DECEMBER 4TH, 2019

Dear Clark County School Board,

I am a fellow teacher from ABC Community School with concern for the future students
at my school. I am writing you this letter to help you understand the importance of technology at
ABC Community School. We have heard that due to looming budget cuts, you plan to
discontinue using technology in the classroom, and concentrate instruction solely on the topics
needed to pass standardized multiple-choice performance exams. Classrooms have been built
with the same structure and same learning environments for the past 70 years. It is my goal to
continue to revitalize learning in the classroom. For as long as schools have existed, teachers
have been the main source of knowledge in the classroom. In 2019 we have more resources at
our fingertips than ever before.
Technology can transform the learning of students with things that cannot be done with
paper and pencil. There are new apps today that are project based so we can let kids run free to
create something and not just play games. We need technology in the hands of kids when they
need it and where they need it. Technology must be in each classroom not just in a computer lab.
Other schools are still banning cellphones at school and this is actually hindering learning.
Schools are still blocking YouTube as a search engine. Did you know YouTube is the number
one used search engine for children in grades 5 through 12? So much learning is lost when we
block all these resources from our students. Today students have never lived in a time without
WIFI or cellphones. Today technology is the language in which students speak.
Over 90% of employers today now use social media in some way, to either recruit or hire
employees. So, if our students are leaving our school without proper understanding of
technology, and do not have a positive digital footprint on social media, they only have a 10%
chance of actually getting a job. I want to challenge my students to go Google themselves and
like what they see.
Another goal we should be focused on is connecting our students globally. A virtual field
trip is now just a few clicks away. You can take your students to the Great Wall of China or the
Eiffel Tower. Learning is no longer limited to just our classroom, school, state, or even our
planet. You can take your students on a virtual fieldtrip to the stratosphere or the moon. We can
do a Google Hangout with children from a classroom in Berlin to expose our students new and
different cultures. Do not let ABC Community School be the 4 walls that hold kids back and
limit their learning. Break down those walls and go global.
Standardized testing might have a valid place in our school, but we need to start assessing
students and teachers in other ways as well. Assess our children on their creativity, collaboration,
critical thinking, and communication skills. Assess my students on their digital literary skills and
other skills they will need when they graduate, to be successful employees and citizens. We need
to make sure our schools and classrooms are as engaging, responsive, and dynamic as the world
around us.
“A potential benefit of technology is the reduction in social and emotional distance
between student with disabilities, their peers, teachers, and the rest of the world. Social media
offer a psychologically safe space that enables social interactions via multiple channels. The
anonymity of social media may make students with disabilities more open to socialize with
others and more willing to ask for help online than in face-to-face situations. Online SNS
designed specifically for students with learning and intellectual disabilities, such as Special
Friends Online, help special education students and their caretakers connect with one another.”
(Pg.80)
 I hope this explanation can show the importance of learning with technology in the
future. Please take this letter into consideration before making your final decision to discontinue
the use of technology at ABC Community School.

Sincerely Yours,

Destiny Winn

Gray, T., Silver-Pacuilla, H. (2011). Breakthrough Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from
https://csn-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-
explore/fulldisplay?docid=01UNLV_COSN_ALMA5151847060004084&context=L&vid=CSN
&lang=en_US&search_scope=EVERYTHING&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&isFrbr=t
rue&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,importance%20of%20technology%20students&offset
=0
 Identification of Standards
A very important standard to me is creativity and innovation. Students demonstrate
creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using
technology. The National standards are not broken down by learning groups like the standards
Nevada has made for the state. The national indicators say to expand creativity and innovation
we must apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or processes. Create original
works as a means of personal or group expression. Use models and simulations to explore
complex systems and issues. Now the state agrees and has the same standards for all age groups.
They alter or add a few more words but the principles are the same for creativity and innovation.
Communication and Collaboration standards state that students use digital media and
environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support
individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. National standards think we should
Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences
using a variety of media and formats. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by
engaging with learners of other cultures. But the state differs here and has ideas for each age
group. For elementary school we should describe appropriate media and formats for specific
audiences. Also describe a variety of ways to interact and contribute to a digital product. For
middle school we can create digital products in formats appropriately targeted to specific
audiences or purposes. Choose a method of electronically interacting for a specific goal or
purpose. Lastly the states standards for high school students is to critique appropriateness of
digital formats for audiences and purposes. Justify method of electronically interacting for a
specific goal or purpose.
I strongly believe that our standards need to be different for elementary, middle, and high
school. The students are at different stages of life and learn information differently at each of
these stages in school, therefore the standards must differentiate. As teachers it is our goal to
make sure students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of
purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.
We can help students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired
objectives of their creation or communication. Students need to publish or present content that
customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
I want to focus my teaching on preschool or kindergarteners because they are the
beginning stage of school and I think the first step is the most important one. Things we teach
our little preschoolers will go on with them for the rest of their lives. We must make sure we are
meeting these national and state standards in our curriculum, and even go above and beyond to
give these students as much assistance as possible; to have a successful future in education and in
life.
The most important standard that I want to work on with my students is to be global
collaborators. Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by
collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. Children in our
classrooms come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. It is important we engage with
them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning. Diversity among students in
education directly impacts their performance. Studies show that students work better in a diverse
environment, enabling them to concentrate and push themselves further when there are people of
other backgrounds working alongside them.
 LESSON PLAN:
Name of lesson: A Day in The Life

Grade Level Appropriateness: 2nd grade

Technology Content Standard Addressed: Students use digital tools to connect with learners
from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual
understanding and learning.

Other Content Standard Addressed: The children will have basic knowledge of reading and
writing. This activity is meant to show students how photos help tell a story in a book. The
pictures provide information but are not enough to tell the reader everything you want them to
know without adding text. To develop a close attachment between young children and their
families demands family involvement. Teachers should consider each child’s unique
circumstances, respect each family, and encourage involvement between families and preschools
to help with a child’s academic success and later school achievement. Family members and
teachers must work together. Preschool experiences build on and extend what children learn at
home. In turn, children’s learning in school is extended and continued in the home.

Objective: I want the children to learn creative ways to develop their writing skills and their
vocabulary. I want the children to have a photo shoot and create an illustrated book about their
lives.

Materials needed to facilitate the lesson: disposable cameras, construction paper, glue,
pencils/crayons/colored pencils, and stapler.

Suggested group size: 1-2 students can work together

Procedures: First the teacher would need to get the children familiar with how to use a simple
disposable camera. Some children might already know how to take a photo and can help show
the other children what to do. We will go over how to rotate the film after taking a photo to go to
the next slot. There are numbers on top of disposable cameras to show how many photos are left
to take. The teacher will also have to show them how they cannot have their fingers in the way of
the flash, or it will mess up the photo and moving while taking a picture will make it come out
blurry. Once they have become familiar, they will get sent home with a disposable camera for the
parents to help out with. They should take pictures of things of interest at home. The pictures are
to tell us about their life in an illustrated book they are going to make. They can take pictures of
a neighborhood friend, or family member, a special place at home, or maybe a favorite toy. Then
we will get the pictures developed and label each child's prints. We will glue a picture to each
page of construction paper and then staple them together to make a book. With the blank space
on each page the children can then write what the picture is meant to portray and how it goes
with their story. The students will then read their books to the classmates and can take them
home to share with family.

Assessment: This project will be graded out of 10 points. There will be 5 areas of the project
that are to be met and are worth 2 points each to total the 10. Creativity, family involvement,
completeness, at least 5 pages long with 1 photo per page, and spelling and grammar.
 STUDENT SAMPLE:
A Day in The Life

Page 1 Page 2

HELLO, MY NAME IS DESTINY WINN. I AM 28 YEARS

OLD. I AM SEEKING MY ASSOCIATES DEGREE FROM
THIS IS MY BOYFRIEND JACOB GOOCHE. HE IS 24
CSN TO BECOME A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER.
YEARS OLD. WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 7
YEARS. HE IS MY SOULMATE.

Page 3 Page 4

THIS IS MY DAUGHTER KEKE. SHE IS 3 YEARS OLD. SHE IS THIS IS MY SON BEAR. HE IS 4 YEARS OLD. HE IS A SPECIAL
AN ORANGE TABBY CAT. FEMALE TABBY CATS ARE VERY BREED OF PITBULL CALLED CHOCOLATE RED NOSE. KEKE IS
RARE. SHE LOVES TO EAT AND PLAY. HIS BEST FRIEND AND HE LOVES TO PLAY WITH HER.