Dear Parents and Teachers,
Welcome to my Blog for Technology! This is to record and relay information regarding a fund raising effort to improve the technology resources in my classroom. The Sweetwater PTA and I are teaming up to enter new frontiers of education by integrating technology. The PTA is including my cause in their annual Strut for Education Walk and also their monthly raffle! I encourage you to support your child's classroom efforts by getting involved. Sign up for the 5K walk/run hosted by the Sweetwater PTA with your son or daughter! The event will be held May 30th, 2011 at the Mission Beach Boardwalk at 7 a.m. Efforts to be involved, no matter how small, will not go unnoticed. I appreciate your help, and so do your children!
Having taught high school for five years, I have seen how access to technology in the classroom creates a more interested and educated student. Having the internet at your fingertips is having an ocean of information. This generation of learners doesn't turn to the encyclopedia when it's time to research, they Google! it. A technologically integrated classroom needs computers and my goal is to purchase 5 new laptop computers for classroom use. In the new age of technology, there is growing concerns of how technology is used by our impressionable youth. As an educator, it is my mission to show my students how technology can be used to expand their world. Computer use in my classroom has much more of an educational component than a computer video game or watching an entertaining video. Internet access is monitored in the classroom and the privilege of computer access is subject to responsible use. Computers are an integral part of a well rounded education in this generation. We must embrace this or our students will be unprepared to communicate and compete in today's technologically based world.
My goal is to purchase 5 student laptops for student word processing research use, and one Avermedia document camera. Laptops are a key element to my writing program. As a teacher who is passionate about teaching composition, I know student learning is maximized as they proofread and improve writing pieces. Having computers in the classroom allows students to do second and third draft writing seamlessly, without taking the time to handwrite the words that are working, and cleanly add on to their previous work and correct mistakes. This process can be systematically done on laptops for research writing, typed assignments, and creative writing.
The document camera is an extremely useful tool for keeping students engaged in learning, and clear curriculum access. It is used by the teacher to allow the students to see what is on display at the teachers desk by projecting the picture onto a projector screen. One of the most popular uses is showing a textbook page to the class, or work that the student needs to copy down. I am particularly enthused to model proofreading to my students using this tool. I know from experience that seeing examples of proofreading is a necessary step for students to make it automatic in their writing. There is no alternative to this teacher's tool except to write information on the whiteboard. It is quickly becoming a "must have" for every classroom and it is my goal to stay current with my teaching practices. As a professional educator, my ideals are to use every possible advantage I can find to reach my students and maximize their potential.
THANK YOU for being interested in my efforts to improve my classroom, and the classroom of your child. I encourage you to become involved in the previously mentioned fundraising efforts! If you have any thoughts or ideas, feel free to post them here in the blog comments section. I will continue to blog as this this goal comes to fruition.
References:
Doering, Aaron H., Roblyer, M.D. (2007). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. (5th ed.).
Allyn & Bacon. Boston.
DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.
