ARRA Title II D Competitive Grant Award Announcement (8/14/09):
The eTech Ohio Commission and the Ohio Department of Education are pleased to announce that 48 school buildings were awarded funds for the 2009 - 2010 school year in the ARRA Title II-D Competitive Grant process. Approximately $11.8 million in federal funds has been awarded through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) competitive grant application process to eligible Ohio school districts.
ARRA Title II-D Competitive (Ed Tech) Grant Recipients
Per the RFP, all sites that receive funding are required to attend an orientation. Click on the link below for information regarding the Virtual Orientation and other upcoming events and dates.
Announcements and Upcoming Events
Program Overview
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provides $10 billion nationally in new funding for programs under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The ARRA will provide $650 million for Education Technology State grants, which fall under the statutes of the Title II-D Enhancing Education Through Technology Program. Ohio will receive approximately $23.9 million under the ARRA Title II-D grant to be allocated for two grants - formula and competitive. Approximately $11.4 million will be awarded to school districts/buildings that meet specific eligibility identified in the Request for Proposal (RFP revised 05.04.09) through a competitive application process by the Ohio Department of Education, in consultation with eTech Ohio.
This competitive grant focuses on Professional Development and Student Learning. It offers a unique opportunity to schools that are ready and willing to embrace the change that is required for 21st century learning. Through sustained, collaborative, job-embedded professional development and the use of research-based methods, teachers will experience new models and strategies for teaching and learning. Teachers will become facilitators and co-learners, and create technology-enabled learning environments in which students will meet or exceed the state academic content standards and develop 21st century skills.
A Vision for 21st Century Learning
Professional Development: Training that Changes Practice and Instruction
The 21st century classroom not only has modern tools, equipment and content; it also includes an innovative educator who has been trained to use the tools effectively. Ongoing professional development supports the life-long growth of a teacher and ultimately each student. Ongoing professional development should not only train teachers how to use technology, but also how to integrate technology into the curriculum. Educators can engage in professional development through access to online courses, professional learning communities, and education portals with resources.
Student Learning: Learning that is Engaging and Relevant
The vision for a transformed school is one in which students are engaged in authentic and relevant work using the appropriate tools that enable them to accomplish tasks. It's an environment where they are free to create, discuss and learn. Students are utilizing technology tools to access and analyze information, contact experts, collaborate in spite of physical boundaries, create presentations to inform real audiences and solve real-world problems in a variety of venues. The work is interesting and meaningful and it involves the learning of content in the context of themes like global awareness, economic, financial and civic literacy. Through their work, students are developing a deeper understanding of the content all while acquiring skills in communication, critical thinking and information and media literacies. These students are preparing to live and work in the 21st century.
The ARRA Title II-D Competitive Grant involves two (2) phases. In the first phase, a team of four (4) teachers, a technology integration coach and a building administrator will participate in intensive state-sponsored professional development. The team will learn about 21st century teaching techniques and tools which will prepare them to determine criteria for Phase Two. At the conclusion of Phase One, teachers will develop action plans and identify appropriate technology tools which their students will utilize to support their 21st century learning. Phase Two will involve additional professional development and the implementation of the new technology-enabled strategies with guidance from the technology integration coach and the building administrator. This phase will go through the 2010-2011 school year.
Project Goals
In President Obama's economic recovery proposal he highlights the urgent need to create 21st Century technology rich classrooms for America's students to boost the U.S. economy in the short term and prepare students for the global knowledge economy. This competitive grant will provide funding to assist eligible Ohio school buildings in helping students meet or exceed the state academic content standards and develop twenty-first century skills.
Project Focus
This project will focus efforts in the areas of mathematics, science, English/language arts, and/or social studies. Amended House Bill 2 Section 315.20 outlines the following state program goals supported by this grant:
- To facilitate innovative teaching and learning strategies that help accelerate achievement in core academic subject areas;
- To help students develop twenty-first century skills including critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, media literacy, leadership and productivity, adaptability and accountability;
- To demonstrate ways for schools to invest in learning environments that improve academic effectiveness and efficiencies, including ways for schools to use a portion of their base funding to invest in appropriate digital environments that enable proven practices;
- To demonstrate ways that mobile technology can extend learning time, improve academic engagement, and accelerate achievement for low-performing students;
- To demonstrate ways in which technology can enable innovative teaching formats, including project-based learning, interdisciplinary methods, relevance, and community service learning that lead to improved academic achievement; and
- To demonstrate how teachers and students can create and access multimedia content that is shared utilizing the "Ohio on iTunes U" web site and other online distribution mechanisms.