Funding+Your+Vision

Funding the Vision

Students of today are demanding an educational evolution, an evolution that allows for success in an interconnected virtual and global world where anything is possible. Schools can begin to meet these demands by being active consumers and participants of the emerging trends highlighted in the 2011 Horizon Report.

Society embraces new technologies, so why shouldn’t schools? Donors are eager to finance innovation and collaborative consumption. Below you will find a table outlining the 5 key drivers of technology adoption reported by NMC Horizon Report 2011, as well as a video announcement welcoming the emerging technology trends as a result of these drivers. With every year, these technologies are changing and evolving, but foreseen trends in the coming years are (1) significant use of **cloud computing**, (2) use of **mobiles** as specialized computers, (3) **game-based learning** to foster collaboration and engagement, (4) practice and use of **open content**, (5) **learning analytics** to study student performance, and (6) the expansion of **personal learning environments**.



of technology adoptions for 2011 through 2016
> easily accessible via the Internet is increasingly > challenging us to revisit our roles as educators. > decentralized, the technologies we use are > increasingly based not on school servers, but in the cloud. > way we work, collaborate, communicate, and succeed. > media type="youtube" key="DHUufQm_gdA" height="214" width="377" align="right" > whenever and wherever they want to. > increasing. Innovation is valued at the highest levels > of business.
 * 1) The abundance of resources and relationships made
 * 1) As IT support becomes more and more
 * 1) Technology continues to profoundly affect the
 * 1) People expect to be able to work, learn, and study
 * 1) The perceived value of innovation and creativity is

Funding Options for the 21st Century Classroom
Schools will always be faced with the challenge of funding the adoption of such emerging trends, but at the same time, it is these very trends that are providing cost savings and allowing schools to work more efficiently. As these trends are looking to the cloud, open content, and personal learning environments, schools will have the opportunity to provide their students the skills needed to think, communicate, and collaborate in a technological world at little cost.

According to the 2011 Center for Digital Educator's Converge Yearbook, the federal government has been actively involved in funding new technologies for the sake of education. "A recent surge in federal funding, including $100 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) — $27.8 billion of which was allotted in 2011 alone — helped make sweeping improvements to education and has provided additional funding for IT. The Obama administration also introduced $4.35 billion in Race to the Top grants and $650 million in Investing in Innovation grants for IT-focused spending in education. In addition, the administration’s National Educational Technology Plan was announced at the beginning of the 2011 school year. Its goal is to improve education by aligning technology to support five essential components of education: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure and Productivity. Programs and grants have also been created around these five themes (Converge 2011)."

Schools should take advantage of technologies available at little to no cost followed by looking to donors to fund new innovations. The first step is for school districts to establish a clear and well-defined district technology plan that will assist in the application process for technology grants. Beyond federal funding, it is a time where schools must be proactive and aware of the availability of existing financial resources that change year to year. A good place to start is with the review of Technology & Grant Resource News.

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