| Introduction | Overview | Narratives | Exhibits | Reflections |
Welcome to my Portfolio
Seac41@aol.com
Received MCOATT Award
My Professional Background
My name is Cynthia Hodnicki. I will graduate in May 2002 from the University of Michigan - Dearborn with a BA in Elementary Education. I have earned additional certifications in Social Studies and Language Arts. Before I returned to school, I was a para professional in Special Education for 22 years. As I worked with physically and mentally challenged students, I discovered that the use of technology offered a unique opportunity for these students. The students were able to express themselves and communicate on a level that could not be achieved in a regular classroom setting. This knowledge inspired my goal to master the use of technology in the classroom.
All students can benefit when technology is integrated into the existing curriculum. While I am still a long way from achieving my goal, I have learned a great deal. My participation in the MITTEN project has allowed me to become more confident and comfortable with the use of technology. As you read my portfolio you will see that the use of technology in the classroom can be extremely challenging. However, the most challenging endeavors often prove to be the most rewarding and beneficial to all. :)
The District
During the Winter 2002 Semester, I began my preservice teaching experience in Mrs. Hassoun's third grade classroom at Iris Becker Elementary. Becker Elementary is part of the Dearborn Public School District and is located in east Dearborn. I would like to thank Mrs. Hassoun for her guidance throughout these past months. She welcomed me into her classroom and offered me encouragement along the way.
I would also like to thank the students who are a terrific group of children. We shared a great educational experience and I learned a lot from them. Their enthusiasm was very rewarding. These third grade students were very eager to work with technology but had little experience with it. The majority of the students were not familiar with the internet or the software programs we used. Most of these students do not have access to computers at home.
The Technology
Becker Elementary School is equipped with most of the latest technology. Each classroom in the building has a Macintosh computer with cable connection to the internet and a television which can be accessed by the main office computer. My teacher has a Dell notebook computer which is what I used for the majority of the work because it transferred easily to my PC at home. The school has a computer lab in the media center with 30 Macintosh computers, a teacher's station, and a television. The cable connection between the teacher's station and the television was not working until recently. Network Assistant is used to manage the computer system in the lab. I was taught how to use Network Assistant during the last few weeks of my student teaching term. This knowledge didn't prove as useful as it could have been because the lab had several glitches that needed to be ironed out. During the semester, Kidspiration software was installed on all of the computers and four PCs with cable access were installed in the media center for staff use.
