BURLINGTON RESOURCES
FOUNDATION
EDUCATIONAL GRANT APPLICATION
Organization/School Name: KirtlandMiddle School
Address:Street:538 CR 6100
City:Kirtland
State:NM
Zip Code: 87417
Contact Person’s Name and Telephone:Judy James/Mary Whipple/Steve Torres-598-6114
Contact Person’s Title:Technology Lab Teacher / Geography
Project Title and Brief Description
Global Positioning System (GPS) Fundamentals and Applications.
Students will learn the fundamentals and history of the Global Positioning System. They will learn to operate receivers and apply that knowledge in both the classroom situation and “real life”.
Geographic Area to Be Served: Kirtland,New Mexico
Client Group to Be Served and Size of Group: All of the community
Anticipated Project Period:
School year 2004-2005 and years after. This grant will help students for years to come because we are going to put it into the Geography curriculum.Total Educational Project Costs: $4,800.00
Amount Requested from the Burlington Resources Foundation: $4,800.00
Amount and sources of pledges/commitments to date: none
Other funding sources (and amounts) applied to for this project:NONE
Signature:Date:
Please answer all questions completely on the following pages.
Purpose (What will this project specifically accomplish?)
The GPS project will reinforce the mapping skills required for the study of Geography and Science and provide countless opportunities for cross-curricular learning while giving students valuable experience with technology. This project will have a special focus on mapping, grid systems, and school-to-work connections. It will be administered by the 7th grade Geography teachers with help from the other content areas. An added benefit of the GPS project will be community clean-up projects that will coincide with the learning adventures.
Need (What are the problems that this project will try to solve?)
Most 7th grade students have difficulty translating latitude and longitude coordinates into spatial terms. Our student population is primarily tactile/kinesthetic learners who learn best with hands-on experiences. The GPS will allow teachers to turn abstract mapping concepts into hands-on learning adventures.
Relevance (Why should the Burlington Resources Foundation support this project?)
The GPS project will give students hands-on experience with technology that is widely used in today’s workforce. Students will meet and work with community members who use GPS in their jobs, specifically the oil and gas industry, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and the Bureau of Land Management. Additional guests will include hobbyists and archaeologists. The GPS project is a school-to-work connection that will reach approximately 250 students and parents each year.
Approach (How do you plan to implement this project?)
Initially, the 7th grade class will be exposed to an interdisciplinary learning investigation that will tie classroom learning to community involvement and training with the GPS technology. Due to the wide variety of activities, all students, regardless of their abilities, will be involved. As an introduction to the project, student will begin by identifying what they already know and what they want to learn about GPS technology.
James & Whipple will attend a National Geographic Alliance conference at the University of New Mexico, June 2-4 to learn more about using GPS technology in the school environment. Lesson plans will be developed prior to the 2004-2005 school years. Students will participate in the project on a class-by-class basis, but it is intended for the learning to be across the curriculum.
A sample of lessons are listed below:
Subject / Project Activity
Science / Data collection
Macro-invertebrate sampling
Cause and effect analysis
Math / GPS data gathering
Statistical analysis of gathered data
Scale drawings of study area
Technology / Word processed, documents, slideshow presentations, database managers
Internet based research
Language Arts / Conduct investigation and research and develop and deliver presentation
Develop project status reports, news briefs, and community outreach filers
Support (What kind of local support is there for the project?)
Local support for the GPS project will come from community members familiar with the technology and who are willing to donate their time at KirtlandMiddle School. Community support includes individuals from the oil and gas industry, the Department of Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, the FarmingtonMuseum and others who use the GPS as a hobby.
Coordination (Who else in your community is working on this problem? How will you coordinate with them?)
The GPS project is new to our school community. It will be introduced to the community through student-parent workshops. Since this is new technology for students, but not new in the work force, we will work closely with those familiar with the GPS for suggestions for field trips, useful projects, and learning extensions.
Evaluation (How will you determine that the project is working and that it accomplished its purpose?)
Student learning will be assessed by the classroom teachers who are using the GPS’s for instructional purposes. Teaches will monitor progress through various assessments such as KWL charts, written papers, speeches, and computer generated presentations centered around the technology and their field experiences.
An on-line survey will be developed to assess student, parent, and community satisfaction.
Our Funds (Specifically, how will our grant be used?)
30 GPS’s @ $160.00 = $4,800.00
Future Support (How will this project be financed in the future?)
Once the technology has been purchased, additional funding will not be required.
Competence (What evidence can you give of the ability of your organization and personnel to implement this project successfully?)
I have organized a Science Saturday and many workshops for my peers. I started a tutoring program at KMS; the program has been running for 10 years. I work with the SJC gear-up program. I have received 2 Burlington grant and have had very successful Saturday workshops for students/parents.
Mrs. Whipple teaches in a technology-based Geography classroom.
Outside Consultant (Is the campaign for this request under either the direct or indirect supervision or influence of a non-staff contracted fund-raising organization?
Yes XX No
If yes, please provide the organization’s name, contact person’s name, mailing address and telephone number:
Describe the amount and conditions for payment to the fund-raising organization names above for all services rendered.
Anything Else (What else would you like us to know about this project or alternative projects?)