Sara Kraus

Since I was hired at West Holt High School in 2005, I believe I have tried to integrate as much technology as budget and teacher willingness would allow.  It is a goal of mine to continue to request and raise funds to improve and update the equipment my students and co-workers use.

My biggest obstacle is reluctance from some of my co-workers. I understand that some of them are nervous or fear they won't know how to use it.  Others don't feel they have the time to learn how to use it.  My goal is to show them how much time this technology can SAVE them!

I feel this is relevant to my master's program because my classmates have been great resources and advisors.  It is so convenient to be able to post, "What kind of video recorders do the coachees at your school use? What would you recommend?" on the discussion board and have several educated responses and opinions.

This is some of the equipment I've purchased in the past 4 years:

HDD Camcorders:  This progressed from a VHS camcorder to Hi-8 camcorders to MiniDV camcorders and now I have 2 Sony Handycam HDD Camcorders with One-Touch Disc Burn and 2 more approved for next school year.

Multi-Copier:  I was burning up DVD recorders at a rate of approximately 3 per year.  Coaches would need 5 copies of each game to send for scouting reports and I couldn't keep up!  I purchased a recorder that will make 3 copies of a DVD within 5 minutes.  It is so user-friendly I've even taught most of the coaches how to do it themselves.

DVD Recorders:  When I was hired, everything was in VHS format.  I purchased the first DVD player for the school and since then every classroom has been outfitted with a TV/VCR/DVD combo.  My storage room went from 20 cases of VHS tapes to 1 case of DVD spindles. 

Digital SLR Camera and Flash:  The first digital camera was purchased for the school in 2005.  It was a simple point and shoot camera.  Since then the school has purchased a Canon EOS XTi with several lenses and flashes.  We have purchased a light kit and now do our own prom portraits instead of hiring a professional with high cost to the students. 

External Hard Drives:  All yearbook photographs are stored on portable hard drives and backed up every Friday.  This way we have several for the yearbook class to retrieve pictures from and if one goes bad (as happens more than one might think) we always have several back-up copies.  The students can also check them out and bring them home to work on their yearbook pages on the weekends using the online design program.

Photoshop Program and Textbooks:  Every year there are a few students who show talent in graphic design and photo manipulation.  We now have 4 stations with Adobe Photoshop installed and self-paced guidebooks for those students.

Graphing Calculators:  When I began teaching Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B (a more hands-on Algebra course divided into 2 years to spend more time on the topics), those students were not allowed to use the graphing calculators that the students in the "real math classroom" were provided.  I scoured eBay and managed to eventually get 12 TI-83 graphing calculators for under $100 all together.  They have been an incredible asset to my classroom!

Portable Interactive White Board with Mounted Projector:  I float to empty classrooms to have my math classes.  Most of those classrooms have SMARTboards and I have been self-taught on them.  I can't imagine teaching without one.  Students who miss class can get printed copies of everything that was shown on the SMARTboard.  The interactive activities are invaluable.  I can prepare lessons at night that I can open and display, rather than waste time writing on the board in class.  My requisition for a portable SMARTboard with mounted projector has been approved.  I am going to have all of my classes in the media center which will keep my more organzied and help the students with a signle location for turning in papers and finding me for help.

POLYCOM VSX7000:  I am still learning about this, but so far we have experienced a live interactive presentation by Pearl Harbor veterans given in Hawaii.  The students could ask questions and speak directly with the veterans, an experience they would probably never have otherwise.  Some students took part in a chocolate dessert lesson with the cart in the school kitchen so they could create the desserts along with the host.

Flatscreen TV:  A flatscreen television has been hung in our front hallway and my yearbook students create presentations with PowerPoint or Windows Movie Maker to loop throughout the school day and when activities are taking place at the school.

MP3 Player:  My Women's Fitness and Nutrition class lifts weights 2-3 days each week.  We found it difficult to find CD's with lyrics that are appropriate for a school setting.  I purchased a Microsoft Zune and we spent a class period making a playlist of songs with approved lyrics.