Log in

Apopka Memorial Middle School science teacher needs your help

Posted

By Alice Nolan

Many of us are getting tired of where the world is going. The good news is we can change this as a community! It is the beginning of the school year and many kids are getting excited about things such as science, sports, theatre, band, chorus, writing, and school spirit. How does this change the world? Getting the next generation involved in things that are important, having them participate in groups full of diverse minds. This only enhances a world of understanding and change. This makes them think about what is important which is their community and society. Now you are asking how can I help with this I am not an educator, I do not have time with my job and family to take on a big task. Do not worry yourself you do not have too. Donate to many of the programs that are going on today in your community to help kids get excited about their community. If you know of a program that I did not mention, please add it to the comments section.

Apopka Drama Department – Erin Miner – erin.miner@ocps.net

Apopka High School Football – Find a football player and buy their Darter Card!

Apopka Middle School Science – Mr. Morris - https://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/3770017?projects=true

Wekiva High School Extra Curricular Activities – Stephen Furo – Stephen.furo@ocps.net

Boy Scouts – Contact your local Boy Scouts and buy a Scout Card. - http://cflscouting.org/council/

 

 

Alice Nolan is a sixth generation Apopkan who spends many hours donating her time to her community. In 2016 she ran for The Apopka City Commission.

Energize 8th Graders with Snap Circuits

From Ryan Morris/ Apopka Memorial Middle School Science Teacher

Science education is rooted in technology with hands-on learning as the core of many STEM lessons. Many apps have been created that can help harness and disseminate science concepts including Nearpod, BrainPop, Zondle, Socrative and Flubaroo. All of our students have been given access to Google Docs, but with only 2 Chrome carts available for the middle school, securing time on the Chromebooks is rare and often we are plagued with hardware in need of maintenance. With a dedicated set of tablets. I can make sure that my students are able to be more computer literate with an emphasis on using a computer as a tool and not just a social media device. My students will be able to enter data into spreadsheets, create graphs to help them analyze their data and then publish their data by way of formal lab reports and multimedia presentations such as video projects, Prezi and PowerPoint.

My students need access to modern equipment to best learn about series, parallel and more complex circuitry. We need to get of that tangled mess of alligator clips!

My Students

As a teacher in a diverse school district, my students are faced with several challenges both in and out of the classroom. Despite the many challenges they face, I am looking to keep things simple and provide my students with creative and meaningful learning experiences.

My students are a melting pot of many backgrounds, ethnicities and learning styles, yet all are engaged when technology is involved in the learning process.

I want to keep my classroom as engaging and entertaining as possible while maintaining high rigor and even higher level thinking.

Many of the students do not have access to the Internet at home, so using technology at school is their only exposure to this valuable resource.

My Project

At our school, most of our equipment has seen better days. For many of our students, this is the only place to get hands on science education.

We need to replace the tangled web of alligator clips and broken mini light bulbs.

These materials will bring electricity education into the 21st century and make an impact on the students.

Teaching concepts like electricity are a big need in our classroom culture. Many of our students will go on to be engineers or electricians. The foundation of that life long passion can be built with these kits. Instead of beginning with a frustration over faulty equipment.

I currently teach an honors level class of eighth graders. They are highly motivated and intelligent students but they are stuck in the middle. We currently don't have the supplies to accuracy teach concepts like series and parallel circuits, resistance and Ohms Law. These snap circuit kits will make learning these concepts not only easy, but fun to do. We would usually waste 20 minutes passing out materials and organizing the chaos of the wires. These kits will allow students to get straight to labs and investigations without hesitation.

To donate, go here.

Apopka Memorial Middle School

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here