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Dave Nosanchuk
Student teacher
Central Middle School
University of Michigan-Dearborn

Welcome to the finest math at Central Middle School!

• My name is Dave Nosanchuk, and I am a graduate student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.  I am in the Master of Arts in Teaching program preparing to become a secondary mathematics teacher.

• Three years ago, I decided to make a career change from a software engineer to becoming a math teacher.  I initiated this career change because the computer industry was no longer fulfilling for me.  I feel best when I am helping others and I feel that I will be able to contribute more as a math teacher than as a software developer.  I welcome the challenge of making a positive impact on the minds of school-aged children.

• I am student teaching at Central Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan, working with Tanya Mackrain, a veteran mathematics teacher who currently teaches 7th and 8th grade math.  We are participanting in UM-D's MITTEN program which promotes the integration of technology into the K-12 curriculum.  I will complete my student teaching assignment in December 2003.
  

• Prior to student teaching, I worked at Oakland Community College as a math tutor and a study group leader.

• Central Middle school is located in downtown Plymouth, Michigan.

• Central Middle School is one of five middle schools in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.

• Plymouth-Canton Schools educate close to 16,000 students per year.

• Approximately 650 students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are educated at Central Middle School.

• Central Middle School has a diverse socio-economic, ethnic, and religious student population.

• There is one computer lab available for use by all teachers which contains 30 computers.  All computers have internet access.

• There is a Media Center which is home to an additional 20 computers with internet access for use by all teachers.

• Each classroom has two computers with internet access and a classroom monitor.

• At the beginning of my student teaching, I used the CEO Forum's Interactive School Technology and Readiness Chart (STaR chart) to assess Central Middle School's curricular technology integration.  Overall, I found Central Middle School to be at Mid Tech level.  The following is a breakdown in five specific areas: 

Hardware: High Tech
Connectivity: Low Tech
Content: Mid Tech
Professional Development: Low Tech
Integration and Use: Mid Tech

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