My students need 10 laptops so they will have access to technology to both process and publish their work on an engineering/design investigation in science class.
It's 2013, and there are still kids that can't type, much less process and publish their work using a computer and online resources. Without these 21st Century skills, my students will be at an academic and professional disadvantage when applying to high school and college.
My students come from economically disadvantaged homes in an urban setting in New York City.
Many of my students (approximately 37% of our school population) have special learning needs. Through all of this, they are upbeat and try their best to grow academically and emotionally.
Our school is a new school, only five years old. We do not have the resources of larger schools, but we do have the passion for science. My students really enjoy our science class. They are extremely excited any time we have an opportunity to explore technological resources. Unfortunately, in my classroom, that consists of only my laptop projected onto a whiteboard.
My Project
My eighth grade science classes are involved in a scientific investigation where they are designing and engineering the construction of a popcorn bag. All of our work is currently being done in the traditional paper-and-pencil style.
With the requested ten laptops and my professional training in the use of online resources for processing and sharing student work online, my students will be able to complete the following activities:
1. Collect and review background information about popcorn, popcorn bags, microwave ovens, and how microwaves (as radiation) cook food.
2. Write a formal report of their investigation results.
3. Share their results through the creation and design of an online presentation and/or website.
4. Create a digital portfolio of their work to share with high schools as they begin the high school articulation process.
The top projects from each class will be taken to the American Museum of Natural History to share in the 2013 Science Expo by Urban Advantage.
Our society needs students that know how to use technology in productive and academically powerful ways.
Students need to learn, early, these 21st Century skills. With the move toward national Common Core Standards, all students are, in fact, required to know how to write and publish to the Internet. Please help me to help them build skills that transfer far beyond my classroom doors.
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