A teacher's perspective

Guest post from Emily Law, a 4/5 grade teacher at our school
In my first year as a teacher at Flynn, I am excited by the potential I see for success.  Teaching upper grades with such a diverse group of students has really allowed me to get a glimpse of the interests and passions that exist in these young minds.  However, it is difficult as a teacher to be unable to foster the level of learning they deserve because of a lack of technology.  I would love to be able to work with students on research-based projects where as a class we can investigate questions they have in science, social studies, math, and reading and language arts.  One project I would like to be able to do with my students is to have them research using the Internet and create power point presentations to display their findings.  This can be done in any of the subject areas but would be especially powerful for my students in science and language arts.  I also would love to be able to teach math lessons using online resources and visuals that would help students really grasp the material we're learning.  

I have been fortunate enough to student teach and work in a few technology schools where students had access to computers, laptops, LCD projectors, and document cameras - the results were phenomenal!  When you give students technology it allows them to ask and answer questions you would have never imagined they could.  I became an educator to help teach the next generation of innovative thinkers and problem solvers.  My students are the ones who will be asked to solve the problems of tomorrow and it makes me sad to think that I cannot currently give them the tools to meet this challenge.  Technology is a huge part of our world in the 21st century, and if I can't give my kids access to this tool and train them for success, what does that mean for their future?  Having access to technology in the classroom would revolutionize teaching and learning in my room.  My students are amazing and will continue doing amazing work with any resources we have. However, I hope soon to be able to offer them the resources and technology to really take their learning to a whole new level.  These students are some of the best and the brightest, all we have to do is give them the tools for success and they can take on the rest themselves.