School Plans: As a school you may want to develop a long term plan of how to purchase and maintain classroom devices. The cost is often more manageable when looking at purchasing a few each year.
District Plans: There are often opportunities for teachers to write a proposal to their district for the implementation of larger projects that will impact students learning. This is how we were able to first access devices to begin blending in our classrooms.
Classroom Funds: depending on your school, you have access to various funds. Most classrooms are given some working funds for set up from their PAC. These funds might be able to support the maintenance and purchase of apps. Every school and every district has different rules and protocols that you’ll need to research. Areas to research are your district and school Pro D funds and your school PAC.
Classroom Fundraising: To cover the larger purchase of iPads, or other portable devices, for your classroom to begin blended learning you may want to consider fundraising. Some ideas to entertain are: Mathathon, Spellathon, commercial chocolate sales (Purdy’s), popcorn/bake sales and other commercial fundraisers like flowers, gift wrapping, etc.
Community Funding
Best Buy Grant: School technology grants can applied through the retailer Best Buy. Elementary school grants are available every spring annually. There are two types of grants. The first one is to integrate technology into your classroom and the second one is to integrate technology into your STEM programs in your school. You can access more information through the link below. https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/school-tech-grants.aspx
Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan Inspired Minds Learning Project: This is a competition among educators and their ideas for advancing student learning. A written proposal is submitted detailing how you can improve student learning in your classroom or school. Once your proposal is accepted voting begins. The ideas that receive the highest number of votes continue to the final rounds of competition. There are various financial awards provided depending on how your proposal places. A teacher at our school won $5000.00 which was then used for purchasing green screen technology and flexible seating. Check out the CSTPIMLP website for past prize winners, ideas and more information. http://www.cst.org/en/learningproject SET BC (Special Education Technology of BC) The SET BC project mandate is “to support classroom teachers and school based teams employing personalized learning strategies and resources that utilize technologies to provide student access to their curriculum and meaningfully include all students in the classroom environment.” Check out their website for additional information on applying for assistance but also speak with your staff Learning Assistance teacher as they may be able to assist in this endeavor. There are both classroom and district projects available. https://www.setbc.org/classroom-projects-2016-2017/
Please click the button below to check out Danica Farrell's classroom project that she implemented during the 2017-2018 school year.
Another Site to Check Out: Here is a site that has 74 technology grants available. It is worth browsing through to see what grants your school can apply for. Click on the link below for further information. https://canada.grantwatch.com/cat/36/technology-grants.html