Technology Fundraiser

INTRODUCTION

Welcome parents and guardians of Calipatria High School students. My name is Rom Medina and I am the CHS art instructor. This blog is intended to provide insight regarding our PTA fundraiser for technological advances in our classrooms. Due to the progress made in technology, it is vital that we equip our students with the technological educational needed to succeed outside the classroom and in the job field.

CONCERNS

I realize there are concerns regarding the application of technology. Many students due use their computers for social networking and video games. We notice the distraction phones, music players, and video games have on your children. It is our job to make appropriate use of technological advances in the classroom.

Applying these technological devices in the class setting will allow students to access educational content rapidly and have data that is relevant and up-to-date. By restricting websites that are only educationally appropriate, we will be able to control the content being accessed at the high school. We understand there are ethical concerns regarding media and access to student privacy. The school intends to provide the appropriate firewalls and virus protection to ensure appropriate websites are accessible to your children (Roblyer & Doering, 2010).

Our intention is to raise the appropriate funds to have computers accessible in all classrooms and have an LCD projector installed in each classroom. Integrating such technological support into the classroom requires significant financial assistance, not only for the purchase and installation of equipment but also for teacher training of technological devices.

LEARNING THEORIES

The roles of direct instruction and constructivism are vital for the use of technology in the classroom. Each learning method benefits learning in the classroom when technology is being applied. The direct learning theory is the traditional method of guiding instruction step-by-step. Opponents of the theory imply that the method limits teachers and leave little to no room for personalization, while proponents point to the raised standardized test scores that result from direct instruction. Constructivism relies on personal experiences and connections. The theory implores that students enhance their critical thinking and logic skills through assimilation and accommodation. Opponents suggest that the teacher has less of a role in educating students, while proponents argue that student’s should not rely on someone else’s interpretation of data. Instead students should be exposed to data and sources so that they may make their own determinations through the aide of a mentor so their confidence is enhanced as well as their critical thinking skills (Teachnology, 2010). The best approach is for the teacher to determine which theory will best suit the content with the adaptation of technological support. In preparation for a lesson, the teacher must make an informed decision on which theory or strategy will best enhances student learning (Roblyer & Doering, 2010).

WISH LIST

ELMO Projector: This device will allow me to project color images from student artwork or images from textbooks on to a projection screen. By simply placing an image onto the device I will be able to zoom in and detail aspects of artwork that enable students to comprehend various art techniques and styles.

LCD Projector: An LCD projector that is mounted onto the classroom ceiling and directly connected to my teacher pc will enable me to display PowerPoint presentations and educational videos.

TECHNOLOGY IN MY CLASSROOM

Teaching art makes it very interesting to include technology in the classroom setting. On our recent cubist face lesson, I integrated a direct instruction lesson through a PowerPoint presentation, my laptop, a portable LCD projector and my white board. I connected my laptop to the LCD projector and displayed the presentation onto my white board. The presentation included an introduction and brief history on the Cubist art style and its originators Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. The brief literature presented was read aloud to the students and color images were displayed at key stages of the presentation. For the drawing portion of the lesson, step-by-step slides were presented to students in color images which I created through Adobe Photoshop. Students were also given a printed handout of the slide show to reference during their drawing application.

A constructivism lesson that I was able to integrate technology into earlier this year was a newspaper layout. Students watched an episode from the TV series Friday Night Lights through my laptop and LCD projection. The episode lasted 40 minutes and students were to take their own notes. The following session in the school’s computer lab, students used their own interpretation of the football game shown in the episode to write a newspaper article onto a newspaper layout that I had created through Adobe Photoshop.

SUPPORT

I hope your support is forthcoming, as our needs in the classroom will greatly benefit your children not only today but aide them in being successful in an ever-growing technological world. Please consider joining the Calipatria PTA and assist us in fundraising for these integrations. Please feel free to post any comments as I will check correspondence regularly and answer any concerns regarding this issue.

Thank you for your time.

-Rom Medina

References:

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2010). Integrating educational technology

into teaching. (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson.

Teachnology. (2011). Constructivism Learning Theory. The Online Teacher

Resource. Retrieved on March 4, 2011 from http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/

Teachnology. (2011). What is Direct Instruction? The Online Teacher

Resource. Retrieved on March 4, 2011 from http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/methods/models/direct/

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