Plano
ISD, in partnership with Palm Computing,invites you to participate in the
Palm Education Pioneer Grant program
PISD
Grant Application Guidelines
The Plano ISD grant application form is now available in Word format. Click here to download it.
General Program Requirements
Equipment
- Students and teachers must be the primary users of the hardware. Awardees may assign a Palm handheld computer to each student or may have a classroom set of Palm computers that students share.
- Most grants will equip one class with a complete set of Palm computers. Each proposal may also include a small number of Palm computers for the teacher, a technology coordinator, and/or research partners. Applicants who request more than one set of Palm computers should clearly demonstrate the need for additional units.
- The most commonly awarded handheld computer will be the Palm m100. Specific requests for other models may be made; proposals should demonstrate the need for them. Requests for specific models may or may not be accommodated.
Participation and Recognition
- The Plano ISD awarded project will participate in SRI International's PEP program evaluation. The goal of the evaluation is to gather information about teachers' and students' experiences and outcomes with Palm handheld computers. Awardees will conduct evaluations specific to their own project and will participate in general program evaluation conducted by SRI personnel. Awardees will submit brief reports on their own project evaluation to SRI each semester of implementation.
- Some awardees will be invited to participate in PEP workshops (for a maximum of 5 days over 24 months). All travel and lodging expenses will be paid by Palm, Inc.
- Teachers who are awarded grants will have their projects described on the PEP program Web site. Some highly successful and innovative projects may receive additional recognition at educational conferences.
Campus Administrative Approval and Certifications, and Consent Form
Each proposal must be approved by the campus principal. Please make certain that your principal has reviewed your grant application before sending it to palmgrant@pisd.edu. In particular, make certain that your principal is aware that you may be required to use release time, up to 5 days, upon request, for your attendance at PEP meetings (all travel and lodging to be paid for through the PEP program)
You and your principal should be aware that SRI may seek parental permissions for the following:
- Release of student data for SRI's program evaluation, upon request
- Classroom observations by the SRI evaluation team, upon request
Selection Criteria
Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria.
| Completeness: | All requested information and approvals must be received by the application deadline. Applications that are missing information by the deadline will not be considered. |
| Clarity: | Descriptions of learning activities, curriculum, learning goals, and evaluation components must be clear and succinct. |
| Benefits: | Are the unique features of handheld computers demonstrated? Is there a distinct benefit for students and/or teachers in using handheld computers as opposed to some other technology? |
| Evaluation: | The evaluation plan should be simple, easily achievable, and appropriate to the goals of the project. Will the data collected for evaluation be appropriate to the evaluation questions to be answered? Will the evaluation results provide clear information about the project activity and outcomes? |
| Feasibility: | Is the timeline for project implementation realistic? How many semesters will the project be put into action? Are the logistics feasible? Does the applicant have sufficient resources to implement the project? |
Application Form Preview
This section contains a preview of the application forms. We recommend that you take time to review this section and draft your submission by downloading the application form.
All proposals must be submitted by email to palmgrant@pisd.edu by Friday, February 23.
Project proposals must include a detailed plan for innovative use and a description of the expected educational benefits. Important educational goals should be addressed. Proposals should reference national-, state-, or district-level standards, frameworks, or curricular goals, as appropriate.
Project proposals must also include an evaluation plan. You will find resources for designing your evaluation, including an evaluation design template and a sample evaluation plan, here.
Step 1: Applicant Information
- Project Title: A short title that accurately describes your proposed project.
- Main contact: The primary teacher contact for the proposal.
- School name & location
- Grade(s) targeted
- School type: urban, suburban, rural; public/private; charter/magnet/neighborhood; size (can be approximate);
- Demographic profile of class (ethnicity, free/reduced lunch, ESL groups) (demographic profile of class can be approximate)
- Authorized adminstrator
Step 2: Project Information
- Number of students that will be involved in your project (a) per semester, and (b) over its entire duration
- Number of Palm units requested
- Focus Area:
- Assessment
- Curriculum
- School-to-home communication
- Other (provide an appropriate description)
- Target subject areas addressed:
- Math
- Science
- Language arts
- Social studies
- Other
- Specific dates (may be tentative) that your project will be put into action.
- Research partner: The name and affiliation of any research partners that will be included in this effort.
Step 3: Project Description
- Provide a clear description of your anticipated use of handheld computers, in three to five paragraphs. Describe instructional activities, curriculum, software applications (if relevant), any other technologies involved, the specific instructional strategies you will use (if appropriate), and the specific ways that handheld computers will be used in your project.
- Indicate the specific learning goals for your project (if appropriate). Be sure to reference any national-, state-, or district-level standards, frameworks, or curricular goals, as appropriate.
- Indicate the primary objectives of your project (if different from learning goals, above).
- Indicate the timeline for project activity. Indicate the timing of all major activities associated with your project, which could include: planning, testing, implementation of specific activities, collecting evaluation data, revising, second round of implementation, analysis of evaluation feedback, reporting.
Step 4: Project Evaluation
- Give a clear, concise description of your evaluation plan (see evaluation
information for help in creating your evaluation plan). Your plan
should be simple, focused, and appropriate to the specific goals of your
project. Do not collect data (e.g., standardized test data) that is not
directly linked to project activities. Your plan should include the following
elements:
- Specific evaluation questions (questions about project implementation and outcomes)
- Specific indicators and measures you will use to evaluate project success
- Specific data collection methods you will use
- The timeline for evaluation data collection.
- Describe how you will use evaluation findings to improve your project.