Proposal

Narrative

Building upon a recently obtained small grant to develop three innovate courses in early childhood environmental education - but lacking the technology to support learning activities in the outdoors - this initiative requests the acquisition of five tablets and apps to support student learning activities.  Incorporating a significant amount of outdoor time at natural places (e.g., Tortuga Trail, Pond Hawk, Pine Jog, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Deerfield Island, Delray Dunes, Yamato Scrub), the tablets and apps will enable first-hand skill building in identifying and reading about flora, fauna, and ecosystem evolution and processes.  Open to students from all disciplines, the technology will benefit in the learning process through the identification specific characteristics (e.g., shape, colors, sounds or calls, habitats).  The requested tablets and apps will be used in the three courses across multiple years, benefitting at least 180 students per year.

Facilities

No renovations or upgrades are requested.

Hardware Requirements

Five Apple iPad Air - 16GB ($499.99/per)

Software Requirements

Apps:
Audubon Nature Florida - The Ultimate Florida Nature Guide ($9.99)
Audubon Insects and Spiders - A Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders ($9.99)
Audubon Reptiles and Amphibians - A Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians ($9.99)
Audubon Birds - A Field Guide to North American Birds ($19.99)
Audubon Mammals - A Field Guide to North American Mammals ($9.99)
iBird Backyard Plus ($2.99)
iBird Yard Plus HD ($4.99)
Scats and Tracks of North America ($1.99)
MyNature Tree Guide ($6.99)
RockHound ($1.99)
Total: $78.90

Personnel Costs

No personnel cost is requested.  The funds for the development of the early childhood environmental education courses will be covered by a recently-obtained small grant (the agreement, of which, is under review by the FAU Foundation at this time).

Other Costs

No other costs are requested.

Timeline

The development of three course syllabi in early childhood environmental education will commence as soon as a budget account is established.  The technology requested will be purchased this semester following the start of the syllabi development - most likely after February 1, 2014.

Sustainability

The technology purchased will be dedicated to the early childhood environmental education courses only.  And, the COE Technology Services will assist and maintain the tablets.  It is expected that the technology will be used for at least five years (and more, depending on the condition of the hardware).

Resource Matching

There is no resource matching for the technology requested, although this project builds upon a recently acquired small grant to develop courses in early childhood environment education.  The FAU Foundation is currently reviewing the grant agreement, and once the agreement is signed, an EDU account will be assigned to aid in the development of the course syllabi.

Implementing Organization

The courses will be offered through the Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry beginning in the Spring 2015 semester.  The technology will be housed and kept safe in the office of Dr. Yash Bhagwanji, the developer and instructor of the new courses.