Module 5 - Amanda Smith

Module 5

Grant Information
In the Math Support program, we actually have A LOT of technology! We have calculators, i Pads, document cameras, projectors, and even computers. But, what we don't have, is a efficient way to utilize all this technology. For my grant proposal, I will be requesting furniture that allows students to use the technology that we already have in a way that they cannot right now.

In Math Support, we talk a big game about hands on learning and working together and talking with our students instead of only lecturing at them. I teach in two different rooms. In room one, there is a teacher computer/projector combo and that is it. There are no other computers for the students to use. The desks in there room are very small and only about the width of a standard laptop. There is definitely not room for a math book, a note book, calculator, and an iPad. The furniture alone limits what I can do with them in this room. I can't ask them to get into groups and use manipulatives because there just isn't room.

In the room two, we do have much nicer things. There is the teacher computer/projector/document camera combo. And lucky for us, this room just underwent a makeover and now we have 30 computers that sit on hideaway tables (meaning we can store the computers in the tables when not in use). Do not get me wrong, this is AMAZING and a much needed step in the right direction. However, these tables are just lined up in straight rows and each student can really only interact with the two (sometimes one) students sitting on either side of them. This presents a problem...

For example, last week my class was completing an assessment from the math department in which they had tow work in groups of 4. These tables are not able to be moved and the paths between them are very narrow. It's nearly impossible to get groups formed in this room, and when we do, some people would rather just work alone than go through the hassle of trying to situate themselves around a single table.

The type of furniture that I would like to see in the classrooms is something that can still house a computer, but also allow for much easier collaboration. Something that is easy to move, and that can allows for a little more freedom in the classroom.

The grant that I will consider applying to is a community grant through Walmart.  (Community Grant guidelines) I pick this one because I meet all of the qualifications. A lot of the grants that I looked at were for K-12 teachers only. Since that isn't me, I had to dig a little deeper.

Chapter 9 - Increasing Student Engagement and Enhancing Learning
“Digital Leadership is a mindset and a call to transform a school’s culture into one that unleashes the creativity of students so they can create artifacts of learning that demonstrates conceptual mastery”.   Do you agree that schools should reflect real life?

Yes, I absolutely agree that schools should reflect real life!

There are a few excerpts from that text that I really like:

·         “If schools allow students to use the digital-age tools that they are using on a routine basis outside their walls, chances are they will find more relevancy and meaning in what they are learning” p. 134

·         “The only way schools can place learners into positions to seize opportunities present now and in the future is to authentically engage them in learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful, and allow them to apply what has been learned through a variety of means, including the use of digital tools” p.145            

·         “Technology Proficiency-The importance of this skill goes without saying. The more reliant society becomes on technology, the more we must effectively embed it into the teaching and learning culture to adequately prepare students for the real world” p. 146

I was in high school before this whole new world of digital literacy really took off (2001-2005). I rarely was asked to “make” anything using the computer, and I definitely didn’t collaborate with other students using technology. I can remember doing the senior research project, in which we did utilize the library. Other than that, I don’t remember really doing a lot of technology base work. I didn’t even have a cell phone in high school! When I go to college, it was a completely different world! Essays, PowerPoints, and spreadsheets ruled my life! I was definitely NOT prepared.

Obviously, things are way different now, and most all teenagers seemed to be glued to their phone. I think that it is important that we as educators strive to make learning relevant to what these kids are doing outside our walls. If we bore them with uninteresting “stuff”, lecture at them, and make them memorize a bunch of math formulas, we aren’t going to be very effective. Now, more than ever, I am learning new ways to use technology in an education setting. My goal is to eventually infiltrate some of these ideas and projects into my own math class!

Chapter 10 - Rethinking Learning Environments and Spaces

Summarize the story of Clark Hall and reflect on your workplace or learning environment.  What are you thinking now after reading about Clark Hall?

So basically, Clark Hall sounds like an amazing blend of a high tech office building and The Falcon Center here at FSU. After reading about it, I instantly looked it up on Google and the pictures are amazing. It definitely does not look like it should be part of a high school. Because I went to North Marion high School, and that school is literally a square with worn-out stair cases and bland walls, it’s hard for me to imagine anything other than the design that I lived with for 4 years.

What I’m thinking after reading about Clark Hall is that I wish it was on FSU campus and that I taught there! Poor ole Hunt Haught Halls sure does leave a lot to be desired after reading about and seeing images of Clark Hall! My mind goes the Falcon Center. That is a very nice building. It has the gym, pool, different eateries, bookstore, internet connection, places to sit and study, and it is very pleasing to the eye. I see a lot of student interaction going on there that I don’t see in the halls of our other buildings.

Seriously though, I do think that FSU campus would benefit from some of our “halls” being like that. Some of our buildings are old and boring and plain.  The room that I teach in on the second floor of HHH is very plain. No color on the walls, plain chalkboards, plain very small desks, no real desk or chair for the teacher, and just overall depressing to look at. Sometimes it smells bad, or a unique smell that you can’t quiet put your finger on. The room I use on the third floor of HHH has recently undergone some positive changes. It now has tables that house computers; however, we are short on computer chairs. We have random wooden chairs as well as older computer chairs that are permanently stuck in one position and squeak the entire time.