My classroom is changing everyday. Middle school students are extremely unique in that no one day is the same, and my classroom reflects that. Everyday my students may walk in to a collection of learning stations, a lab or an interactive video reviewing the material we just learned.
I teach in a suburban area of South Carolina where we have a large diversity of students, mostly from low-income backgrounds.
My students are always invested in what becomes of the future and how to better their community once they are old enough to have a serious impact. They are our problem solvers, engineers and computer geniuses of the future. They have an amazing ability to adapt and are constantly asking for more material. My students are resilient as I know many of them come to school hungry and are still ready to work, to be the best version of themselves. This year in South Carolina they have overcome a lot despite what has been occurring in our area they are always present and motivated in my classroom. My school reflects this nature as we are constantly trying to better ourselves and keep up with more affluent schools. We want our students to be at the same level when they enter the work force or higher education and our doing our best to prepare them.
My Project
We need four Google Chromebooks. Last year I began to implement many technological resources in my classroom. The use of Chromebooks and iPads was amazing in the learning outcomes for my students. I began to share "google docs" with my students and they were able to study materials at home or where ever they may be. I was able to begin sharing videos and activities for my students to do in stations or after school.
By the middle of the school year, I had students begging to read an article on "NewsELA" or to watch an interactive Bill Nye on "EduCannon". The results on their quizzes and other assessments was exactly what I was hoping would happen. Also as an end of the year unit, I was able to get my students on Google's CS First, a coding program that is geared towards middle schoolers who are interested in coding careers in the future. My students really took to it and were teaching me different tricks by the second day! I envision to have this excitement in my classroom this year.
While the results in my classroom have been amazing with my students, my school does not currently have the resources to provide as many Chromebooks and Ipads as we could hope, roughly 1 Chromebook for every 5 students.
That is not enough to make a large impact and set our students up for success. Being able to navigate technology and be resourceful is something our students will need to be able to be competitive in this technological world. It is essential they have computer skills.
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