I tell my students that my wish for them is that they will have a job that they like as much as I like mine. The Igniting Spark Computers have brought the biggest change to my classroom in the past 10 years. Now, even the student with horrible handwriting can type an essay that, in appearance at least, equals that of the best student. The reluctant learner with a passion for sketching race cars can write about them using information from the Web and illustrate his work with original drawings. An 8th grade skier searching for background on Picabo Street for an Olympics project can talk to her via the Internet.
Students can e-mail Chinese pen pals as part of a cultural exchange.
As one teacher with 90 students, I could never provide the variety of help necessary to spark the curiosity of my students without the aid of technology. Apart I have been teaching elementary school for just over a decade. I spent my first year at Fort Irwin Elementary School near Barstow, California, where I taught 5th grade, averaging a little more than 21 students in class. Two of my students were the children of fellow teachers, the rest were children of Army personnel. When I needed a conference with a parent, their commanding officer made it a priority for them to attend-at my convenience.