My students need 10 Chromebooks on which to work on projects. Currently, our state uses computerized standardized testing which disrupts our computer lab availability.
I teach Earth Science to 115 sixth graders daily. It is imperative that we be able to utilize technology as Science is very fluid. Each spring, computer time becomes extremely limited as certain grade levels are engaged in standardized testing. Computer access is highly limited for classroom use.
My students live in a suburban town of about 55,000 people.
They are a mix of male and female and are all in middle school. I teach in a 'regular' classroom setting but have a few special needs students. Students come from every religion and ethnic background. We have a mixture of middle and low income families. Our school has about 900 students altogether. We are one of 4 middle schools in our large district. In our school, we have 3 teams of students in each grade, 6-8. Each team ranges in size from 90-120 students. We also have several self-contained classrooms housing special needs students. My sixth graders are encouraged to be active participants in their own education. We engage in many inquiry-based activities whereby they must work cooperatively in a group. I incorporate team structures so that each student must do his/her own share and pull his/her own weight. Students understand that we are all smarter, together and that our classroom society depends on each of us.
My Project
Each year, my students work in groups of 3 or 4 to create a space tourism power point presentation. The idea is to deeply study one planet and its moons and then to create a slide show trying to convince tourists to stay at a hotel on or near their planet. They must include real information and mix it with fantasy. For example, students might discuss how one of the moons of Jupiter is covered in water and that an expedition can be made to go deep sea diving on that moon. Each student is given a particular job to do as part of the team and they are each responsible for 3-4 slides of the whole presentation. Each student is graded individually as they work together as a team. My students need 10 Chromebooks on which to work on projects. The Chromebooks will allow us to continue with our project (which is rather lengthy) even when there are no school computer labs available to us due to the extensive and time-consuming standardized testing schedule. It is my hope that these Chromebooks would be used for a variety of projects.
Computers are as essential as breathing these days.
Our students live in a much more technologically savvy world than when I was a child. They are used to using technology whenever they have a question or whenever they wish to communicate. By having Chromebooks available in my classroom, I will be able to help students learn to navigate valuable programs. I will be able to help students identify reliable sources. We will be able to conduct research and be creative for projects and papers.
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