Teaching - Grant Application Educational

Teaching - Grant Application

EDUCATIONAL GRANT APPLICATION - ELMO TT-02s

ELMO Teacher's Tool TT-02s Document Camera

CDW Item #1277187

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1277187

Need for Innovation:

Low-functioning students require novel methods of instruction to supplement traditional reading module. Many of our low-functioning readers perform better immediately after the introduction of new learning formats but lose interest in course material presented through traditional methods of instruction.

The ELMO TT-02s Document Camera allows the instructor to project material onto a large screen while capturing real-time instructor corrections. In our experience, presentation displays significantly increase student attention span, which is widely acknowledged as being even more important for low-functioning readers than for more accomplished readers. 2. Objectives of Innovation:

The programmatic focus at Westside Elementary School for the 2008/2009 academic year is Low Performing Students and Below-Grade-Level Readers. We prepare students in Grades 1, 2, and 3 for the following academic achievement tests: Dibels, FCAT, Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, and Stanford-10.

The object of this proposed innovation is, specifically, to increase reading comprehension by maximizing the attention span and interest of low-performing readers in module lesson plans.

3. Activities designed to meet objectives:

Westside Elementary uses an open-classroom design for many classes, in which several classes constitute a quad, receiving simultaneous instruction from different teachers, separated from one another by half-walls. This configuration enhances the individual efforts of each instructor by providing the opportunity to collaborate and balance supervisory and instructional needs in a manner most conducive to one-on-one student-teacher attention. In addition to providing a richer educational experience for students, the quad configuration also enables instructors to share resources like the ELMO system.

In addition to utilizing the ELMO system as a lesson presentation tool, we intend to incorporate it as a motivational device, such as by rewarding both improvement and superior performance with the opportunity to have their work presented to the class.

Including the ELMO system in our Accelerated Reading Program and Florida Reading Initiative present additional avenues for more extensive incorporation of the equipment.

4. Proposed Evaluation of Objectives:

The proposed evaluation objectives consists of conducting comprehensive objective reading skills diagnoses before the introduction of the ELMO system into the classroom environment. A subsequent series of objective diagnostic evaluation will provide a method of measuring the beneficial effect of incorporating the ELMO system into the lesson plan.

Similarly, analysis and comparison of standardized achievement tests results will provide a direct measurement of the success of this initiative at achieving the educational goals that the system is intended to accomplish.