I teach computers to second through eighth graders. Students love using technology to learn and are especially intrigued when the learning couples technology with a personal element of some fashion.
Recently we took a field trip to a camp that utilized a GPS receiver for completing a scavenger hunt. Students were very engaged and eagerly searched for items using the provided coordinates. This hands-on opportunity not only provided students with the opportunity to use such technology, but also served as an opportunity for students to get quite a bit of exercise. They were inspired by the competition and took the event very seriously and personally.
With the advent of video game systems such as the Wii, technology may be used not only for entertainment, but as an enhancement of gaining valuable personal experience with technology while simultaneously providing a little exercise.
I would like to provide my students with the opportunity to participate hands-on in an activity that will be engaging academically, physically, and will personalize the learning. Students will be super-motivated and more engaged in the learning. They will be inspired to utilize their resources to the best of their abilities because the results will be reflective of their efforts, abilities, and performance.
Our students need a Garmin Forerunner 201 Wristband GPS to provide them with the incentive and opportunity of getting in shape both academically and physically. This device will provide a practical "wrist-on" learning opportunity of GPS technology (not to mention longitude and latitude, etc.). Students will be able to personalize information placed into databases and spreadsheets in our computer classroom. We will then utilize this data to fulfill various endpoints within our curriculum (such as GPS, graphing/charting, technology, averaging, etc.). Students will have a vested interest in the learning and will be proactively involved in this learning experience. They will have the opportunity to personalize the learning and will have the opportunity to utilize the information they obtain from their personal engagement in activities to analyze their performance, identify areas in which improvement is necessary, develop action plans to better their performance, and enhance their actual performance.
Together, we will be able to provide a whole-life learning experience. Students will be able to chart and track their development and will have an understanding of how they have developed through practice, both academically and physically. I envision students eagerly imputing and analyzing data in order to improve and track their changes, never complaining about how they have to complete this stupid classroom assignment that has nothing to do with them. Thank you!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. York and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.