INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROPOSAL

Name of Applicant: Trent Stapleton

District/School: Fulton County Schools / Elkins Pointe Middle School

Date: 7/13/2018

Total Cost of Project:

Title of Project: Rethinking the Media Center as a STEM Lab

To what organization will you submit this grant application in the future?: Donorschoose.com and
the Elkins Pointe PTSA.

I. Why is this project important (In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the need for the project and its
relevance to the shared vision for instructional technology)?

Elkins Pointe Middle School located in north Fulton County, is a Title I school with a diverse school
population. More than half of the 1100+ students attending Elkins Pointe qualify for the federal free and
reduced lunch program. Nearly 475 students come from homes were English is not the first or primary
language, and almost 250 of those students are considered English Language Learners.

Every student at Elkins Pointe is provided a Dell Laptop to support the district’s personalized learning
initiative. With access to online reference material and a district sponsored e-library, the numbers of
students and classes visiting the Media Center has dropped significantly in the last two years. Other than
the monthly faculty meeting, the Media Center is nothing but empty space. It is valuable space that
needs to be repurposed to better serve our 21st century students! Better seating options, individual and
whole class work spaces, device charging options, and design and STEAM stations will bring the
students back into the Media Center. And the new Media Center will open design thinking activities and
a variety of STEAM activities to the diverse student body of Elkins Pointe.

II. What would you like to accomplish (In 2-3 paragraphs, describe the project and list
instructional objectives/project outcomes.)?

By transforming the Media Center to a comprehensive learning and STEAM lab, the school plans to
provide enriching, energizing and transformative learning experiences for all students. Elkins Pointe’s
mission is to prepare all students for the 21st century global workplace.

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This project will begin by overhauling the current Media Center layout. All books will be reorganized
and located on the outer most walls of the Media Center. Furniture will be purchased to accommodate 3
separate learning/study areas. One area will be large enough to accommodate a single class (30 students)
with a mobile smartboard and projector for instruction. The other two areas will include seating for
individual and small groups of students. These areas will include design and planning materials
(markers, pencils, paper, etc.) and access to charging ports for student devices. The learning/study areas
will include a variety of seating, such as, seated and standing desks, comfortable chair/sofas, high tables
with stools, and pedal desks.

The redesign will also look to utilize existing STEAM areas more efficiently. Currently, the Media
Center houses a 3D printer, 6 Mac desktops with AutoCAD design capabilities, and a video production
room. The Media Center redesign will include guided activities for these spaces to increase student use.
A new virtual reality station will include activities for using VR goggles and iPod touch devices
provided by the Media Center.

III. In what ways is this project an example of exemplary technology integration (In 2-3
paragraphs discuss your project regarding one or more of the following: LoTi, SAMR,
TPACK, TIM, etc.)?
This redesign looks to find more effective ways of utilizing the Media Center in a 21st century school.
The Technology Integration Matrix directs educators towards more effective use of technology in the
school building. Currently, all students have access to these resources in the Media Center, yet few, if
any, spend any time in the Media Center. By redesigning the layout, introducing new and exciting work
stations, and provided access to design thinking and transformative activities, the Media Center will be
achieving transformative integration in several areas.

The new work spaces will encourage student collaboration. The video production station will encourage
students to produce high quality, authentic videos and movies. The classroom space will allow teachers
to open their classroom through Skype and various video communication services. The guided activities
will allow students to explore and grow at their own pace and in areas that interest them the most. Using
the 3D design software and the 3D printer, students will see their ideas and their design become a reality.
The workspaces will help students work collaboratively and effectively.

IV. How will you complete the work? (Describe how the project will be completed.)

A. Describe how the instructional objectives/project outcomes will be met (2-3 paragraphs).
To begin, all of the books in the Media Center will need to be collected, inventoried, and either stored or
surplus. The Media Specialist will use data describing rates of checkout to determine which books need
to remain in the Media Center and which books will be sent to surplus by the district. After placing a
request, the district sent crews to remove all of the bookshelves from the center of the Media Center.
New outlets were placed on the floors and walls in the areas of the new spaces (8 floor and 12 wall
outlets in total).

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The second phase of the project will be to reorganize the existing and new furniture. New furniture will
be ordered by the Media Specialist. This will include 6 charging tables for the classroom workspace, 8
high top tables, 30 stools, 4 sofas, and 8 armchairs. The study areas will be placed in 3 of the 4 corners
of the Media Center, the 4th corner containing the circulation desk.

The third and final phase of the project will be to create and provide several design thinking challenges
and guided activities for the 3D print station, the video production station, the 3D design station, the VR
station, and a rotating station. The rotating station will offer a variety of STEAM activities throughout
the school year and will rotate periodically. The Media Specialist, the engineering teacher, and the
computer science teacher, and the KSU iTeach Instructional Coach will work to develop the guided
activities and lessons.

B. Describe the time involved (project length including amount of time each day/week).

This project is expected to take 6 months to complete. Beginning August, 2018, the teachers involved
will begin to develop guided activities and lessons for the various STEAM stations. It is anticipated that
this team will meet weekly for 45 minutes each week during the 6 month project. This time will be used
to develop and plan station activities, gather teacher and student data for ideal use of space, and organize
and inventory current technology available.

The removal of shelves and installation of new power outlets will occur during the winter break in
September. Following the winter break, it is anticipated that volunteers from the PTSA will offer
services to help build and install new furniture for study spaces. The old furniture will be organized
around the space to continue to provide for group work and as needed for required district testing.

C. Describe the people involved (grade level/subject & # of students, teachers and/or staff,
other stakeholders).

This project will impact all 1100 students at Elkins Pointe. All of the 157 teachers will have
opportunities to bring their students into the lab for special instruction or experiences. There will be
connections to all grade levels and curriculums available through the STEAM activities. The project will
require assistance from the PTSA members and will strengthen the already strong relationship between
the school and its local community members.

D. Describe the materials needed for the project.

The materials needed for this project will rotate throughout the school year as the STEAM stations
rotate. However, the initial overhaul of the Media Center space will require 1 mobile SMART board w/ a
projector, 6 power charging tables, 8 high top tables, 30 stools, 8 new floor outlets, 12 new wall outlets,
8 iPod touch devices, 4 sofas, 8 armchairs, and teacher developed guided lessons for the various
STEAM activities.

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 IV. What is the timeline for assessing accomplishments and objectives/project outcomes (In 1-2
paragraphs, describe program evaluation procedure.)?

The impact of this project will be measured by student and classroom attendance in the Media Center.
The project is anticipated to be completed by January, 2019. To determine the effectiveness of the
project, the Media Specialist will compare student and classroom attendance from the 2017-18 school
with the attendance from January 2019-December 2019. An increase of 30% or greater in attendance by
individual students will be considered successful. The new space will benefit every classroom, and at
least 85% teacher enrollment for their class will be considered successful.

V. How will the students be impacted by the project (In 2-3 paragraphs, include details regarding
how the impact on students will be assessed and reported to students, parents, teachers, and
others.)?
This project is intended to provide a better use of space for each student at Elkins Pointe Middle School.
The current Media Center is an unused space where students rarely enter, and even more rarely use any
of the resources found inside. This project will provide spaces that students want to be. They will have
access to charging stations and workspaces that can be more comfortable than the classroom. Students
will want to spend time in the Media Center, which in turn will introduce them to a wide variety of 21st
century tools, provide them with collaborative and critical thinking opportunities, and will provide them
with authentic learning experiences.

The Media Specialist will keep record of student attendance. Just as the current Media Center records
student attendance and which items the students checkout, the new Media Center will track student
attendance and when students use the various STEAM stations. Students will sign up for usage time of
the various STEAM stations. Teachers will sign up for time slots to bring whole classes into the
classroom learning center. During curriculum nights (2 per semester), student creations, designs, and
experiences will be shared throughout the Media Center for parents and other teachers and student to
explore.

VI. What is the proposed budget? Include information on the following:

A. Materials/supplies
Item Qty Price
Charging Tables 8 $1200
High top tables (Makerspace desks) 8 $2400
Stools 30 $660
Sofas 4 $800
Arm chairs 8 $800

Total $5,860

B. Equipment
Item Qty Price
Smart Board w/ stand 1 $1200 (provided by district)
Projector 1 $1200 (provided by district)

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 C. Total Cost of Proposed Project
The proposed project will cost $8,300 to complete. The district will provide the Smart Board and the
projector, so that lowers the out of pocket cost to $5, 900 dollars. The district will also not charge for the
removal of old shelves and the installation of new power outlets.

D. Additional Funding Sources

Title I funding will be used to supply the various STEAM stations (iPod Touch devices, 3D printing
filament, Makerspace materials, etc.).

V. List your supporting references.

www.amazon.com

www.touchboards.com

www.schooloutfitters.com

fcs.tim-tools.com

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