Caleb Ricks

31984 Corte Ruiz

Temecula, CA 92592
(951) 383-5928
calebricks2@gmail.com

September 16, 2017

Professor Bonnie Mendenhall

CSU San Marcos, School Of Education,
333Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, CA 92096

Dear Professor,

I am extremely excited to be taking your EDUC 422A class! I have extensive experience
with technology in my learning career. Middle school was the earliest time that I was
introduced to technology in the classroom. My elementary teachers tended to be more
traditional in their approach to teaching and avoided using computers in the classroom
because they felt that technology diluted the learning process and did the work for the
students. My middle school teachers, however, embraced technology and used it
extensively in the classroom. In my sixth grade science and math classes, my teacher
would use his computer to show short clips that would further his lesson, to display
powerpoint presentations, and to have us create our own group projects to present to the
class. This same line of thinking continued through my middle school years and into my
high school education. In high school, we used Chrome Books in the classroom, accessed
our cellphones for educational purposes, and went to the computer lab as a class to write
papers. I especially remember using technology in my drama class where my teacher
would allow us to use our iPads to write scripts and stage our group plays. My college
courses heavily involve the use of technology. Every class that I am enrolled in is full of
students with their laptops open and their fingers pounding on their keyboards. My
professors require online discussion forums, post readings and lectures online, and have
their students submit papers online. I have met the pre-requisites for this course through
my academic career using a computer for every one of my classes.

I have always wanted to be a teacher and jumped at my earliest chance to teach in middle
school. I have privately tutored off and on since seventh grade. In high school, I was a
math tutor for four years and especially loved tutoring calculus although I am an English
major. During my sophomore year of college, I was a full-time AVID tutor at a middle
school and I absolutely loved it. I tutored small groups of six to seven students for seven
periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This provided excellent experience for teaching
groups of kids. I learned how to address every students questions, how to explain
concepts using a white board and other materials, and how to manage groups of students.
I also had to grade their work and learned how to use a rubric to determine ones
understanding and I learned just how subjective grading can be.

I really hope through this class that I can learn to be more proficient with Google Drive.
This is such an amazing program with an array of software that can be used to teach. I
was excited that on the first day we used Google Slides and the Survey to see how we can
implement Google Drive in the classroom. Not only that, but I also want to learn about
the benefits of having technology in the classroom. As a literature major, I am surrounded
by those who claim that technology is ruining the classroom and that ebooks are the sign
of the apocalypse. By taking this class, I hope to learn about the good that technology can
do for both students and teachers, and I would love to become more knowledgable about
certain programs so that I can enhance the learning of my students.

Sincerely yours,

Caleb Ricks