recipients rewards have ranged from $1,000 to $550,000.  The Foundation has been awarding grants since 2000 and seeks to support programs that serve at-risk populations, students with learning disabilities, provide equal access, apply data-driven approaches, offer quality programming, and educate the whole child.


Why I am interested in it and why I choose it.
I am interested in this grant for a multitude of reasons including limits, population, and history.  I really like this grant because there is no defined limit on the amount of money  I can apply for.  This means that I can fully envision, develop, and plan my project without worrying about getting too close and going over the limits of the grant.  The second reason I like this grant and chose it was because of the population the Foundation wishes to support.  I currently teach students with learning disabilities in an inner city high school.  At my school, 100% of the students qualify for free lunch and are considered at-risk.  The school district I work for is currently experiencing extreme financial distress and therefore has very limited funding.  My students have access to very little of the technology their suburban counterparts have.  If I were to win the grant, I would be able to give the students access to technology that would help them to have proficient technology skills and better compete at the college level and entry level jobs. 


How I would apply for this grant and what the next steps would be.
The next steps for applying for this grant would be to complete the eligibility quiz online.  Once I was found eligible I would have to complete a profile and choose a user name and password. After that, the application process would begin online.

Curriculum Project Screencast

Here is the screencast of my geometry unit on angles.  This unit is intended for use in my 10th grade learning support math class.  The activities are the assessments for each lesson and will be used in conjunction with direct instruction,  independent practice, and traditional homework assignments.

Edmodo

As a high school teacher I am forever trying to find ways to help put my students more in control of their learning. Edmodo, is the tool to do just that! I love that Edmodo is built to look just like Facebook which is one of the top sites already used by my students. The similarities mean that the student already know how to navigate much of the site, the layout appeals them, and Facebook is cool so therefore Edmodo is is at the very least, slightly cool by association. This year my school district has enabled students and families to view the electronic grade book used by the teachers. I have been making my students use it to find out what they are missing instead of asking me. This gives them more ownership of their learning. I would love to incorporate Edmodo into my curriculum project by having students log on to Edmodo to  do interactive assignments, communicate issues with me, and provide links and information for supplemental information to students and families.

Geometry!!!

Geometry!!! by Math Pentagon is an amazing app that is worth a lot more than the $2.99 price tag it displays in the iTunes store.  The app has 4 different levels of geometry with each level increasing in rigor and expectations.  Students are given a set of problems from a chosen category of geometry with a drop down menu of multiple choice answers.  Once the student answers the question the app provides encouraging feedback if the answer if incorrect and a congratulations if the problem is correct.  Students earn points for each problem set in the category and can still earn partial points if they answer the questions correct on the second try, as an incentive for the student to keep trying.  There is plenty of space on each page for the student to use their finger as a stylus to work out problems that require computations. 

The app allows for students to use it for self-guided independent practice as well as allows the teacher to set up specific problem sets for each student.  Both the student and the teacher can review the results of each set of problems and the results can be saved.   This helps hold the student accountable for their work, provides easily stored records for parent/teacher conferences, and allows students to practice self monitoring.

Overall, the app is an excellent resource for teachers and students.  It has a thousands of problems, so the students will not get repeats, as well as varying skill levels.  This app helps teachers provide more individualized practice while enabling each student to be successful at their highest level of ability.  The cons of the app include the size of the text and graphics on the problem pages as well as loading correctly.  Occasionally when using the app, the loading screen would come up for a few minutes and would not go away until the app was closed and reopened. 

 

Action Map

This unit has been modified from the given scope and sequence to better meet the needs of the learning support students in the class. This unit is comprised of 4 main concepts; measuring angles, constructing angles, solving for unknown angles, and classifying angles.  The unit will take approximately 3 weeks to complete with final summative assessment being a test given at the end. 

Curricular Project

1.  Who is the audience?
• My 2 classes of 10th grade learning support students. The classes range in size from 12 - 16 students.  The majority of students have been identified with a specific learning disability (SLD).  However, there are also a small group of students identified with other health impairments (OHI) and intellectual disabilities (ID).
2. What do they need to learn?
• Students will classify angles with 90% accuracy
• Students will measure angles within 3 degrees with 90% accuracy.
• Students will construct given angles within 5 degrees with 90% accuracy.
• Students will solve for unknown angles on parallel lines with 90% accuracy.
• Students will solve for unknown angles using angle relationships with 90% accuracy.
3. What are the delivery options?
• Edmodo
• SMART board
• SMART notebook
4. What constraints exist?
• Class periods are only 44 minutes long.
•  Most students lack basic math skills needed for angle relationships.
• Students do not have individual use of technology.
5. What will the students do to determine competency?
• Angle Classification: Students will take a picture of each type of angle, create a poster for each type of angle, and play an angle classification game.  Each with 90% accuracy.
• Angle Measurement: Students will measure given angles, construct angles with given measurements, and play a partner challenge game.  Each with 90% accuracy.
• Parallel Lines:  Students will construct parallel lines with a transversal and then solve for the unknown angles with 90% accuracy. 
• Angle Relationships:  Students will find angle relationships in the classroom and then solve for measurements with 90% accuracy.
• Summative Assessment:  Students will take an  angle test and complete it with 90% accuracy.
6. What is the time line for project completion?
• 15 days for lessons and projects
• 1 day for summative assessment
7. What are the classroom/Web learning differences?
• Various projects used to demonstrate competency
• Students use technology as well as paper/pencil
8. What are the pedagogical considerations?

• Verbal learners receive instruction orally.
• Visual learners receive instruction visually.
• Tactile learners complete hands-on activities.
• Students work alone, in groups, and with partners.
• Progression to next lesson will only happen after demonstration of competency of current lesson
•  

Tablet Computing

After reading the Horizon Report: K-12 Edition, I can't help but get excited about the use of tables in an educational setting.  In the spring of 2012, I was required to research emerging technology for a class I was taking.  I chose iPads and spent a semester get well acquainted with all the amazing ways I could use an iPad in my high school learning support math classes.  This publication renews my excitement for many reasons because as a special education teacher in an inner city setting, I am faced with numerous challenges each day.  A few of the challenges that the iPad can help combat include increased class sizes, budget cuts, and competition with personal electronic devices not being used for academic reasons. 

When I started teaching at my school 5 years ago, my largest class was 14 students.  This year my largest class is 34 students where I am providing instruction in both Algebra I and Geometry during the class period.  If each student in my class were to have an iPad, I would still be able to provide the very individualized instruction I was able to provide 5 years ago to small groups.  If they had iPads  each student would be able to work on skills that have previously identified as areas of need as well receive different assignments based on their strengths and needs.   Students would also be able to work at a rate closer to their own pace instead of the needs of the general class dictating the pace.

In my school district, budgets are being cut and supplies are not being distributed.  I must now buy my own copy paper for everything from handouts and homework to IEPs, IEP invites, and reevaluations.  If each student had the use of an iPad, paper would no longer be as large as an issue.  Students would be able to receive and submit work electronically.  It would also allow me to share work with parents and guardians via email. Students would also be more prepared to compete with their peers at the college level if given the use of an iPad.   The students in my school have access to very little technology and therefore are not very fluent in things that are not social networking.   iPads would enable them to improve their technology skills so that they are better prepared to face the world that meets them after high school. 

The final challenge that iPads could help alleviate is competition with personal electronic devices not being used for academic reasons.  My students love to try to text, browse facebook, and listen to music during class because they are 21st century students who crave the use of technology.  iPads would allow my students to use the technology they love, to learn.