Best Buy Teach Grant - Another Great Opportunity!

Creatively integrate interactive technology into your curriculum and win! Some of us are doing this already. Others have a great idea, but haven't put it down on paper. Here's your chance to get that piece of equipment or those high tech resources you've always wanted for your class. Teachers, if we want our students to have access to up-to-the-date technology, we have to be proactive and aggressively pursue funding opportunities like this. Here's a line from Best Buy's Teach Grant promo page:

Best Buy Teach Awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 will be granted to programs that engage students at any grade level by creatively integrating interactive technology into the curriculum. All awards are in the form of Best Buy Gift Cards.

I've won this grant before, and you can too. I purchased an Apple Powerbook for use in my classroom video editing program. It also doubles as the digital hub for my classroom presentations.

Each year, big companies allocate X number of dollars towards philanthropic endeavors. In return for their contributions, they receive huge tax breaks and a high degree of positive press. Teachers who are willing to expend some effort, creativity, and persistence are eventually rewarded. My attitude has always been, some one is going to win this grant money, so why not me! So go for it!

The guidelines for this grant are somewhat more involved than other grants I've recommended, such as the 100 word essay for Samsung's Hope For Education Grant, but don't let the extra work intimidate you -- there is plenty of time to work on this. The Best Buy Teach Grant is due October 12, 2008 and winners will be announced online on March 2, 2009. Get creative! Get excited! Think outside your four walls and dream big. What does your classroom need to enhance student learning? What would you buy with $2,500 if Best Buy handed you a gift card and said, "Spend this on your classroom?" I can think of a lot. How about flash drives for students to use all year? What about a class set of Palm PDAs that students can use as eReaders: you can beam PDFs to every student to supplement your lessons. What about a few camcorders or digital cameras to encourage student journalism...? Your kids will love this! What's your idea?

This year $2 million will be awarded to accredited K-12 public, private, parochial, magnet and charter schools in the United States and Puerto Rico through the Best Buy Teach Award program. Additionally, $10,000 Best Buy Teach Awards will be granted to up to fifteen (15) schools serving 9th grade students that display the greatest creativity in their programs/projects and the clearest vision of how to increase the school's use of interactive technology. Best Buy Teach Awards of $10,000 are NOT in addition to the $1,000 - $5,000 awards. The emphasis on 9th grade classrooms aligns with Best Buy's new @15™ philanthropic focus.

Learn more at https://bestbuyteach.scholarshipamerica.org/

Teachers, Jump on this Grant Opportunity!

How many times have you thought to yourself, "If money was no object, I'd buy my students..." Grants are one way we as teachers can attain the resources we know will benefit our students in an outside-the-box manner. This grant is very easy to enter: it's an on-line essay with a 100 word limit. Anyone can enter! Read contest rules carefully - if a student under 18 enters, the parent must have an email address. Entries are open now. Contest will run until August 31, 2008. Read this selection from the grant's website:

Each year the program challenges students, teachers, parents or anyone who knows of a school in need to write an essay regarding the importance of technology in education, and how it can benefit a school in their community. Essays are evaluated by an independent judging committee, and winners earn various awards of Samsung products for their designated school. In the four years since its inception, the program has awarded more than 250 U.S. schools with over $7,000,000 in Samsung electronics and Microsoft software. In 2008, the top winner receives a grand prize of over $200,000 worth of Samsung technology, Microsoft software and cash grants from DIRECTV, as well as the SCHOOL CHOICE® educational television programming package.

Click Here to read more about this grant and to enter. Forward this post to your students and parents. Consider offering the essay topic as a writing prompt or as a "homework challenge." Good luck!