It is amazing to see the level of technology used in the manufacturing company, Wright Foods.  Prior to this summer experience, I must admit that I had a very old-fashioned opinion of what a manufacturing plant would look like on the inside. I was completely mistaken.   As I mentioned in my “About my Fellowship” page blog, this factory contains state-of-the-art technology and it has allowed for record-breaking production! What seems to be a simple concept has revolutionized the way food will be packaged and stored- promoting a higher quality of food nutrition and flavor while extending the shelf life. There is so much within the walls of this manufacturing plant that I want to take back with me to the classroom!!! Throughout the day, I continue to pull my small notepad out of my back pocket and I jot down a note…just a few keywords…but these words begin to evolve in my mind. What started as an interesting fact that I learned while shadowing, or description of a particular piece of equipment- I began to think about how to incorporate it into my science class- how to take it back in its most pure form so that my students can recognize how amazing the concept/science/technology is even though they could not experience it firsthand.

There is so much that I want my students to take away from this summer experience (even though I still have so much more to learn this summer!). Some aspects can easily be incorporated in our day-to-day discussions…providing real-world application for simple science processes that my students learn about and conduct in their own science labs. For example, the importance of properly handling an analytical balance, and zeroing out the scale when you have an empty beaker so that the only mass measured is the contents within. Other aspects are going to take more work to incorporate, and these are the ones I want to focus on within my new curriculum. As I begin to formulate a plan of action, I am imagining a very hands-on, lab-based curriculum. Following NCCAT and my work at Wright Foods, I am also quite positive that my curriculum will also include probeware, other lab equipment that we currently do not use in the classroom, and computers/tablets! Due to the fact that I work at a low income area, my students do not traditionally have access to Internet or computers in their own homes. I also work within a school that has a computer lab and two class sets of laptops that can be checked out. Here lies my greatest challenge- providing my students with the technology necessary to complete certain activities, lessons, and research that I think are highly valuable to their educational experience. I have been contemplating this for a while, and as I continue to move forward in this fellowship, I believe that it will become very necessary for me to apply for a technology grant. If I can apply for a grant that will provide my science classrooms with computers, it will open up an entirely new level of education that otherwise may not be reached. My students will be able to complete more scientific research, we will be able to access more probeware, and we will be able to use so many of the tools and apps that I learned about at NCCAT. I am confident in the technology that we currently use in the classroom, but I’m looking forward to the possibility of new technologies that will expand our horizons and possibilities!