With these funds, my colleague and I will attend ISTE 2018 Conference and Expo in Chicago, IL on June 23 – 27. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) is the premier ed tech event for educators who desire to integrate technology into the curriculum. Undoubtedly this is a fascinating time in education for those educators who choose to embrace the power of technology to engage 21^St Century learners. My school has a growing STEM program. Currently, we provide multiple opportunities for our students to interact with technology. Examples include coding using Scratch, Kodable, Sphero, Dash, and Ozobot, 3Dprinting, participating in engineering clubs, and using vinyl-cutting machines such as Cricut and Silhouette. Also, students use green screen technology to perform skits, give book talks, and to produce school news segments. Additionally, technology such as Flipgrid and Kid Blog is used to allow students choice in sharing their voice. These experiences enable students to create, problem solve, think critically, express themselves, and to communicate. Integrating technology has empowered our learners, and we have a strong desire to continue engaging and empowering our students. My colleague and I acknowledge the importance of technology in the future of our students and feel passionate about providing opportunities many of our students do not have outside of school. To keep our STEM program relevant, we know we must keep pace with ed tech's rapid evolution. ISTE will allow us to learn about emerging technologies and best practices through high-quality professional development, hands-on learning, and professional networking.

My colleague, Kelly Clawitter, is our math and science coach. She and I have diligently sought funds to expand the educational technologies available to our students. We believe access to technology and to best practices of utilizing educational technology are necessary to level the playing field for our students who attend a small rural school. Through grant writing and a community partnership, we have expanded our STEM offerings. Grant writing has provided us the funds necessary to cover travel expenses. The money raised through this campaign will include our ISTE registration fees.

Nonmember conference fee: $595 x 2 = $1,190

Pre-Conference (2 days of immersive hands on learning): $150 x 2 = $300

Campaign fees = $47

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Total: $1,537

Back Up Plan