Upcoming Technonogy Fundraiser!

Hello parents! I wanted to let all of you know about the upcoming fundraiser that the PTA is putting on. On April 6th, 2012, there will be a carnival to raise money for more computers and technology in the classroom. Your child will be bringing home handouts with information on them but I wanted to use my classroom blog to reach out to all of you in advance.  We would like your help in making this carnival a huge success! We are looking for parents to run booths, donate materials for games or prizes, and to pass out fliers to family, friends and neighbors to encourage them to attend the carnival. 

I understand that many of you might have reservations about having computers and other sorts of technology in the classroom. You probably think that this will just be a way for your kids to play videogames or go on Internet sites like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook while at school. However I want to assure you that will not happen, we will be closely monitoring all children while they are using the computers and no child will be unsupervised while on the computers. There are great advantages to using technology in the classroom; in studies by the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET) they found that it can "influence student academic performance, develop higher order thinking and problem solving, improve student motivation, attitude and interest in learning" and also "help prepare students for the workforce" (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p.15).


I am sure you are wondering if this fundraiser will directly benefit your child, and I am here to tell you it will! If the fundraiser meets our monteary goal your child's algebra class will recieve an interactive whiteboard with projector, a new classroom computer and a copy of Microsoft Office. The interactive whiteboard will help with lessons and activities, as it will give students a chance to learn and practice new math concepts as a class. With our new computer and microsoft office your child will learn to graph and chart information in Excel and they will have lessons that are written in Powerpoint!

I encourage you all to get involved in this great event! If you have any questions that I have not answered in this blog, please feel free to post them in the comments section. I will answer all questions as soon as possible and I welcome your input and discussion about the carnival or the new technology for the classroom! Have a great week, and don't forget to wish your child a happy Pi day on 3/14!

References:

Roblyer, M.D., Doering, A. (2010). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. (5^th Ed.) Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is an assignment for an educational technology course at National University. It is not a real functioning blog.