http://rcwprutan.weebly.com/finding-your-voice-grant-proposal.

html

Amber Rutan
Artifact Commentary Three: Finding Your Voice: Grant Proposal (Field/AL842)
Goals: 2, 3
Standards: 2, 5, 6

Over the summer of 2013, I was accepted as one of six secondary education teachers to attend an
intensive four week workshop/college class/professional development called the Red Cedar Writing
Project (AL 842). While participating in this group, we were asked to write several different pieces of
writingboth on a personal and professional leveland I chose to write a grant and actually submitted it
that fall. During the course of the workshop, one of my instructors presented a lesson on using voice
recorders in the classroom, specifically to help students write, revise, and later formally record a response
to the This I Believe essay prompt provided by the http://thisibelieve.org/ website. I was so inspired by
this that I decided to add this essay and the voice recording lesson into my curriculum for the fall. To get
the technology I needed, I applied for the Innovation in Education Grant offered by Battle Creek
Community Foundation. The grant is seen on my online Red Cedar Project Exit Portfolio
(http://rcwprutan.weebly.com/finding-your-voice-grant-proposal.html), and after applying for it, I was
awarded the grant in September for the 2013-2014 school year.
This was a great moment for me as a teacher, a graduate student, and as an individualwriting this
grant challenged me on a new level both personally and professionally. When I actually was awarded the
grant, I realized this one of my finest moments in teaching thus far. While I have taken many things from
my MATC program and applied it to my own classroom, the significance of this was even greater because
it required me to participate actively in professional networks like the Battle Creek Community
Foundation (BCCF), as well as pushed my development beyond mandated, short-term workshops (Goal
3) because after getting this grant in September, I am still required to report the results one year later. I
also had to push myself even more when it came to my research to help the BCCF see that I was
information-literate (Standard 5) about my technology plan and implementation. I had a huge sense of
pride with this grant because I felt like I was exploring new technology and was going to teach my
subject matter in different ways (Standard 2) as well as expand [my] repertoire in teaching (Goal 2)
when it came to writing and revision. I felt this grant helped me find a new leadership and mentor role in
my school, especially in the English Department. When it came to implementing this grant, I had to work
closely with the other English IV teacher who uses the same curriculum that I do so we were consistent
with our lessons. I also shared this technology with other members of my ELA department; this allowed
me provide leadership in a variety of ways among [my colleagues] (Standard 6). Without a doubt, this
grant was one of my finest accomplishments from this past year.
After being awarded this grant, I came to a unique understanding of how to get new technology into
my school building. While I have learned from the MATC program that technology needs to be integrated
into our 21
st
century classrooms, issues concerning costs often hinder that integration. I realized this grant
helped make my new curriculum ideas and technology resources possibleteachers shouldnt use the
schools budget as an excuse to not use technology in their classrooms. This grant helped me find an
alternative way to finance my plan, but has helped me stay accountable with what I have done with it as
well. Overall, I have learned technology is always possible, it just may require some extra time and
research to make it an innovative reality.