Fifth grade students at Clear Lake Elementary will soon be using new and innovative technology in their classrooms thanks to the efforts of team-teachers Kerry Knight and Gary Irish – the two were awarded a $1,500 technology grant from the Auburn Hills-based company EDS.
‘Only 150 of these grants were given out worldwide,? said Paul Ward, a representative from EDS. ‘And 15 of those were right here in Michigan.?
The goal of the grant is to help teachers of kids ages six through 18 to purchase informational technology products and services that will improve their students? ability to learn. In order to compete for the grant, the teachers must create innovative uses for the technology.
Knight and Irish turned in a two-prong proposal for using the Cannon Vizcam Visualizer 100, which projects images onto a television, and a digital camera for documenting work.
In the first portion, Knight’s writing classes will create books based on the special needs of children including topics like Autism, Angelman’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Down’s Syndrome. The students will work in team’s to collect information through research, interviews and snapshots with the digital camera. They will write, edit and publish the books themselves.
The visualizer will be used in this project to help the students follow the publishing process step by step, share information, encourage a student-led classroom editing and revising process, and allow the students to give final presentations on their work to other classrooms.
The ultimate goal of the project is to give the students a sense of educational awareness on the topics, which will increase sensitivity and understanding of the issues, while creating appropriate literature for future use.
In the second part of the proposal, Irish’s classes will use the equipment for real-time science experiments. With the visualizer, he will be able to project small details to the entire classroom and then support the material with student led discussions. Also, several different experiments can be held at one time and then displayed by the students for classroom discussion, allowing more projects to be completed and experienced. Some classroom experiments include viewing the movement of molecules in a cooking experiment or investigating the cells of the human body.
Irish plans to use the digital camera for taking step-by-step pictures of the different experiments. These will be compiled in a book along with detailed written instructions. Students can then use the books for review or to catch up after an absence. Irish feels this will aid his students in solidifying their understanding of experimental concepts and allow them to drive their own curiosity.
Outside of these projects, the two classrooms will also be able to use the equipment for filling out daily planners, correcting classwork and showing example work.
‘We’re very surprised we received this,? said Irish.
‘Let me just say – look at the power of writing,? said Knight to her students after the check presentation.
Knight added that they got the idea from teachers at Lake Orion’s Paintcreek Elementary who were using similar equipment. ‘I saw the wonderful uses it gave the teachers there,? she said, ‘and we wanted to have those same opportunities here.?
The visualizer will cost around $1,000 and the camera around $400. Both are available through vendors contracted with Oakland Public Schools.