I found two technology/science grants that I could apply for as a STEM teacher:
The first is the Toyota TAPESTRY Grant.
http://www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/guidelines.htm
Toyota motor and the National Science Teachers Association, NSTA have partnered up to offer grants for K-12 science educators working towards innovative projects that enhance science education in the classroom. Fifty large grants worth and twenty mini grants are awarded to educators each year, for a total of $550,000. To be considered, science teachers must write a TAPESTRY proposal.
The second is the Melinda Gray Arida Environmental Grant.
http://www.mgaef.org/grants.html
This is a smaller grant, $1,500 which will be awarded to educators seeking innovative technology to promote environmental education.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Future of Tech
As a math student in high school we were required to purchase graphing calculators. I remember my math teacher constantly saying how lucky we were to have such devices. She had not been as fortunate as us, she had had to do everything by hand during her time in school.
We would get a problem and dutifully plug in to our tables x and y values, or a formula for something and a graph would spit out the other end. Embarrassingly, I had no idea why I got the graph I did or what the values even meant. The only thing I learned, and I'm being honest about this, is which numbers to put into the x and which ones to put into y. Even at that time, I was aware of a complete disconnect between the concept behind the graph and the graph itself. So I find it interesting, then, that a person in the article describes technology as this really great tool that is going to "change the way kids learn. We're going to have kids do things, rather than I tell it to you and you tell it back to me, and I give you a grade for it". I was that kid, doing things, producing cool looking graphs, using the technology appropriately, getting a great grade, but not learning a thing. My efficiency with the calculator was masking my inability to understand the larger ideas. Increased technology does not necessarily equal increased learning.
But if the technology is there, you should use it. It's not the technology itself which makes the difference in teaching and learning, but rather "how it's used and by whom".
We would get a problem and dutifully plug in to our tables x and y values, or a formula for something and a graph would spit out the other end. Embarrassingly, I had no idea why I got the graph I did or what the values even meant. The only thing I learned, and I'm being honest about this, is which numbers to put into the x and which ones to put into y. Even at that time, I was aware of a complete disconnect between the concept behind the graph and the graph itself. So I find it interesting, then, that a person in the article describes technology as this really great tool that is going to "change the way kids learn. We're going to have kids do things, rather than I tell it to you and you tell it back to me, and I give you a grade for it". I was that kid, doing things, producing cool looking graphs, using the technology appropriately, getting a great grade, but not learning a thing. My efficiency with the calculator was masking my inability to understand the larger ideas. Increased technology does not necessarily equal increased learning.
But if the technology is there, you should use it. It's not the technology itself which makes the difference in teaching and learning, but rather "how it's used and by whom".
Friday, July 2, 2010
I already have the Aviators!
It's fate. I'm going to be a maverick teacher. I've got the Aviators, now I just need to embrace new technology and the professional growth that comes along with it. I find "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" to be apt descriptions (thanks, Chris!). Teachers are immigrants, trying to instruct natives. Yeah it's going to be hard, I'm getting sweaty palms just thinking about the SmartBoard because I have no idea how to operate it... yet. However, if Ms. Hogan can embrace and disseminate Squeak and be the better for it professionally, I think it should be a lesson to all of us. The article shows that integration and technology working hand in hand helps not only students grow and understand, but it can do the same for us as well.
I thought the Reality of Tech article was particularly helpful. Who knows what kind of classroom we'll find ourselves in within the year. This article shows how to make the most of what you have, technologically speaking. The suggestions were mainly geared towards math folk, but some of the data collecting programs they suggested could be used for the sciences as well.
I really enjoyed reading both of these articles! Very applicable to our futures.
I thought the Reality of Tech article was particularly helpful. Who knows what kind of classroom we'll find ourselves in within the year. This article shows how to make the most of what you have, technologically speaking. The suggestions were mainly geared towards math folk, but some of the data collecting programs they suggested could be used for the sciences as well.
I really enjoyed reading both of these articles! Very applicable to our futures.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)