Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Grants for Special Needs Students in Technology
I am a special education teacher at Laurens District 55 High School and I am looking for a way to provide my students with desktop computers. I only need five computers to make a significant difference to my student's education; however computers can be really expensive and I am not having much luck finding a grant. Does anyone have any ideas?
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Terri,
ReplyDeleteI've attached a link that might be a starting point: http://computersforlearning.gov/
I don't have any experience writing grants, nor do I know of anyone who has used the services stated in the hyperlink above. If you do find this site to be helpful, let me know as I'll probably keep it as a reference favorite.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks very professional. You may want to include some graphics or links to some multimedia or other resources related to technology grants. Just a thought!
Professor Yglesias
I was just talking about this problem on the discussion board. I work really hard on my school blog and website, but there are so many kids who don't have regular access to a computer. If I had more in my class, I could put them on one of those. However, as you know, our administrators and tech department discourage us from letting students use our computers. They say there are "security issues" since we enter grades and take attendance on them. I'm going to be looking into some grants myself.
ReplyDeleteTerri,
ReplyDeleteI identified a local electronics recylcing outfit that solicits donations for non-profits. Are you familiar with these guys? Are they legit?
http://www.recycles.org/computer/donations/SC
My grantwriting experience taught me that the process is not as difficult as it seems. Applications to federal programs are a nightmare. However, private grantmakers understand that a school-based applicant can't invest $4k to raise $5k.
There should be a district-level library resource with lists grant making groups in your area. Even the national groups sometimes offer mini-grants which could serve your purpose, especially if you can pick up recycled units which teach/model being green. with every passing month, it's Internet access you need, not desktop number crunching power.
When I was teaching at a private school, we had the local businesses donate computers to us and they were able to get a write off. So I just creating a donation letter and taking it to the loccal businesses in the area.
ReplyDelete