INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL

Name of Applicant ___Andrea Marchese______________________________________________

District/School ___Gwinnett County Public Schools/Dacula Middle School__________________
Date _24 April 2016___________________ Total Cost of Project: ____$1,000______________
Title of Project: __Future City STEM Competition ________________________________
Proposed Submission Venue: _Jackson EMC Bright Ideas Grant ____________

I.

Why is this project important?

In an effort to help bridge the digital equity gap for different gender groups, Dacula
Middle School needs to encourage girls to participate in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) related activities. According to Weber and Custer (2005), there is a
disproportionate lack of involvement of females in the STEM disciplines. Sanders, Koch, and
Urso (1997), asserted that this lack of interest may be due to curriculum content that is biased
toward males interests (as cited in Weber & Custer, 2005). A girls-only STEM Club would
allow our female students to explore STEM topics that appeal to them more than the traditional
curriculum. In their study of middle school students, Shroyer, Backe, and Powell (1995) found
that female students were particularly interested in topics related to the environment, people,
and the application of this knowledge to social conditions (as cited in Weber & Custer, 2005).
For this reason, the STEM club at Dacula Middle School would participate in the Future City
Competition, in which students design a solution to a citywide sustainability issue.
Some funds for this club could be attained by charging membership dues, but we feel this
would be in conflict with our goal of narrowing the digital equity gap. We do not want to
exclude low SES students by charging dues in order to participate in the club.
The STEM Clubs participation in the Future City Competition can start an annual
tradition for Dacula Middle School. The STEM Connections class or science classes at Dacula
Middle School could implement similar project-based learning experiences based on the Future
City model. Because organizations can register multiple teams in the Future City Competition,
there is no limit to how much our initiative could grow.

II.

What would you like to accomplish?

Dacula Middle School would like to start a STEM club for girls. The club would
participate in STEM activities and labs throughout the year to encourage girls to develop their
interests in science, technology, engineering, and math. An important part of the clubs activities
will be participating in the Future City Competition. Future City is a cross-curricular, projectbased competition in which students face a challenge that engineers might face regarding city
design. Students engage in the engineering design process, which requires them to apply math

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and science skills and to strengthen writing, public speaking, and time management skills.
Students collaborate to research the problem and develop solutions.
The Future City project experience is strongly aligned to the ISTE Student Technology
Standards. We want students at Dacula Middle school to strengthen their skills in Creativity and
Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Research and Information Fluency, Critical
Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Digital Citizenship, and Technology
Operations and Concepts. This learning experience would provide our STEM Club a hands-on
opportunity to increase competency in all of these ISTE standards. The Future City experience
also aligns with the Gwinnett County Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) for Career and
Technical Education: Engineering and Technology:
Demonstrate an understanding for a technological world through hands-on projects
Develop leadership skills and work ethics
Evaluate the impact of engineering and technology on society
Examine and research careers in fields related to engineering and technology
Examine the nature of engineering and technology
Explain the engineering design process
Investigate the design world of engineering, electronics, manufacturing, or energy
systems
The STEM club would also collaborate with a member of the Society of Women
Engineers. The Society of Women Engineers is an organization dedicated to supporting and
advocating for women in engineering and technology. They offer mentoring and scholarships to
female students. Students may join SWE as junior members through the SWENext program.
SWE also has program development grants available and will help schools to host events to
promote the engineering and technology fields for women. Creating a girls-only STEM Club by
enrolling students in the SWENext program would provide the club and its sponsors with a
wealth of resources immediately and in the future. The club would host two events during the
school year in which an outside expert from SWE speaks to female students and their families.
The STEM Club teacher sponsor will become a member of the SWE. We believe that
participation in the Future City Competition and collaboration with real-world experts will
increase interest in STEM fields for our female students.
III.

How will you complete the work?

A. Describe how the instructional objectives will be met.
During the Future City process, students must develop a project plan for their work,
design a city using SimCity software, write a 1,500 word essay describing their city, build a
physical model of their city, and give a 7-minute presentation with a question and answer period.
During each of these stages, students are addressing Gwinnett Countys Academic Knowledge
and Skills (AKS) as well as ISTE Student Technology Standards. The Future City website has
several documents showing how each project deliverable aligns with various standards across the
nation, including Common Core standards for Math, English Language Arts, and Literacy in
Science and Technical Subjects (Appendix A).

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B. Describe the time involved (project length including amount of time each day/week).
The STEM Club will meet weekly throughout 2016-2017 school year. Meetings will last
at least an hour, but may be extended if the lab/work requires it. The club will recruit members
at the beginning of the year registration and open house events in August. We will also advertise
the club heavily via the website and morning announcements during the first two weeks of
school.
The Future City competition runs from August through January. The final competition is
a full day event in January and is held at Kennesaw State University. The club will continue to
meet after the competition to explore other topics and to plan for the next year.
C. Describe the people involved (grade level/subject & # of students, teachers and/or staff).
The STEM Club will be open to girls in all grade levels. There is no limit to the number
of students allowed to join the club. A Future City team may have 3-30 students, but our
organization may enter multiple teams in the competition if desired. We will need at least two
STEM teachers as sponsors. Parent volunteers may be called upon to help with club meetings or
materials. The SWE will connect us with a mentor in the area. Future City also has STEM
mentors available. The Media Specialist and Public Relations Coordinator at Dacula Middle
School will help with advertisement.
D. Describe the materials needed for the project.
The club will need to meet in a science or STEM Connections classroom. The materials
used in constructing the Future City model may not exceed $100 and recycling is encouraged.
Some additional materials may be needed but will be determined by the labs that the club elects
to do. Computers and wireless internet are available in each classroom. The Future City
registration fee provides the club with a program handbook, Sim City software, access to online
training, a STEM mentor, and breakfast and lunch at the regional competition.
IV.

What is the timeline for assessing accomplishments and objectives?

The STEM Club will use club participation in August and September as an initial
indicator of success. Teams must register for Future City by October, so that deadline will be the
second opportunity to evaluate success. The final competition in January will evaluate student
efforts based on the criteria set forth by Future City. Finally, we will evaluate our success by
monitoring our club member retention from August to May.

V. How will the students be assessed?

Our teams performance at the Future City competition will assess student efforts and
mastery of related STEM standards. Detailed rubrics are used by the judges to provide feedback
to students and sponsors. The competition requires students to explain and reflect on learning
over the course of the project.
We will conduct a survey at the end of the school year to assess student perceptions of
how participation in the STEM Club has benefited them academically. The STEM Club
members will collaborate to maintain a Wikispace to inform students, parents, and teachers of
our progress. Future City team members will be recognized with a certificate of participation at
Dacula Middle Schools end of the year awards nights.
VI. What is the proposed budget? Include information on the following:

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A. Materials/supplies:
$100 for final model materials
$200 for materials required for planning, drafting, practice/discovery activities/labs
$20 teacher membership fee in SWE
$25 team registration fee for Future City
$505 transportation fee for GCPS bus (all day event at Kennesaw State University)
$150 budget for hosting events for guest SWE mentors/parents
B. Equipment:
Computers and internet access provided by GCPS (at Dacula Middle School)
SimCity software provided by Future City (with registration fee)
Materials for Future City project as yet unknown
C. Total Cost of Proposed Project: $1,000
D. Additional Funding Sources:
Additional funding for STEM Club activities can be requested from the science
and/or math department budget or from PTSA.
V.

List your supporting references.

Weber, K., Custer, R. (2005). Gender-based preferences toward technology education

content, activities, and instructional methods. Journal of Technology Education,
16(2),
55-71.
Future City Competition
Society of Women Engineers
Jackson EMC Bright Ideas Grant
ISTE Standards
GCPS AKS Engineering and Technology
Future City resources for standards alignment

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Appendix A
Examples of Future City Activities Aligned to Standards

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INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL

EVALUATION FORM/SCORING RUBRIC
Total Points: __________
1.

Impacts a variety of skill levels and/or learning styles or impacts an important target population.
Possible number of points: 40 __________

2. Clearly identifies standards and learning objectives being addressed.

Possible number of points: 40 __________
3. Pedagogically sound, based on research and/or best practices.
Possible number of points: 40 __________
4. Clear plan for assessment of project and goals with examples of implementation methods.
Possible number of points: 40 __________
5. Impacts large number of students and/or can be recycled/reused.
Possible number of points: 40 __________
General Comments:

Adapted from: The Education Foundation of Oconee County, Inc.

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