My Turn
Natural Chemistry with Technology

A Maryland teacher never thought she'd be turning technology loose in her classroom.

By Alma Coggs Smith

I never thought I'd be leading the chorus singing the praises of using technology in the classroom. But here I am, doing just that.

Although I recognized over the past several years that technology was becoming increasingly important in all types of fields, I didn't see that I needed to use too much technology in my own high school classroom.

Still, last spring, I was curious enough about what technology could do for me and my students that I decided to enroll in the Intel Teach to the Future program.

This program provides 40 hours of professional development in 10 four-hour modules, plus 20 hours of take-home activities to supplement the training. Each participant creates student samples, evaluation tools, and support materials for one curricular unit. The unit's objectives are matched against state frameworks and content standards.

What I liked best about the training is that it didn't seem like training, and it sure wasn't like most professional development courses I've gone to over my two decades of teaching.

No, this was a real learning experience, taught by teachers who were trained in technology, helping other teachers who weren't, to use some new tools to help them teach. The tools include integrating multimedia into daily lesson plans and using Internet search engines to find information.

One of the stipulations of the Intel training is that I agree to train other teachers. This gave me the chance to help 13 other teachers get a little more comfortable with technology during training last fall. What a great class it was.

One teacher developed instructional multimedia presentations that explain how to build a mousetrap racecar, a catapult, and water bottle rockets. Another teacher and her students included their own beautiful drawings of the monsters of Beowulf in their multimedia presentations. We all learned so much.

While the technology has helped me, what really counts is how it's energized my students.

I think my chemistry curriculum holds more interest and fascination for students now. For instance, after studying glucose metabolism in the human body, students began studying diabetes by searching for information about the disease on the Internet and using appropriate software to develop presentations about the various types of diabetes.

Last November, when the anthrax scare struck our area, we discussed students' fears and concerns. Some students developed informative multimedia presentations about the cause, transmission, and treatment of anthrax. They presented their findings to the school Parent-Teacher-Student Association and two computer conventions.

My students are now willing to spend more time studying a given research topic. They're reading more and enjoying it. They're utilizing tools that make researching, writing, and revising easier. I think they're more creative now that they've learned some technological tricks. They share more ideas with each other. Now, when students receive research assignments they become the "producers" of the project, infusing their own creativity and individuality into the synthesis of their very own multi-media production.

I have witnessed the delight in their eyes as they patiently search for pictures that will embellish their presentation. Incorporating multimedia into my curriculum has motivated my students to become engaged and active learners. There are few, if any, discipline problems.

I recently came across a statistic that only 33 percent of teachers reported feeling well prepared to use technology and that only about 20 percent of money spent on training is directed toward staff development.

The Intel training program addresses both issues, benefitting teachers and students. I'm hooked on technology.

Alma Coggs Smith teaches chemistry at Surrattsville High School about 30 miles from Washington, D.C. Write her at almas@pgcps.org. For details on the Intel Teach to the Future program, go to www.intel.com/education/teach.

Editor's Note

We spend about a dime a copy to get each issue of NEA Today into the hands of NEA's 2.6 million members eight times a year, so we pay a lot of attention to what's going on with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

Our mailing costs could go up considerably if the Postal Service Board of Governors approves a proposed 12 to 15 percent rate hike for periodicals.

The recent anthrax scare and the related expenses that the Postal Service has incurred for the cost of tightening mail security have added to the size of its billion-dollar budget deficit. Congress did appropriate some $700 million to offset at least some of these extra expenses. The USPS still estimates it will lose somewhere around a billion dollars without significant reduction of costs and increases in fees.

The latest thinking from experts who watch over postal issues for us is that the 12 to 15 percent rate hike will take effect this spring. We're hoping that the May issue of NEA Today will already be in the mail by the time the rate hike kicks in, saving the Association thousands of dollars.

While we can't control things like postal rate hikes, there are things we are doing to reduce postal expenses.

For one, copies of NEA Today are commingled for mailing with other commercial publications from the same printer to qualify for reduced postal rates. Copies of the magazine are also sorted to 9-digit zip codes, which also saves postal costs.

Controlling other costs, especially the cost of paper and printing, also yields savings that can help offset postal hikes. A few years ago, we switched to inkjetting mailing addresses onto each copy, thus eliminating the extra step of preparing paper labels and attaching them in the binding process.

We'll continue to stay current with other potential money-saving techniques.