05/06/04

Hi, my name is Christopher Kmiotek.  I am a graduate from Stony Brook University where my major was Biochemistry with a strong emphasis in Mathematics.  I am currently pending certification in both Chemistry and Mathematics, and I wish to teach at the high school level.  My main interest is teaching Chemistry, and in particular I enjoy teaching students about Nuclear Chemistry, because it is controversial and many people are misinformed about the subject.  I have secondary interests in Nutritional Biochemistry, which is a topic that is highly researched and also controversial.

            Microsoft PowerPoint is the main instructional technology that I have used in the classroom.  I feel it is a powerful tool that can easily be used by any teacher.  I have used PowerPoint to do quite a few lessons, including lessons on beginning Biochemistry, uses of radioisotopes, and molecular modeling.  I also created some PowerPoint shows on Marine Science topics when I was a teacher assistant.  The Marine Science shows contained many ocean images and were well liked by the students.

            My topic for the PowerPoint project will be Nuclear Chemistry (which is a broad subject).  The resources provided will concentrate on that topic.  The resources available for the topic of Nuclear Chemistry are substantial.  There is hundred’s of websites and dozens of programs that offer information about one or more topics in the area of Nuclear Chemistry.  Some website are broad and general in their explanation if Nuclear Chemistry and offer small amounts of information about each topic.  Many websites are more specific on particular topics that are integral to Nuclear Chemistry.  A few sites offer fun and interactive software that is run off the website.  These programs allow students to visually perceive some nuclear concepts like nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and radioactivity.  Available on some of the websites listed in the table 1 below are excellent pictures that clearly demonstrate many concepts in Nuclear Chemistry.

            Currently most of the Chemistry software is expensive and is essentially restricted to research laboratories.  A few programs I have found are exceptional resources for a teacher.  Two programs in particular, listed on table 2, which work in Microsoft Word, help teachers prepare lessons, create worksheets and draw chemical and nuclear structures.  Another program, called Chemlab, creates a virtual Chemistry laboratory on the computer.  Chemlab can allow teacher to perform expensive and dangerous experiments safely on the computer with no risks to the students or the teacher.  Nuclear Chemistry is a topic that divisive and hotly debated.  There are some popular discussion boards where students can argue and respond to messages left by people.  Some topics discussed are nuclear power, nuclear waste and radioisotopes.

            Teaching any subject using technology has both advantages and disadvantages.  The main challenge of using technology in the classroom is costs and expenditures.  Many technological innovations for the classroom are both expensive and difficult to implement.  Most schools do not have the resources to purchase, repair, and maintain the computers and software necessary to properly teach science using technology.  When the subject is Science and Nuclear Chemistry in particular, the software and machines required are quite expensive.  The huge expenditures necessary prohibits most schools from using the technology. 

Another challenge is the lack of teacher training in the use of instructional technology.  Many teachers are not computer literate, and come from schools of thought where technology is not accepted for instruction.  Additionally most teachers do not have access to the training needed to be successful practitioners of instructional technology.  Another problem with some educational software, and Chemistry simulations to be exact, is that students lose many sensations that are gained through practical laboratory experience.  Doing Chemistry in a laboratory stimulates many senses that cannot be captured using Chemistry software.  Most tactile sensations are lost including touch, feel, smell and many sounds, which could be an integral part of the learning experience.

There are numerous advantages to Nuclear Chemistry using technology.  The first benefit of computer technology is its ability to allow students to perform experiments that could never be done in a school laboratory.  For example, a nuclear explosion can easily be demonstrated on a computer, but the same experiment could never be done in a school laboratory.  Reactions involving dangerous chemicals can be shown to students using simulations, but these deadly chemicals and explosive reactions cannot be performed in a school. 

Another advantage of using technology with the topic of Nuclear Chemistry is the ability to provide students with a wealth of information available on the Internet.  In many cases the sources of information and explanations are more current then textbooks, and in many cases the information is greater then the knowledge possessed by the teacher.  Students also gain access to the opinions and theories of highly gifted and educated individuals in the field of Nuclear Chemistry.  The breadth of knowledge available to students using technology can allow students to make better-informed decisions on controversial subjects like nuclear power, nuclear waste, and the dangerous of radioisotopes.

Finally, instructional technology can target many different kinds’ students and individualize instruction to their learning type.  Instructional technology can offer a learning experience for all different types of learners including tactile, visual, practical and direct.  As the technological capability of computer software improves, the programs will allow teachers to instruct on a level never witnessed before.  Virtual reality, video linking, and improved video performance will provide additional tools for teachers to use instructional technology.

Technology is an integral part of the modern world.  Students will consistently encounter more technology in everyday life.  Instruction needs to keep pace with the changing environment that students are encountered with.  I plan to use instructional technology regularly in the classroom.  PowerPoint demonstrations will be used in conjunction with discussion and lecture to enhance student learning.  Regular trips to the computer laboratory will allow students to use the Internet to broadly examine Chemistry topics in more detail.

Additionally homework assignments will also make use of technology.  Some homework assignments will be based on computer software available on the Internet.  Students will be required to research and write a paper on a particular topic. I feel getting students used to educational technology will allow them to get better acquainted with instruction of this type, and allow them to perform better using computers.

 I feel instructional technology will be encountered by students more often as they pursue their educational goals.  Hopefully, as more teachers integrate instructional technology in class, students will be better able to meet the demands of the digital information world.