We have only one computer in our classroom. It has a small, poor resolution screen. It is not possible for my students to access multimedia curricula on this screen. A projector would allow them to participate with the presentations as a whole group.
We are a California school located in a socio-economically disadvantaged area.
Many of our students do not have computers in their homes! Our district is in dire financial straits. Our school has no computer lab and each classroom in our school has only one computer. In this day and age it seems a crime to not offer technology access to our students.
We live in an area in which the majority of industry is in high tech. My third graders are eager to have any experience with the computer and they are thrilled when I show them something on the screen, though they all have to crowd closely around to see it. The world of multimedia is fascinating to them.
I remember, as a child, being excited when my teacher showed us a film strip or an actual film on a reel! Now, my students get to have that same kind of experience, but with the richness that the digital age can bring them...and it would be so much more meaningful with a projection on "the big screen".
My Project
We have a new Language Arts curriculum that has many digital components. My students won't be able to access them on individual computers, but with a multimedia projector, at least we will be able to experience and utilize them as a group. Furthermore, I will be able to show educational presentations that I create - presentations that can't receive justice on an overhead projector. We will also be able to access information on-line - again, something that students can't do individually. Also, I direct a few performing arts projects after school, and we would like to be able to use the projector (slide shows, etc.) as part of our performances. Lastly, I have been fortunate to travel to many parts of the world, and my sister has lived in seven vastly different countries. My students love to sit around the computer at recess and watch slide shows of our photos, and they love to hear the stories connected to the places in the photos. What better way to offer a "worldly" education?
Generally speaking, it will bring my low-tech class into this hi-tech decade - 10 years late, but better late than never.
Many schools have smart boards; I'd like to at least start with a projector . . . then on to a document camera . . . then, who knows what heights we might rise to!
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