The Plan
Jennifer Carlson
ROWVA CUSD #208
November 28, 2017
Mr. Sornberger
Superintendent of School
335 N. Joy St.
Oneida, Il 61467
Dear Mr. Sornberger,
The ROWVA School District is an acclaimed school that has provided opportunities for students to flourish. Yet, I believe we have an opportunity to benefit our students to let them work at an even higher potential. We have provided 1 to 1 Chromebooks, the Google for Education Suite, and other technologies are available to our students. One of which, video recording, is something that students are interacting in their personal lives. The students have also shown a great interest in coding. Learning how to build simple websites and games helps kids refine their design, logic and problem-solving abilities. It also allows them to express ideas and create unique ways. In order for our students to be even more successful, we need to shift our concept in teaching. We need to teach them to become independent lifelong learners. One way to do this is by offering new opportunities that they are more inclined to enjoy and create with. The students also need a way to document and show others how they took control of their own learning.
Our district needs to do more than just collect technology for our teachers and students. An example of this would be the number of Lego Mindstorm kits, Spheros, Raspberry Pi and Makey Makey kits that are in the closets here at ROWVA. Our district has been wowed by the technology that we are lucky to have access to. Is the technology benefiting the students? I want to rediscover the student's desires to be creative, in and out of the classroom and facilitate this in a manner where the tools are readily accessible. I want the students to discover, code, edit, and print. In addition to the exploring and problem solving I want the students to document their learning process and progress.
I want to facilitate the means to ignite the imagination of our students and have them document, prove and proudly share their accomplishments in a personal ePortfolio. Each student will build and add to their learning experiences to a personal website. The spark of learning-centered in the area of technology, but not just for the sake of technology, but for the sake of the students pushing their limits to the greatest edges of their imagination and sharing the fruits of their discovery. There will be no cost to the district. I am requesting permission to utilize technology presently owned by ROWVA and free cloud-based websites.
The objective of my plan is to provide students with the tools to document their learning and tap into their logic and problem solving through experiences that they design at their own pace. There is a commercial on television that is produced by General Electric where the young inventor would rather work smarter rather than harder. When Molly’s dad asks her to take out the trash she uses her imagination to design a logical way to get the job done. She continues to use her experiences into adulthood and program robots to do jobs more efficiently. Experiences can come to life with the inclusion of teacher-led lessons, online learning, peer interaction and family experiences. The documentation of learning will be measured and shared as productions led by the students in the form of videos, live performances, and personal blogs.
Currently, my students are building their basic computer skills, but they have not been exposed to broader programming skills. Our culture is engulfed with such experiences, that basic computer skills alone, seems like an arbitrary experience for our students. The usage of Lego Mindstorm kits, Spheros, Raspberry Pi and Makey Makey kits will allow students to collaborate in problem-solving areas and the personal ePortfolios will allow them to prove their involvement in their own unique way. College professors and businesses are harnessing the power of collaboration and programming technology, and we are tasked with getting them college and career ready. Some colleges are even changing their admissions procedures to include documented digital evidence of a student's growth. I want to help the students start building this digital evidence of their logical and problem-solving skills.
The ultimate goal will be for my students to collaborate, learn, achieve, and demonstrate their findings and skills to other students, teachers, and community. As a teacher who is comfortable with these devices and applications, I would then offer training for other teachers who wish to continue this evidence of personal learning in their own classrooms. In addition to this proposal, I am capable of sharing with you some of my research. I will inform you of my progress as well as document any interesting data that develops through the process. I appreciate your consideration in my proposal and look forward to discussing it with you.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Carlson