Technology Fundraiser

Hello Parents,

Welcome to our classroom blog! This blog is intended to keep you updated and informed about things that are going on in our classroom and school. This blog also gives you the ability to give your input and feedback about the happenings in our class.

The first topic I would like to discuss with you all is in regards to the PTA’s fundraising efforts to bring more technology into the classrooms. Technology can enhance all classroom learning and I know that your children will benefit greatly from incorporating technology into their daily lessons.

I know that as parents, many of you may have concerns about having technology in the classroom. You may feel that using technology may distract your students from learning the material that they should be focusing on. However, technology can provide your students with fun and exciting ways of learning. Technology helps teachers effectively meet the needs of different types of learners. In addition, the use of technology can assist teachers in addressing the state standards with each lesson.

The fact that each classroom is filled with students who have diverse learning styles requires teachers to implement different teaching strategies and methods. Two methods that are typically used in the classroom are directed learning and constructivist learning. Directed learning is when a teacher delivers a lesson to a student directly through a method such as a lecture. On the other hand, constructivist learning is when students use activities and discover learning own their own through experience (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p.34). To learn more about both of these learning theories you may want to read Teaching with the Constructivist Learning Theory and Student-Centered vs. Teacher-Directed Learning.

For our classroom I would like to be able to purchase a Smartboard. Smartboards project an image onto the board for the whole class to see. You can then draw on the image with a special pen. This technology works wonderfully for directed instruction lessons as it allows the teacher to use images, music, videos and other media within a lesson. Individual activities, such as worksheets, can be completed as a whole class with the use of Smartboard technology.

Besides the Smartboard it is my wish to be able to purchase two computers. I would like for our students to be able to go to the computers, research a certain topic, and then create a multimedia presentation demonstrating their knowledge of the topic. This type of constructivist learning activity would allow the students to become active participants in their learning. Computers would allow students to discover new knowledge and demonstrate this knowledge in a way that best meets their learning style. In addition, students would be engaged in authentic activities through the use of they will be using in the future.

I hope all of you can see the importance of technology in the classroom and are all willing to make an effort to help with the PTA’s fundraiser. Feel free to leave any comments or questions that you would like right here on our blog. Thank you!

References
Larson, B, Editor (2001-2010). Teaching with the constructivist learning theory. NDT Education Resource Center, Iowa State University. Retrieved from http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Constructivist%20_Learning.htm

Roblyer, M. & Doering, A. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (5th ed.) Pearson Education, Inc.

Yeah, O. (2007). Student centered-vs. teacher-directed learning. [Msg 9]. Message posted to http://teachers.net/states/la/topic544/3.19.07.14.50.57.html

* DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real fundraising blog.