NEA

Grant
Proposal
Individual
Learning and
Leadership Grant
Christine WallaceEDTC
630

NEA Learning and Leadership Grant Application Form

Name of Organization:

Tejeda Middle School

Program Title:

Connecting with
ClickMeeting

Lead Applicant:

Ms. Laura Rocha

Mailing Address:

2909 E. Evans Rd.

City/State/Zip Code:

San Antonio, TX 78259

Telephone:

210-356-5600

Fax Number:

210-482-2277

Grant Amount Requested:

$2,000

When will funds be needed?

2013/2014 School Year

What other grants have been applied for?

What amounts were requested?

N/A

What is the status of those requests? N/A

None

Summary of Proposed Work: Provide a summary of 100

words or less describing your proposed work.
The proposed work is a virtual platform using ClickMeeting and web cameras to allow the
school to accomplish many education and administrative activities virtually. The platform
requires no software, works with any operating system, is a secure limited environment, can be
personalized, allows, documents, pictures and videos to be shared, and even has a whiteboard
function. Some uses for this technology are:
Field trips
Virtual classroom for absent students
Collaboration/Communication with other schools
Student group projects
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Administrative meetings
Tutoring
Teacher/Administrative Continuing Education

Professional Development Plan: Describe the professional

development plan. What are your goals in this learning? What
learning resources do you plan to use?
Development Plan: During the week prior to the start of the 2013/2014 school year the staff are
present for Teacher Staff Development/Teacher Preparation Days. At this time the Lead
Applicant for the grant will schedule two half hour/hour introductions to ClickMeeting and web
camera usage. Staff will also be supplied with a handout covering common topics, such as,
accessing the system, inviting attendees, uploading/operating steps for ClickMeetings virtual
tools. This training will also include familiarization with ClickMeetings online Learning
Center and how to use phone, email and chat customer service options. Additionally, throughout
the year the Lead Applicant and the Information Technology Technicians will provide assistance
with specific applications, projects and training as requested.
Learning Goals: My goal is to provide a tool, using ClickMeeting and web cameras, which
benefit the entire school. This technology is very versatile; its portable, easy to use and
inexpensive. It can be used to connect ill children homebound for extended periods and help
them to stay on track with the rest of the class. Or it can be a way for teachers to conference
with busy parents who cannot make it in for a face to face meeting at the school. It can provide a
way for principals to stay in touch with superintendants, or a platform for virtual meetings. This
technology could even result in a rich cultural opportunity by providing a means for students to

communicate with students in other states or even other countries. ClickMeeting also has an
auto translate feature that would be a great asset for teachers communicating with non English
speaking parents, because there would be no need to arrange for an interpreter.
Learning Resources:
Learning Center on ClickMeeting: includes printable PDF tutorial documents and an
organized list of frequently asked questions
ClickMeeting Customer Service: chat, phone and email
School Instructional Technology Specialists: hardware and software
malfunction/installation assistance

How, When and Where will the Learning be Accomplished?

How: Web cameras will be evenly distributed amongst the three grade levels, 6,7, and 8, with a
few left for administrative/support staff. Students in Spanish class will use ClickMeeting and
web cameras to communicate with students in Mexico, in science class they will visit with
employees at the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, in social studies class
they will take a virtual tour to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This is just
a couple of examples of what will be done with this technology. ClickMeeting is very mobile
and makes learning and connecting available wherever you are. It works with any platform, has
a downloadable app, and auto translation features which parents, educators and students will be
able to use as easily on cell phones and tablets, as they would desktops or laptops.
When: 2013/2014 School Year
Where: Classrooms, computer labs, and administrative offices of Tejeda Middle School.

Professional Development: How does the proposed

professional development advance your professional goals?
How does it advance your workplace goals?
Professional Goals: The use of ClickMeeting and web cameras advances my professional goals,
and those of my coworkers, by allowing us to communicate with more parents and students, so
that collectively we can make a positive impact on each students education. It also provides an
opportunity for educators to enhance and expand the capabilities of some of the current lessons,
for instance, creating more avenues for students to work together on group projects or connecting
our city students with rural students to enhance a cultural social studies or literature assignment.

Workplace Goals: The use of this technology advances my workplace goals by supporting the
school technology plan of identifying and promoting strategies to integrate technology
effectively into the schools curriculum. Additionally, having more varied and mobile tutoring
and parent/teacher conference capabilities can positively impact student performance on end of
grade tests.
1.1.8: Instructional Technology Specialists will review relevant research and identify and
promote teaching strategies that integrate technology effectively into curriculum and instruction.

Professional Development Need: What is the need for this

professional development? How did you and your colleagues
assess the need?
Student Need/*Assessment:
Tutoring: Parent/Guardian unable to bring student for early tutoring or pick up for late
tutoring. *Students requiring additional assistance do not receive it and often end up
making up requirements over the summer.
Group Projects: Students would be able to access a group meeting place for continued
work on group projects outside of school hours. *Students complain of not having
time/access to their group partners and projects to complete group assignments; poor
group project deliveries and grades.
Professional Need/*Assessment:
Parent/Teacher Conference: Many parents are unable to physically attend parent/teach
conferences when teachers are available. *Parents cannot effectively help students
achieve because they do not receive information on their students progress, especially
areas for improvement.
Administration Meetings: It often takes considerable time, expense and parking resources
for teachers and administrators to attend meetings. *Administration offices frequently
receive requests for gas/parking reimbursement and many employees arrive late due to
traffic/construction.

After the Grant: How will this project continue beyond the
grant period? How will you continue sharing the knowledge
gained in this project?
Ways to keep the project going:

The subscription fee for ClickMeeting is only $30 a month, so there is a possibility that
the school will consider the improvements gained by using it worth the expense and fund
the subscription fee themselves.
There is also a possibility that parents who need to use ClickMeeting for tutoring or
parent/teacher conferences will pay a small fee for the convenience it provides.
The school could also consider getting the money needed by hosting a fund raiser.

Evaluation: The ClickMeeting platform allows organizers to view statistics after an event. It
provides information on when the event started, how long it lasted, how many people took part
and who those people were. This function will allow the school to gather data over the ten
months of the project to evaluate in which ways the technology was most frequently utilized.
Additionally, the Information Technology Technicians will keep track of all requests for
assistance with the technology to determine its ease of usability and to keep a record of common
problems. Finally, teachers will ask for student feedback after using the technology and send
home questionnaires to gather parent feedback.

Budget:
ClickMeeting: Subscription is $30 a month and allows up to 25 attendees per meeting and an
unlimited number of meetings during the subscription period.
$30 a month x 10 school months = $300
Web Camera: Logitech C260 web camera: $22.99 each + tax: $1.72 = $24.71
$24.71 x 68 = $1,680.28
Total Expense: $300 + $1,680.28 = $1,980.28