LACUE Conference

After what seems like a period of hibernation, we are back to blogging. Who know that something we love to talk about so much and explore to no end would be so hard to put into words on a regular basis? I know that Rachel and Ashleigh both agree with me when I express the following thought.

We find ourselves so embedded in to creating great technology lessons, writing grants, and helping solve techie issues in our own little building or life that we have found it somewhat challenging to put our thoughts and ideas into words and share within the blogging world.

But I digress...what has been going on in our little techie world?

Our latest adventure is our state's annual technology conference. The three of us look forward to this conference. We just get all giddy waiting for that email asking for help with monitoring the session rooms and get down right thrilled when we get the email to submit a proposal for LACUE. This conference is just right for three techie girls like us. We always walk away from the two day event with a sense of accomplishment. The three hour trip home is filled with constant chatter about what we learned, what we want to try, or what will finally break out of comfort zone and do. Our geek level rising pretty high during the conference and really explodes once we get together. But we couldn't and wouldn't want it any other way. 

 

Loved hanging out with the vendors showing their greatest tools for a tech savvy classroom. 

Breaking out of our "fruity" comfort zone. 

This year as been extra special for our team. Ashleigh was awarded with multiple awards this year. The first award was given for her students' video entry on bullying. Ashleigh was also awarded LACUE's Elementary Teacher of the Year for our region. And of course we were overjoyed when she was announced as LACUE's Elementary Teacher of the Year for the state. These awards were very well deserved. Ashleigh really works diligently with our parish's tech department and our school. Her expertise truly has no end because she is continually learning . We just couldn't be prouder that is a a third of our team.

Ashleigh and our Chief Technology Officer for our parish, Sheryl Abshire. 

Full Steam Ahead... it's a new school year

Here in our little heel of the boot that is known as Southwest Louisiana, preparation for a new school year has begun. There are forms to copy, bulletin boards to update, and new lesson plans to conquer. Let us not forget about technology that we have promised ourselves that we WILL use this year. 

I will definitely be using my Dropbox more this year. I realized this summer that I have WAY too many jump drives. I have one for all my ELA stuff. I have one for my personal things. I have for band booster items. Then I have these few jump drives that 

a little of this or a little of that. So many duplicate files that I have a hard time determine whether I can delete the file because it is on another drive. 

Then there's the issue of dragging my workstation laptop back and forth from school to home. The constant plugging and unplugging from my active board gets tiresome. 

So I am weening myself from the little bag of jump drives and relying on 'the cloud.' I started using my Dropbox more toward the end of last year and began to trust that my files will be on my desktop at school when I arrived the next day. And then the sharing of files with others was the icing on the cake. 

There are many cloud based "holding tanks" out there. Google Docs and Sugar Sync have the same abilities and are equally great. All in all I will be carrying less home night after night and my shoulder thanks me for it. 

THREE iPADS!!!!! Over the course of the last few months, my iPad collection has increased. I only need to get my hands a two or three more and I'll be one happy girl. Three iPads will surely make my plans a little easier. 

There were times when having the one could cause issues, especially in a station. Four kids, one device...someone will be left out. We had to come up with some strict procedures to get equal hands on time for all. But we did it and we appreciated what we did have. 

Besides wrapping my mind around our newly adopted curriculum, one of my biggest goals is to implement a B.Y.O.D. day into my lessons. I'll go back to what I said earlier. My eyes are open to some great things that techie kids can do with a device in their hands. Just about every kid has some type of tablet or iPod. Why not put them to good use. I'm slightly anxious about the logistics of it all. There's storage for the devices when not in use. There's the proper use policies to teach and maintain. Our district is really embracing and aiding the idea with a few of us who are willing to try it out. 

I know I can only do so much and not be overwhelmed. You can only eat that elephant one bite at a time. So I am committed to one day a week for now. And maybe even just one of the four classes as well. It should be interesting, but I am up for the challenge. 

Time for Change

I can honestly say that 2013 has been a whirlwind year for me. Things have been changing in my life  I've really become conscience about my health and have worked hard to redefine myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Personally, I've really had a great year of change! I work out everyday, lost a tremendous amount of weight, made friends, rekindled some old friendships, and found some inner peace.

So where does this leave me professionally? One of my former administrators used to always tell us that if we stayed in the same place for more than five years, we would become stagnant. I do find truth in those words. With all these changes that have taken place in my own personal life, it is now time for me to make some changes in my professional life as well.

When I was a student teacher I remember saying I NEVER wanted to teach at one specific middle school. It's was a middle school that was little rough around the edges. I was very intimidated at the thought of completing my student teaching there. After some unforeseen circumstances, I had to request a transfer to another school. The semester of observations were lost to me and I was stuck walking into a classroom that I've never observed and was still expected to teach kids I didn't know. Sometimes I think God really has a sense of humor because I was granted the transfer request and placed in the one middle school that I NEVER wanted to teach in. At that point in life maybe I should have learned never say never!

Since that time, I've taught in the same school for 8 out of my 9 years of teaching. I've taught all grade levels 6-8 ELA and Math. One year of teaching at my school, I realized  I wanted to be a math teacher. I taught one hour of math that year and fell in LOVE with it. I loved having one answer to the question. As a teacher it was wonderful for me to have one answer. Math was black and white and I embraced it! I decided at that point I NEVER wanted to teach ELA again. I gave away all of my ELA posters and embraced my life as a math teacher. I put the pedal to the metal and had no intentions of turning back.

What's that saying...Tell God your plans and watch Him laugh? YEP... in comes that sense of humor once again.

At the end of April I was discussing my subject and common core with our lead teacher. I knew there was going to be several openings for us at school as we were going to have a year of "big" turnover. In our school people had to die or retire for you to get a job. Sometimes that's still true, but this has been our first "big" turnover since I've been there. Several subjects were opening up as people retired, moved jobs, transferred to other school districts, etc.. While talking about school changes with our lead teacher,  I heard these word come from my very own being: "I think I want to teach ELA next year." My eyes bugged out as I realized the words that escaped my lips. I was a math teacher! I had NO desire to be an ELA teacher. I had no desire to ever do that again. I weighed the pros and cons of it before officially putting in my crazy request. And now I find myself preparing to teach 7th grade ELA for the upcoming school year.

So.... here I am again facing the unknown. I look at this as a challenge like I do when I go to the Crossfit box. We have WODs (workouts of the day) written on the board. We usually enter the box and look at the board sizing up the WOD to see if it's doable. It is ALWAYS hard, but somehow we manage the challenge. We leave the box feeling worn out, stronger, empowered, and feeling like we can take on the world (after we take a shower of course!). And I can say that I have been completely successful since my initial visit to "the box" I'm leaner and stronger than I ever imagined I would be.

So I look at this opportunity to teach 7th grade ELA as a WOD in my career. I've spent most of the summer sizing up the task that lay before me. I've had moments of panic and have spent many phone calls talking to some really close friends. All of these wonderful people have "talked me down" when the panic swelled up in my throat causing me to fear the unknown. I've worked diligently to even change my classroom from monsters to a color theme. I needed a clean break for my students because I'm moving up with them. I'll be teaching some of my former students, but this time it'll be a different subject and a different grade. I've seen many of my former students throughout the summer. They have begged to be in my class next year. Each time I swell with pride. My students may not like the subject I teach, but for some reason they love my class!

So here I am at the end of July. Wrapping up the summer and preparing for the upcoming school year. Actually I've been working on bits and pieces of school all summer. Tomorrow I meet with the rest of the 7th grade ELA teachers as we plan the upcoming nine weeks of school. Our curriculum changed drastically. I often think I picked a great year to embrace the change. I have a peace now about what I'm doing. It'll be one day at a time, one lesson at a time. I've have some really great teachers to work with and I'm looking forward to bringing my technology knowledge to the table. One of the big selling points for change was to the ability to integrate my classroom set of iPads more frequently, if not on a daily basis. I am anxious to encounter the options that will become available for my class. I recently stepped into my new classroom that and it felt like home. I'm really looking forward to the exciting opportunities of growth this year will present.

Change is good...

Tech Camp 2013... WOW

Picture this! Thirty kids in a classroom. Each kid has a iPad Mini in hand and anxiously awaiting what the day will bring!

Our school district provides an annual tech camp each year. With tuition or scholarship, students in our district are given an an iPad Mini, a t shirt, and themed activities to conquer within the week. This year our students also received a purchased copy of iMovie. Rachel and I were privileged to join the amazing tech staff for this year's camp. 

Now, one would ask, what could we possibly do with an iPad Mini besides show the kids apps to use and play. Well, my friend, you would be amazed at the projects these children where able to accomplish on a hand held device. I was truly baffled myself at the brilliant and creative minds within my lab. 

With a Monster U theme, I worked with fourth and fifth graders. Campers were provided with FREE apps to download each day for the projects we planned. In all honesty these projects were NOT easy, but the campers sure made it look like it was simple. 

Each day our campers were required to download, play with, and journal an app of their choice. To journal their app of choice, the kids used two great apps:

Story by Disney 

Although this app is an iPhone app, it works great on iPad as well. Story by Disney is like an interactive picture book which allows you to load pictures and video from your camera roll. It also allows you to add title pages and unfolds as you narrate your way through the created "story". 

Our kiddos used the app to archive their daily app of choice. They were required to add a title page, a couple of screen shots, and a video explaining the app. At the end of the week, each camper had two stories to show their parents. Initially, we thought they would have one story; however, we learned that the app only allows the user to embed to videos. As teachers do, we quickly had to explain to the kiddos that we were making two stories. Of course, they had no problem with the change.  

If you are looking to download the app, remember to look in the iPhone tab. 

Tellagami

In order to video their description of their app of choice, our campers used this easy app. Tellagami allows you to customize your avatar, record your own voice right on your device, and embed it to your blog or web page. 

Our campers loved creating a Gami each day and routinely produce the requirement each day with instruction. 

I use Tellagami as my introduction to my Blackboard page. It's a great app to have in your classroom as another means for students to communicate their information they have learned. 

With Monster U in mind, our campers created sororities, fraternities, and something that we called "sofrenities" because we had a combination of boys and girls in the group. As a project, they were asked to created a "poster of their group. We gave them a website to develop a motto in Latin. We also gave them a website that helped them create a crest. We ensured pictures were taken of each member and a picture of their group was taken. To put it all together, we used an amazing app called Master FX by Dropico.

Master FX

Think Photoshop! This app is amazing! During the week of camp, the app was free. If you want to get your hands on this app, it will cost you $5.99 for the basic package. With Master FX, students can put themselves in a scene or create a setting with text.

Once we gave the instruction, I was blown away by the utter creativity coming out of these little minds. We had one little boy place himself in the desert. To place himself in the desert, he needed a picture. So he walked up to me and ask for me to perform the task. As I prepared to take his picture, he bent down as if he were tired and thirsty. I had to laugh out of sheer enjoyment of his thought process. We had some kiddos swimming in the ocean, flying in the air, hiding in the forest. It was truly a sight to see. We, as teachers, could only look up and smile at each other.

Many thanks to Ozzy for posing for this picture. His the only one in the family willing to pose for me. 

As we finished up the week, we had our little brains using iMovie to create both a trailer and a little movie. And they truly did not disappoint. Their trailer task was based on a game app they love. It required lots of screen shots while they played which is really difficult. Especially with action packed game apps, but they did it. 

iMovie

iMovie is priced at $4.99. There are NOT many apps I will purchase, but after seeing this app in the hands of the kids and the ease in which they manipulated it, I was sold.

After watching the magic, I came home and created a trailer with the pictures I took during the week. It gives you so much ability to be creative. I can not wait to add this to the line up of  possible tools to use as a means create reading projects.


All in all, I had the best week! With the start of school mere weeks away, I really shifted the gears into teacher mode. I loved watching our little campers show off during parent visitation Friday afternoon. It reminded me that we have to meet our kids at their level. We are teaching Digital Natives. I know I don't want my natives to be restless!

Wanna check out the magic! Visit the Tech Camp web site.

Stronger

The end of my school year was filled with lots of emotion! My little angel started Kindergarten this year, and boy oh boy, her first year of school was the best year of her life!

I tried so hard to soak up every moment...every new word read...every blend, every digraph, every diphthong. When I taught first grade, I loved seeing my students learn to read and become fluent readers...this year, I was able to experience this from the parent's perspective! I enjoyed every milestone and every accomplishment of my angel becoming a reader!

I loved seeing Ave and her little friends develop friendships that will last a lifetime. I soaked up the smiles, giggles, and amazing personalities of these girls! At times my heart hurt when Ave and her friends had to deal with "trouble on the playground" with some girls who said hurtful things...all the while knowing that these tough situations will make them stronger.

Sometimes, stopping to truly cherish each moment is hard and life can get in the way! This is where my emotions took over, I saw an entire year of Ave's life flash by! That last week of school, I cried more than I think I ever have before. If one school year can fly by that fast, I want to slow down even more! I want to bookmark and snapshot each and every moment of these memories and file them away so that I can hold on to this precious time! I want to surround Ave with amazing people and teachers who will be involved in every aspect of the development of my wonderful, caring, and talented little lady! I want to encourage her, support her, and push her farther than she may think she can go...I want to be her biggest cheerleader while teaching her that life simply isn't fair. I want to show her that hard work and dedication can help her chase her dreams and that losing or falling makes you STRONGER! I want her to know that getting up after you fall is what shows character! I want her to be proud of who she is and stand up for what she knows is right...and not let anyone tear her down. I want her to dance her heart out and sing at the top of her lungs...not worrying about what anyone says or thinks. I want her to know she is loved.

Some may say I'm too involved or I care too much. I say, how can you be TOO involved? Isn't that what being a parent is all about?

To you "helicopter" parents, keep on hovering...these are your babies! You only have them for a little while! You are your child's first and BEST teacher! Show them how to love, care, and treat others with kindness, stay involved and ask questions...lots of questions! This is my goal...so that when Avery graduates, I will know that I stopped to smell the proverbial rose. I will know that I was able to truly see her grow...that I didn't blink...that I LIVED every minute with my precious gift from above!

The time has come to close a chapter in Ave's life...GOODBYE Kindergarten...HELLO 1st grade!
I can't wait to see what amazing memories we make this year!

June Currently

It's been awhile since we've joined in a Currently Linky party with a great blogging mentor. We have missed sharing and exploring what a blog friends are CURRENTLY doing. Check out Farley's blog: Oh'Boy 4th Grade when you get a moment. 

Here's what is happening in my heel of the boot:

* There are times in my life when I do not realize how much noise whether it be productive or counter productive surrounds me. As the family is off in bed, I am enjoying the silence... oh and the occasional snore of my cat who has decided to join the post. 
*Summer Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break are the only time I can truly become lost in literature. My poor Nook is on constant charge these days. I always set a goal and I am far behind where I want to be. 
*As I began this process, our 13 year old cat decided he would snuggle NOW. Never mind that I am attempting to use the keyboard. No ma'am... Ozzy says the he wants it to be his turn. He does this all the time. "Oh you're grading those tests? Wait let me rest on them. " You don't need this iPad right now. SO I shall sit on it" All in all, I laugh every time and enjoy his company. 
* Can I get an AMEN on wanting a slow July?
*I had some major & much needed surgery almost three weeks ago. I was given strict instructions about resting my body. However, I am made of a stubborn cloth and think I can manage. Then I pay for it later. Doers are not good at this resting business. 
*Yesterday was such a joy. My little sister, her three sons, and our baby sister's two year old daughter came for a swim yesterday. Along with my sister, I sat (RESTING) in one of my lounge chairs watching our children playing and laughing as they did when they were younger. Now that my oldest will be going off to college in the fall, I am trying to take in the moments that are the last of all four of us under one roof each night. The day was beyond words as my sister and I took in the afternoon as we did years ago... it was as it should be! 

Thanks Ellen DeGeneres

So I have been spending quite a bit of time on the couch. More than I wish to be, but it has been necessary and required. I had me a little surgery last Wednesday which limits me for the next few weeks. A great deal of the time has been spent sleeping. When I am not sleeping, I have so many things to do.... NOT! Let's see.. I read, I check email, I respond to my wonderful friends via text, I read some more, and I indulge in the entertainment that is day time television.

I am so very embarrassed to admit that I am a horrible creature of habit. For five days a week of nine months of my life, I am dictated by a schedule. Of course that dictation has bled into my summer of recovery. I discovered I have developed a television watching schedule. Shamefully, I must start my day with People's Court. It then leads to one of my most favorite people in the entire world.... ELLEN DEGENERES! I love her humor, her love of life , and her generosity. She's a Louisiana girl!!!! What's not to love?

OK... so I digress! I was watching Ellen during one of my wakeful moments. At that time, she was playing a game called Heads Up. She has played the game thousands of times, but this time I saw her playing the game on a tablet!!!! I was so very excited. They made an APP.... oh my goodness.... an APP!

The techie teacher that I am immediately began thinking of ways to use the app in my classroom. How cool could it be to have my students develop ways to express themselves verbally and using description to play. I grabbed my iPad to look for the app. I have to admit it was a little difficult to find the app at first. The key to finding the app is placing an exclamation mark at the end Heads Up or go to Ellen's website.

With the app, there are 18 themes, "decks", to choose from. It even records the person who is giving the clues. It's a $0.99 app, but I think it can be well worth it. I haven't gotten my family involved in testing it yet.... YET!!!! But I can not wait to try it.

Just goes to show you, you can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can NEVER take the classroom out of the teacher. That's just what we do... finding the fun for the fundamentals of learning. It just doesn't stop.

APPy Summer my teacher friends

Techie Teacher Takes a Trip

After much planning and anticipation, my family and I hit the road to spend a week in the city we once called home, Raleigh, North Carolina. It has been a busy 11 years since we left Raleigh to move back to our hometown of Moss Bluff, Louisiana.

With the spark and enthusiasm of Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation, we decided to hit the road in our SUV for a 16 hours trip. Our family would be spending the better part of a day and a half in close quarters. Excitement at its best for our two grown boys, right? Sure!

We hit the road with a great amount of technology to keep everyone fully entertained for the long haul. As I took inventory of the technology that would make the trip, I was taken back to a time when these boys were entertained by coloring books, travel games, small toys, and books made of paper. Eleven years later, the car was filled with an iPad. two Nexus tablets, Nooks, and cell phones with hundreds of charging devices and car adapters. Tons to do.

I, myself, took time to download my favorite magazines from the public library's website, checked to ensure my latest summer must reads were downloaded on to my Nook, and typed in addresses for our points of interests into Google Maps. What would this techie teacher be without her techie tools in hand?

During our trip, I slowly began to realize how much technology played an intricate part of each day. The Garmin GPS alone was the best resource. Pop in the address and away we would go. With its polite British lady cluing my husband to his next exit safely, the Garmin navigated us to and from the Asheboro Zoo, Southpoint Mall, and Wrightsville Beach. It was a tremendous help as we searched for lunch and dinner solutions during our journey. With a few taps of the screen, we were never lost!

The kids finished four books which were tucked away in their little Nooks. Even after receiving my first generation Nook years ago, it is still amazes me how quickly I can be reading a book and how much room I have saved myself since switching to an e reader. Everyone in the family has officially converted to Nooks. We have even converted my oldest son's girlfriend with a Nook as a graduation present.

There were so many times during our trip when I was thrilled to see a Nook propped up on a knee or the door. Reading was happening in my car. Now that I think back to last week's trip, I really didn't see games being played or apps being used. I saw reading...lots of reading!  Not because someone had an assignment. Not because it was required. Reading for the sake of reading. And the educator in me was overjoyed.

We also found ourselves "googling" everything. What time does that store open? Where is the nearest drug store? How much are the zoo tickets? I found it funny that the words I use quite often with my students when they are stuck on a question were the same words I was using on my vacation. "Let's look it up" turned out to be a great help during our little vacation.

I think I could surely go on and on about the little things technology did for us during this trip. This is the world that our Digital Natives are growing up in as they become adults. And I begin to question whether these are the things we are teaching our little natives when we have them for 9 months of the year. Technology helped me problem solve during my family trip. Am I teaching my students to problem solve using the technology that is so useful?

Always thinking,

And so ends the year

Here I sit in a quiet classroom. Just the sounds of my coworkers prepping their rooms for the summer. The room once filled with children preparing for a test or discussing the character traits of the latest subject of study. These cinder block walls once covered in anchor charts, motivational words and student work stand bare. Another school year has come and gone.

As I sit in this quiet room, my thoughts remain with the heroic educators in Oklahoma. Hearing their stories and seeing the devastation that was once their cinder block walls and the remains of what was once a room filled with students preparing for a test and in deep discussion makes me mourn for their loss, but it makes me proud to call them colleagues in this world of education. These teachers are the truest of heroes because of their efforts and their ability to keep it all together as the world comes crashing down around them.

In the end, among all these crazy changes in education, let us remember we are all people who chose this profession because of children. We chose to teach, nurture, and protect children. This job is more than a number on a page or score on a test. Teachers in Connecticut are a testament to that. The teachers in Oklahoma are as well. Whether it be a bullet or an F5 tornado, teachers will stand, huddle, and even hide his or her students because those children are OUR children too.

So as I close up this room to await a new school year, I will place my hand on a cinder block and thank God for the brave teachers of Oklahoma.

Many blessings on a summer of recovery and strength

Ipad Bookmarking

Two weeks ago I attended a leadership conference. While I was there, one of my co-workers and I were looking up several things on our ipads. She turned to me and asked how to save the pages we were viewing for later. We have to present this information in the fall of next year and will need to reference them again. I decided that I would share the ways that I bookmark on the ipad. 

Step 1: You can click on the open book to simply bookmark.However if you click on the forward arrow, it will give you several options for what you can do with this website.  

Step 2: To save the website to your ipad, you can select add to homescreen. This creates a shortcut on your ipad that appears like an app instead of in a list of bookmarks. I like this for convenience. 

Step 3: Rename the page to something you desire. Remember to keep this short and sweet. 

Step 4: You can also add it to your bookmarks on Safari. 

There really isn't much to it. I like to create shortcuts to the pages I want and put them in folders on my ipad according to my needs. You just have to decide which is more beneficial for you. :)

It Is A Pinterest World and I Am A Pinterest Girl

Lately I have been spending my evenings lost in the world that Pinterest has created for me. It has become my ultimate procrastination buddy. I get completely lost in the recipes, amazing outfits that I wish someone would place in my closet, and the greatest education tools and lessons. My boards are filled with the neatest things. And I find myself saying, "I found it on Pinterest!" way tooooo much!

I always settle in to my Pinterest world by exploring the popular pins first. If other people are pinning this stuff to their boards, I really should consider pinning it to my boards. RIGHT? Then I adventure into education and really sink into oblivion.

 I can say that I truly use the things that I pin. We have tried numerous recipes. Some meals were a huge success, but others I have attempted belong in the EPIC FAIL hall of fame. We've made spinach lasagna rolls and a crock pot cheesy chicken tater tot casserole. My boys absolutely loved them and now ask for those meals quite often. And then there was the dried strawberries! Let's just say that they looked nothing like the pictures. The strawberry pieces shriveled into something that resemble dried octopus tentacles. It made for a good laugh, but not an appealing snack.

The wardrobe in my Pinterest world makes me look fabulous. Oh how I would love to open my closet one day to find the perfect outfit complete with jewelry and shoes. I do have to say that the outfits that I have pinned has inspired how I shop and what items I coordinate. I have even learned which necklace to choose when wearing a certain neckline. Oh yes, I do believe I am becoming a fashionista.

I'm also a quote hoarder. Pinterest is perfect for collecting all those beautiful motivating or thought provoking quotes. Quotes from my favorite books, life lived quotes, educational quotes... you name it! I hoard it!

But my favorite board has to be my "Teachery Things" board. We live in a beautiful age for education. Finding resources and helpful tools has never been easier. Through Pinterest, I have been able to connect to some pretty spectacular blogs and teachers who inspire me with their ideas. Just before school started this year, I found myself rummaging around my education board to ensure I utilize the anchor charts, classroom management ideas, and lessons.

A picture is worth a thousand words... and I find this Pinterest utopia I created to be completely worth the time spent wandering among the pins. I wonder what "Pinteresting" things I find today and use tomorrow. What do you find "Pinteresting"?

Donors Choose

We are no strangers to grant writing. If there is something we want for our classrooms we have to go out there and work for it. We dig deep trying to find grants that our class projects can meet the criteria. I don't know about you, but when I first starting out writing grants I was very intimidated. It was overwhelming to even know where to start.

One of the first places I decided to try out was Donors Choose. I wanted something easy and a place to ask for things I needed in my classroom. Basically it's on online charity donation type of grant. Teachers sign up and fill out the grant information requesting things that would enhance their classroom. Donors give funding and when the project is 100% funded, the teacher is notified. After that, the teacher receives the items and a list of required documentation for the project. When I received a grant from Donors Choose, I had to provide 2-3 thank you cards, fill up the disposable camera they sent, and provide some student work samples. After completing the requirements, I simply mail back the documentation in a timely manner.

I love statistics of grants. What are the odds of me getting the grant? How often does this stuff get funded? What kind of items were funded? Those are just some of the questions I asked in the beginning.

National Statistics from the Donors Choose Site

It was very easy to see what was funded and what seemed to be popular. They've changed the interface of the website since I've applied, but I find it more user friendly now. I love that they allow you to see the statistics by state. The stats picture are from my state of Louisiana.  

Signing up for this grant site is very easy. You start with signing up for an account. I actually used my school email address for this one since it was school related. 

The site is great about giving step by step instructions and explaining everything that you need to know in order to participate. I've been fortunate to win a year subscription of math magazines and a color laser printer for my classroom. This is a great place to start for your grant writing opportunities.