A proposal to use palm pilots to help students learn math and technology skills has earned teacher Jeannie Crampton a $1,500 grant from EDS.
At the April 6 Oxford Board of Education meeting, Crampton, a teacher at Crossroads for Youth Secondary School, will be presented a $1,500 check by Paul Ward, manager for EDS? Distribution Center in Auburn Hills.
Crampton, of Rochester, won the grant with her proposal to strengthen her students? math and technology abilities using palm pilots, keyboards and mathematics software.
‘We’re always trying to find innovative ways to get students excited about math,? she said. ‘The first thing I always hear is ‘I can’t do math. I don’t like math.??
‘Looking for ways to make math interesting and fun? is more necessary with Crossroads students due to their educational backgrounds, according to Crampton.
‘Most of our students come to us several years below where they should be,? she explained. ‘And some students haven’t participated in a traditional school setting for many years. It’s hard to go back and do multiplication tables when you’re 15.?
Palm pilots get the kids attention and ‘make remediation a little more interesting,? Crampton said.
‘One of the (teaching assistants) brought a palm pilot into class,? she said. ‘They just thought it was the neatest looking thing. They wanted to know what it was and how did it work. They were really curious.?
Crampton plans to purchase about eight palm pilots, which will be used by students to practice common workplace math skills and become ‘more comfortable? utilizing technology.
‘It puts a little different spin on education,? she said.
Crampton has been a teacher for 24 years, spending five years at Oxford High School and the last seven years at Crossroads. She was named Oakland County High School Teacher of the Year in 1999.