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There are a lot of really good educational materials and opportunities that have been and continue to be funded by grants. Some of the materials produced with the assistance of grants have become available through publishers, some are available through direct contact with the people who obtained the grant, some are available through websites, and some go unused. The object of this workshop is to provide hands-on access to the products of three families of grant recipients and to provide a brief overview and discussion of some of the many other products and opportunities that have been made available through grants. Throughout my graduate school and early teaching experiences, I found myself to be the recipient of many opportunities that would not have been possible for me without the funding from other people's grants. Several travel opportunities, tuition for workshops, research funding, software, and teaching materials were available for the asking and often for agreeing to complete a brief survey or fill out a short form. While working for almost 3 years as a co-principal investigator on a grant from the National Science Foundation, I had the opportunity to participate in a number of conferences at which I learned that many recipients of educational grants have difficulty finding people to put their products to use and provide the feedback that is necessary to make the project successful. This has led to numerous opportunities offered by grantees during the development phases of their projects. Workshops with funding for travel and tuition, software for beta testing, curricular materials to use and comment on and other potential benefits for educators. Following completion of a grant project, some materials produced are distributed through a publisher. This seems to lead to a much broader adoption of the materials. Through a publisher, the materials will not necessarily be inexpensive, but without the grant they would likely have not existed at all. In many cases where a publisher is not involved, the materials are made freely available and distributed by websites, e-mail, or postal service but are not generally advertised. Whether you purchase materials from a publisher or obtain them from the authors at little or no cost, it is possible to really get your money's worth from other people's grants! Come to the workshop to find out more. (actual schedule determined to facilitate desires of participants to extent feasible) |