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ABC Community School
Proposal to Keep Technology in Our Schools
Dalisay Shyface
October 11, 2021
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While the school board is contemplating the discontinuation of using technology in
the classroom, I would like to remind them of what their mission is. According to the Clark
County School District website, their mission is to have “All students progress in school and
graduate prepared to succeed and contribute in a diverse global society.” For this to
happen, our students need to have technology readily available to them in the classroom.
Regarding technology in the classroom, The National Center for Education Statistics
says, “Technology opens up many doors for students at all academic levels to do real work
as they study a particular subject. Integrating a curriculum with technology involves making
technology into a tool to enhance learning in a content area or multidisciplinary setting.
The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions, as
accessible as all other classroom tools.” (NCES) The school board is asking that the focus of
instruction be solely on the subjects needed to pass standardized multiple choice
performance exams. This cannot be done without the tool of technology to assist in the
teaching and learning process.
In conclusion, passing standardized tests alone is not going to adequately prepare
our students to succeed in a diverse global society that is led by innovators in technology.
According to a non-profit organization called Technology for the Future, “Technology is our
gateway to creating freedom for all people to achieve their goals.”
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References
U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.) Chapter 7:
Technology Integration, Technology in Schools.
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/tech_schools/chapater7.asp
Clark County School District. Newsroom. (n.d.) https://newsroom.ccsd.net/about/
Technology for the Future. (2021) https://technologyforthefuture.org/
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After comparing the Nevada Computer and Technology standards with the National ISTE
standards, I found that they both encouraged digital collaboration within the classroom as
well as globally. The Nevada standards incorporated the national standards into them, but
they were more specific with the guidelines per grade level. Although they both contained
the same standards, they were worded a bit differently and divided into different sections
of standards. An example of this is Nevada Computer and Technology standard 3 is
Research and Information Fluency, while the ISTE guidelines show 1.3 Knowledge
Constructor. Nevada standard three, under Research and Information Fluency, states
“Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Nevada standard 3
then shows the standard broken down into guidelines A, B, C, & D and then broken down
further for specific grade levels. ISTE standard 1.3, Students critically curate a variety of
resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make
meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others, is broken down into guidelines
1.3a, 1.3b, 1.3c, and 1.3d, but it is not broken down into specific grade levels.
I am choosing ISTE standard 1.3.a, which states, “Students plan and employ effective
research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or
creative pursuits.” The Nevada standard 3.C.8.2, which is specific for 8 th grade students,
says, “Select and justify using appropriate digital resources to accomplish a variety of
tasks.” This is based on the category C(national standard) which says, “Evaluate and select
information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.”
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Lesson Plan: International Vacation Destination Slides
Social Studies-World Geography Grade 8
Technology Content Standard Addressed:
Nevada Computer and Technology standard 3.C.8.2: Select and justify using appropriate
digital resources to accomplish a variety of tasks.
Other Content:
Student SS.6-8.WGGS.28. Analyze and explain the cultural, physical, and environmental
characteristics of places and regions and how these affect the lives of the people who live
there.
Objective:
Students will research a foreign country and city they would like to visit and then create a
Slides presentation (8-10 slides) by using digital tools. The Foreign Country/City chosen
should be a place they have not been to previously. Students will use the 5 themes of
Geography: location, place, region, movement, and human environmental interaction to
guide their investigation.
Materials Needed:
Chromebook with a power point or slides program. WIFI connection to conduct research.
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Suggested Group Size:
2 students will work together to accomplish the objective.
Procedure:
Slide 1 (Title Page): Includes Country and City of vacation destination, name, date, class
period, and an image.
Additional Information pages (slides 2-7): These pages need to include at least 1 image
and a hyperlink on each slide.
Slide 2: Map of Country with the destination city. Include information about physical and
environmental characteristics.
Slide 3: Culture of the people. Include food unique to culture, music, religion.
Slide 4: Population of the city, industry they are known for, and transportation available.
Slide 5: Type of government, money and exchange rate with US dollar
Slides 6-7: Points of interest. Tourist attractions, architecture, geographical sites. Interesting
fact you find during research. Each student should complete one of these slides.
Slide 8: References.
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Assessment:
Due: Sunday by 11:59 PM Points: 100
Submit: A file upload emailed to [email protected] and slide presentation to the class
on date assigned to present.
