Dear Parents and Guardians,
As many of you know we are gearing up to increase our students’ access to various forms of technology and need your support to ensure that we have the funds to do so. Many of you have voiced concerns regarding the efficacy of such a program and how technology can be a distraction rather than a benefit to our students. Let me take this opportunity to address your concerns.
1) Technology is pervasive in today’s workforce and it is imperative that students learn to use technology in order to be competitive in the workplace. Early exposure about how to use various types of software, hardware and types of technology ensure that when our students leave their educational career behind them they will have the skills to enter the workforce.
2) E-readers can decrease student injuries caused by carrying heavy textbooks. By carrying a Kindle, one of the devices that we intend on purchasing, students will only need to carry a device that holds all of their books and weighs less than one pound. In addition, this device has an on-board dictionary so if students need to look up a word while they are reading they have access to its definition easily and quickly without having to put down their books. This is especially beneficial to our English Language Learner students as well as students that have dyslexia and other learning disabilities that effect reading ability. One more benefit to this device is that after the initial investment it will actually save the school a considerable amount of money because one copy of a book can be used on six individual devices. This means that our textbook budget will be reduced allowing us to spend the money of other programs!
a. For more information on how the Kindle is being used by teachers in classrooms around the country visit: http://edukindle.ning.com/group/kindleintheclassroom
3) Teachers have noted that using technology combined with other instruction can increase a student’s concentration and motivation. Students today are constantly assaulted with sensory input in their daily lives from TV to ipods and video games and because of this many of them find interacting with technology to learn material more interesting and easier than sitting passively and acquiring knowledge through traditional means. Utilizing technology also allows students’ that learn easier through visual or auditory methods their preferred methods of instruction (Roblyer & Doering, 2009).
4) Using technology also allows for instant feedback/assessment and targeted instruction. One example pretend four students are doing math drills using software that gives students increasingly difficult problems when they get the previous question right or gives them more practice as well as tips on how to complete problems on questions that they are having difficulty with. The program also sends the teacher an assessment of the students work showing her what she needs to reteach her students or if she can move on. Without a computer to guide her it may take days for her to grade papers and get the same assessment results (Roblyer & Doering, 2009). Utilizing technology to provide instant assessment results allows her to focus her valuable time on this type of targeted instruction.
I understand the concerns of parents that students have a tendency to become distracted, but with the proper supervision and planning on the part of the teacher technology can be a powerful tool in the teachers’ instructional arsenal.
District Technology Wish list
1) Amazon Kindle E-reader.
· The Kindle e-reader (as described above) allows students to carry all of their textbooks in one small device. It allows students instant access to a dictionary and ultimately will save the school money on book purchases since one copy of a textbook can be used on six different devices. It also allows students to enlarge the font and has a read allow feature.
· Netbooks for all (or many) students. Netbooks ensure that students have access to word processing, internet and other tools that they wil be able to access outside of the classroom. With the proper software students can also interact with the teacher’s presentation in the classroom. The video below demonstrates some of the uses for netbooks.
- Mimeo Boards. Mimeoboards transform the traditional classroom whiteboard. When hooked up to a projector it allows teachers to manipulate the image on whiteboard through the computer. It also allows a stylus to be used on the whiteboard which can allow students as well as the teacher to manipulate the information on the whiteboard. What is great about the mimeoboard is that it is portable so it can be transported to other classrooms rather than only being available to one room. This video is a demo of the mimeo boards many uses.
As you can see there are many uses for technology in the classroom that when used properly can greatly benefit students thus accelerating their learning. I encourage you to get involved in our fundraising project. If you have any further questions or concerns you may email me, post a comment below, or leave a message on the office voicemail and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.
DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.
References
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. (2009). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching + Myeducationlab. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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