Proposals to the School Administration for Using Technology

The Assignment

You are to write three proposals to you (future) school administration for using technology in the secondary mathematics classroom. The first is to obtain a “low amount” of technology (i.e., you are new at the school and all you have is your own graphics calculator and there is a computer you can use in the teacher work room). The second paper assumes you have a low amount of technology you requested, and you are asking for a “medium amount” of technology. Similarly, the third proposal assumes you have the low and medium amounts of technology and you are asking for a “high amount” of technology.

(Vague) Definitions

There are no fixed definitions of what constitutes the three levels of technology. The following are general examples. You do not have to request these things. You can request additional items.

• low amount of technology examples: classroom set of graphics calculators or one computer with Internet connection and large monitor,
• medium amount of technology examples: five computers in the classroom or computer lab once every 2 weeks,
• high amount of technology examples: computer lab whenever you want it or CLOW (computer lab on wheels - cart with 24 laptops).

What to Include

Each proposal should:

• be typed up as a proposal to your school administration (a proposal or letter should be logically organized into paragraphs),
• describe the big picture of what you are requesting,
• describe how you plan to use the technology (this is important as it shows the administration that you have a plan)
  • in somewhat general terms, e.g., which courses, and
  • zoom in, to describe at least one example usage to some detail (important, but don't overdo it--i.e., bore your administrator),
• include important extras such as software to purchase and Internet connections,
• be kept to a reasonable length.

You need not include an estimated cost. This would very well be important for an actual proposal, but we'll assume that would be the next step in the process, and beyond the scope of this assignment.

Assessment

You will be graded on:

• the overall quality and cogency of the proposal,
• how well the proposal is structured? is it well organized?
• grammar, usage, and punctuation,
• creativity and originality,
• whether the items listed above are included.

Rubric: Four (4) points for each of the five areas. Twenty (20) points total.

James R. Olsen, Western Illinois University
E-mail: jr-olsen@wiu.edu

Page last updated: October 26, 2005