Education has evolved over the years and increased use of media has grown more and more important as diverse learning styles and increased technological savvy becomes
commonplace. In my tenth and eleventh grade chemistry classroom this is as prevalent as anywhere. There are various hardware items that are available to teachers and students and some have grown more crucial than others. There are several items that I would like to have and use in my classroom and lab including computers and data projection devices, digital cameras, Mobi devices, Smartboards, iPads, and audio amplification systems. These items are outlined in more detail in the body of this proposal.
First, a computer is an absolute necessity in every classroom. These are already
available in the general classroom but laptop computers are preferred. This allows for all of the capabilities of a desktop computer with the ability to take it home and continue work with little disruption and maximum convenience. The laptop serves as a connection to limitless internet resources including teacher plans, on-line collaborative opportunities, animations, simulations, tutorials, video streams, etc. The laptop is a hub for the entire classroom. It also serves as a medium to provide feedback to students and parents via email, class web sites and online grade books.
The teacher computer paired with a data projector and document camera serves as an invaluable tool to improve teaching effectiveness when used as a means for classroom
presentation with PowerPoint and other note-taking software as well as video streams and animations that can be shared with an entire group of students or peers. These hardware items make student involvement possible in the lessons as opposed to traditional methods involving reading the textbook and listening to a teacher talk and write on a chalkboard. Students’ learning is enhanced because they can interact with lessons when computers are available in the classroom and it gives them an opportunity to work at their own pace when possible.
Another valuable hardware item in the classroom is digital cameras. Having access to a small number of cameras can help students with data presentation. In the lab environment of a science classroom, students are asked to make numerous observations and measurements. Having only one teacher makes it difficult to assess each student’s observations in the lab. The
digital cameras will allow for the students to make observations and take digital snapshots of those observations so the teacher can evaluate and assess the observations and
measurements. It enhances teaching by allowing the teacher to move about the room freely to aid in many other areas. It also is used as a tool for encouraging students’ best work. Pictures can be taken and posted on a class web page to promote the class in the future and allow the students to show off their accomplishments. Many students respond well to positive
reinforcement like this. It also can enhance my teaching by allowing me to take snapshots of certain observations and measurements and project them so the class can see the correct way to read actual measurements and not just look at models and “fake” measurements.
My next hardware item is a Mobi 360/Student Response System (SRS) combination. In my classroom this is used first, as a means of formative assessment. The device connects wirelessly to the computer to record and store data regarding student achievement. Students will use this in the class daily for warm-up assignments assessing what they recall from previous lessons. A question - or group of questions - is displayed with multiple choice options and students simply “click” in answers with their SRS (clicker). The data goes directly to the Mobi device and the teacher accesses the data by class or student. This immediate feedback enhances teaching by making it simple to assess formatively and decide what needs to be covered again and what students understand. The Mobi also acts as a wireless mouse and can be used as a graphics tablet to write and annotate on a projected presentation. This allows for maximum interaction of teacher and student within the classroom as the teacher is not
“tethered” to a desk or computer in order to change slides on a presentation or to type in a note as a presentation is being done. Students are therefore encouraged to participate more in the discussion and can even use the Mobi to make annotations of their own for the class. Increased participation leads directly to student achievement. A final way to use the Mobi/SRS is to take simple multiple choice or standardized tests. It will be used for lab safety quizzes and vocabulary quizzes specifically. This enhances teaching because the automatic grading allows the teacher more time to prepare meaningful lessons as opposed to spending hours grading tests and assignments. This also helps students by, first, keeping them interested with the use of technology and second, providing them with instant feedback. They have a motivation to do
well immediately because they will not have time to wait and speculate as to what their grade may be. They will have feedback and immediately know they need to continue to work on that subject matter to possibly retake their test or quiz.
Another great hardware device is a Smartboard or interactive whiteboard. The board allows for a direct interface with presentations. It obviously can still act as a whiteboard and allow for simple note-taking and explanation in that way, which can certainly enhance teaching and learning by allowing for further, quick explanation and expansion on ideas; but it also acts as a touch-board for presentations that students can use to help with presentation of lessons and to make their own interactive presentations. It also can allow for interaction when animations are shown to expand upon basic scientific principles like the existence of the nucleus as shown by Rutherford’s gold foil experiments. Students are far more likely to
maintain attention when they are participating and seeing interactions between the screen and teacher or student/peer. The Smartboard is also a tool for demonstrating web site navigation in a large-screen format. Students can easily follow the movements through the sites and duplicate them when the time comes. Navigating the course pages on our class web site can be confusing and this hardware can allow students to truly follow along as the pages are navigated and actually touched. Students can also come up and show other ways to navigate web pages, among other things. The keys for student achievement seem to be directly related to their ability to truly participate in lessons and this tool allows them to do so, from the most basic and old-fashioned lessons involving notes as a group to the exciting and interesting review games like “Nomenclature Jeopardy”. The Smartboard can really expand my ability to present things to the class because I can interact with the internet as notes are being done and navigate directly to a video clip or animation to demonstrate and reinforce an idea like electron movement or dissociation of ions in solution. These abstract ideas are not always easy to picture with words or drawings and are often much easier to grasp through viewing at a microscopic level and seeing the actual movement of particles.
A couple of final hardware items to use in my classroom are audio amplification systems and iPads. The amplification system acts as a microphone in general class settings for the
teacher. Especially early in the year, as teachers are getting re-acclimated to the teaching environment, the voice is under a lot of stress. The microphone feature through the sound amplification system takes care of that stress and allows teachers to speak at a conversational volume and still project throughout the class. It also proves a valuable resource when students are in a lab or group setting and volumes increase. Instead of yelling to try to get students’ attention, the microphone allows students to hear instruction. This enhances their learning because they will not miss out on important instructions or tips. The audio system does not only act as a microphone, it acts as a speaker system for all network devices. The computer is connected to the system so narration of animation and all sound in video or audio clips can be heard easily through the system as opposed to the computer’s or data projector’s speakers, which are not always loud enough or of high enough clarity. Students then get an undistorted sound that cuts down on misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
iPads can be used in many ways in the classroom. My classroom would use them as a multipurpose tool. They will be used to play music during demonstrations to make them more dramatic and interesting to students. There is also an app that makes it compatible with the software used by the Mobi 360. This would essentially give me 2 Mobi devices in the classroom giving the students more of an opportunity to use the hardware. As a graphic tablet students could write on the screen during presentations or to answer questions while the other device is used as a data collection and distribution tool. Underlining important ideas during notes is an useful strategy, and students often need to be taught how to take notes because they struggle picking out useful, important information. Instead of being told what to write down I can give them the iPad or Mobi and they can identify the important information for themselves and I can provide feedback as to whether that is enough. Again, this additional participation in lessons will enhance student learning and enrich the lessons. The iPad will also be used as a portable computer and can be used to create and store files and access information, videos and other data from the internet. This expands my options as a teacher and makes thing more convenient and therefore more worthwhile for me. The more accessibility I have, the more likely I am to work at my craft.
There are probably dozens of hardware items that could be of use in any classroom, but in my tenth and eleventh grade chemistry classroom, these are the items I would prefer to use on a regular basis to enhance my teaching and improve student learning to make them ready to be competent and productive citizens in the future.
