Mrs. Awad-Jumah

"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery."
--Mark Van Doren

Salina Intermediate School
Principal Glenn Maleyko

Ruvaid, Abdullah, Falah, Khaled, Sawsan and Aidah just chillin!

Mr. Micheal Nemeth-Student Teacher






 

Welcome to My E-Portfolio!

Hello, my name is Amal Awad-Jumah!  I am currently a 4th grade teacher at Salina Intermediate School in Dearborn, Mi.  I have been teaching for 15 years now! For more information,  please click on the links below!

Professional Background

I obtained an associates degree in 1984 from WCCC.  Then, I attended Wayne State University where I obtained my bachelors degree in education in 1987.  My major was science and my minor was mathematics.  After that, I obtained my masters degree in Bilingual Education in 1997.  Finally, In 1998, I earned a bilingual endorsement. 

 I became interested in technology after I attended a MiClimb  training seminar in 2001.  After that, I attended many MiClimb training sessions on my own and became a Michigan certified trainer myself!  I conducted six training sessions for other teachers.  Then, I began using more software applications and integrating technology into my lesson plans whenever possible. 

I have conducted several technology based training sessions for other teachers.  As mentioned above, MiClimb training sessions, Microsoft Outlook (e-mail) training.  Also, on March 31st, April 1 and April  2, 2004,  I was involved in the Salina Technology Camp which is technology training for other teachers from all over the U.S.A.  I was a presenter for three training sessions.  The title of my session was, "Integrating Technology Into the Curriculum".

I am currently pursuing a Computer Application Certificate from HFCC and I am attending numerous technology workshops and, of course, I am in the MITTEN Program at the University of Michigan! 

My ultimate goal is to obtain a COATT Certificate and to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) while I'm still teaching!

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Learning Environment

Salina Intermediate School is located in the Southend of Dearborn City.  The area is comprised of  almost 100% Middle Eastern immigrants.  The majority of  our student population is of Yemeni and Iraqi background .  Also, the majority  have been in the country for a short time.  Two out of three parents are illiterate in Arabic and/or English.  We have a 90% poverty rate based on the number of students who receive free breakfast and lunch. 

Some families suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and are considered to be victims of torture (per a federal grant received by  the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services to work with some of our families.)  There is no public transportation to and from the Southend, a geographically isolated area, which impedes the ability to seek and sustain employment. 

Since our students are so isolated from other areas in Dearborn, we have began a partnership with another school in the west end of Dearborn.  The project is called the "Salina-Long Partnership".   Salina students are interacting with kids from the west end (Long Elementary) via field trips, technology projects and e-mail accounts that were especially set-up for the two classes participating in this project. We were also featured in the local Dearborn paper, "The Press and Guide".  Finally, we are going to be getting a Live-Cam which will enable students to see and talk to each other in "Real Time". 

Many children have "never been schooled" or have had inadequate schooling.  Medical and dental care are minimal due to lack of insurance or knowledge of good practices.  The majority of students qualify for bilingual services based on low LAS scores and/or falling below the 40th percentile on the Tera Nova standardized test.  Almost 80% of students are functioning below grade level. Six of my students receive special education services, social work services, speech  and/or  language services.

Most of my students do not have any access to home computers.  Those students who do use the computers have very limited skills.  They are not independent users and still require a great deal of assistance!

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Technological Environment

Despite the facts, Salina is still a high tech school and is a "Science and Technology Theme School".    Our goal is to integrate science and technology throughout the curriculum.  We have found that by using technology and a variety of educational software with our bilingual students, it profoundly effected students'  motivation, progress, comprehension and success!

We have two computer labs in the school.  They each have approximately 20 student computer stations with Kidspiration, Inspiration, MS Office, Hyperstudio, MediaBlender, ImageBlender, i-Movie, i-Photo and Appleworks  software installed. We also have an LCD computer projector in each of the computer labs and almost every computer in the school has internet access (Internet Explorer).

In addition, we have three digital video cameras in the building with editing software, three other LCD computer projectors for school use, two laser color  printer and a scanner.  Every classroom has a new 36" TV monitor.

The second computer lab has recently  been rewired and updated due to a technology  bond that was passed in  the city of Dearborn (2003).  We anticipate more student computers in our classrooms, in the near future.

Also, everything will be networked to accommodate the Media Delivery System.  This system includes four VCR's, three DVD's, a life camera, a PowerPoint slide show of school news, and offers a lot of video and audio capabilities for the teachers. 

In my classroom, I am working on creating a "Mini-Lab". We have three MAC desktops, two PC desktops, one Mac laptop and two printers.  Some of the software installed includes:  Appleworks, ImageBlender, MediaBlender,  Hyperstudio, Kidpix, Kidspiration and MS Office.  Finally, I have two printers, my very own digital video camera (purchased with my own funds) and I am proud to say that I have my  very own digital camera from a workshop I attended!

According to the CEO Forum's Interactive School Chart  (STaR Chart) that I used to assess Salina School's  curricular technology integration, I found Salina School to be a High Tech level school.  The following are the specific areas that were assessed:

1. Hardware: High Tech 
2. Connectivity: Mid Tech 
3. Content: High Tech 
4. Professional Development: High Tech 
5. Integration and Use: Mid Tech