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Amy Burke
(Student Teacher)
Welcome to my Electronic Portfolio!
Professional Background:
My name is Amy Lynn Burke and I am currently a student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I will be graduating in December 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, and I will also be certified to teach math and science through eighth grade. I have had a lot of classroom experience in the Dearborn, Detroit, Riverview, Taylor, Trenton, and Woodhaven school districts. I am currently student teaching in a fourth grade classroom at Yake Elementary School in Woodhaven, Michigan. I am an active participant in the Michigan Teachers' Technology Education program (MITTEN), the Michigan Council of Teacher's of Mathematics, and the Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society and Professional Association in Education.
Woodhaven Public School District:
The Woodhaven-Brownstown Public School District contains five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The Woodhaven-Brownstown Public School District also covers an area of 22 square miles and is a Title 1 school district. Woodhaven and Brownstown are growing communities that make up part of the downriver area in southeastern Michigan.
Yake Elementary School:
I am fortunate to have attended Yake Elementary School when I was going through school. I am very excited to give back to my own students what my teachers at Yake once gave to me. Yake proudly represents the Gators and accompany the colors green and white. Yake contains approximately 454 students between kindergarten through fifth grade.
Teaching Environment:
I am student teaching in one of three fourth grade classrooms at Yake with Mrs. Katie Snyder. Katie and I are relatively confident and experienced in using technology, however, integrating technology into a unit plan will be a new challenge for both of us. This is the first time MITTEN has been introduced at Yake and throughout the entire Woodhaven-Brownstown School District. In our classroom we have 27 eager to learn students, 15 girls and 12 boys, who fill the classroom with a wide range of cultural backgrounds, learning styles, and creativity. For the first time ever, the fourth grade has decided to rotate classrooms according to ability level for math. In our math class, we have students who are at a medium to high math ability level.
Technology Available:
(Pre- Construction)
According to the CEO Forum's STaR Chart Assessment, Yake is considered to be a Medium Tech school. There is one Tech Specialist throughout the entire district and a librarian located in every school. As of right now, there is one computer lab in every school too.
1. Hardware: Mid
Tech
2. Connectivity: Low Tech
3. Content: Low Tech
4. Professional Development: Low Tech
5. Integration and Use: Low Tech
Average: Mid Tech level
Although Yake is a Mid Tech School, my cooperating teacher and I felt it was necessary to see how technologically proficient our 27 students were in our own classroom. We gave each student a Computer Survey so we could plan our lessons according to our students' individual needs and experiences using technology.
The schools in the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District are currently undergoing construction. Once the construction at Yake is finished, Yake will be able to have full integration of technology into the curriculum in all content areas to further the students' learning.
Present day technology at Yake:
- One Mac computer per classroom
- A fully equipped computer lab with 32 Compaq laptops
- 2 digital cameras
- DVD player and burner
- 5 television monitors with VCRs
- Laser Disc Player
- One LCD projector
- Multiple overhead projectors
- Calculators
- Scanner
- Laser Disc Player
- Alpha Smarts
- Sound systems with microphones