Our Mobile Science Classroom Presented By David William Hardwick July 18, 2009

Who We Are Hyre Middle School Student Performance School Website 2443 Wedgewood Dr. Akron, Ohio 44312 330-794-4134 Principal – Cindy Wilhite Enrollment – 824 Attendance Rate – 93.4% Economic Disadvantaged – 46% Students with Disabilities – 21% Teachers with Masters – 74.1% Making Middle Schools Work School of Promise Student Performance State Report Card for Years 2007-08 State Report Card – Excellent Performance Index – 92.4% High school credit in honors Geometry, Algebra I and English Accelerated Classes in Core Subjects Intervention and Tutoring Modern Computer Labs

Personnel Involved Mr. David Hardwick Involvement by others Highly Qualified Science Teacher 18 years with Akron Public Schools 5th year at Hyre Middle School 7th grade Science teacher Teaching fellow with COSI & ODNR Successful completion of a vast array of workshops in Science disciplines, student behavior and motivation, technology integration, and instructional design Practices Assertive Discipline Graduate of Kent State University Currently completing a Masters in Instructional Technology at Akron University Involvement by others My goal while implementing this program would be to involve our Technology Director and Science, Math, and Language Arts teachers so that the equipment we purchase from this project is used in more than one discipline We would invite City officials and other from specific departments or agencies to discuss results and concerns based on our findings Invite local newspaper reporters to cover our use of technology in the field Placement of our classroom webpage on the school’s website by APS Technology Department Use of site and equipment for teacher training by various groups and APS Science Department staff Volunteers to help build and maintain stations and trails

Project Focus Click here for project details Incorporate Technology as a means to produce graphic organizers from collected data. Create presentations based on accessed data and pertinent information related to lessons and state standards. Use of sensors and video equipment to take readings, make measurements, conduct calculations, and collect data while outside the regular classroom. Develop reusable lab lesson folders to encourage reusing materials. Expose and train students in web searches, media downloads, and graphic organizer software. Click here for project details ..\Documents\Our Mobile Classroom.doc

Project Objectives Science Perspective Technology Perspective Conduct investigations in the field aligned to required Ohio Science standards. Conduct metric measurements and mathematical calculations. Study biotic and abiotic stream ecosystems in the field. Create an organized folder to manage project data. Present a collaborated team project. Use technology tools to conduct investigations, record and locate data, and create projects. Technology Perspective Employ sensors to collect and record data from the field. Transfer data to computers from portable equipment Employ video and still cameras to collect electronic samples so as not to disturb the ecosystem. Employ audio equipment to record sounds and movement or to invoke responses. Employ software programs to use technology, conduct investigations, and produce a product. Conduct pretests and posttests using teacher designed online evaluations.

Project Timeline Fall/Winter 2009 Spring 2010 Submit Proposal Order equipment Inventory equipment Build lab manuals Present project at Staff Meeting Meet with interested volunteers Meet with local organizations Pretest students Introduce project Teach Fruitvale Unit Train students on equipment Train students with software Spring 2010 Lessons in Ecology Lessons in Biodiversity Conduct field tests Convert data into project Presentation of projects Posttest students Analyze results Share results with Foundation Inventory, send for repair, and store equipment and materials

Project Equipment Purchases Equipment to Purchase with Grant (7) Toshiba Laptop Satellite Laptop with Intel® Celeron® Processor - Onyx Blue L305-S5955 Intel® Celeron® processor 900; 2GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 15.4" widescreen; 160GB hard drive; Windows Vista Home Basic with SP1 Cost per computer $349.99 Total cost = $2449.93 (1) Data Collect Kit COMPLETE WATER QUALITY MONITORING KIT PLUS WATER QUALITY EDUCATOR CD-ROM. ITEM #: TEST-16172 PRICE: $379.95 Equipment Provided by APS Internet service Lab manuals Digital cameras Video cameras Measurement tools Science equipment

Meeting the Needs of Our Students Since our students have limited time and resources to explore the natural environment I feel it imperative that teachers venture outside the standard concrete walls of the classroom. Students at Hyre Middle School have been exposed to many forms of technology at school and home but in more of a learn to use for pleasure or basic skills. My approach to using technology is to build upon these basic skills and apply newly learned information into a format that shows their understanding and application of this knowledge. Many students currently own and use cell phones, digital cameras, computers, and the internet. So, using their learned knowledge I plan to incorporate Science concepts and investigations into labs and lessons where students and teams can tap into this wealth of knowledge. Furthermore, since students will be working in teams they will be using cooperative learning dynamics and be responsible for team training of weak individual skills. Students that score low on pretests will be provided lessons and materials to strengthen their knowledge base to prepare for further assessments.

Who This Grant Impacts? Our Children are Worth Every Cent