Schools seeking donations in Indiana
North High School - Heather Swader writes: The room I teach in has no computers at all which makes it difficult to complete a lot of the lesson plan ideas I wish I could use in my classroom. Our school does have a computer lab and a traveling laptop that teachers can sign up for to use in their classes but space is limited in the labs and both opportunities are in high demand. It is often very hard to always find time for my classes to go into the lab or have a laptop rented out for the day. My students have shown a huge interest in many activities that require a computer such as: research, putting together student presentations, playing online/teacher made review games, etc. Without always having access to a computer these activities are limited. Whenever technology is brought into the classroom, my students interest levels are peaked and they are much more willing to participate fully in the lesson.
Having a classroom computer can benefit my students in many ways! I often like students to be able to choose an assignment out of a few I have provided for them. This lets students choose activities that best suit their learning style. If I could have activities on a computer incorporated into my lesson choices I would be offering yet another path for students to learn. For example, instead of having a student write a paper on a particular subject I could have them complete a Webquest online instead. A lot of my students don't have computers at home and their experience with technology is limited. Giving my students the opportunity to create presentations or write writing prompts responses on a computer will only increase their knowledge and prepare them more for their future outside of high school. I also like to use computers to enhance my classroom instruction time. For example, when my Government class was studying the three branches of government I took them on a Virtual Tour of the Capital Building through another teacher's borrowed computer. We also looked at our Congressman's website.
The donation of a computer will guarantee interactive learning within my classroom. You will make it possible for my students to have the opportunity to learn in a way that is often limited currently in our classroom. The introduction of a permanent computer in the classroom will help promote higher levels of learning while introducing new avenues for learning that they don't presently have! Any PC computers would be welcome. Printer and/or scanner would be great also! If you can help, please e-mail Ms. Swader or call 812-435-8385, ext. 283