Our students are beating the odds through technology and core curriculum integration.
I teach technology and 21st Century Skills to 600+ wonderful students every week in kindergarten through 5th grade. My school services a very diverse, high poverty, high English language learner population. We are one of only three elementary schools in our district who provides a technology lab run by an actual technology teacher. The aim of this lab is not only to teach technology, but also to bring projects from their core content classrooms into the lab and enhance all areas of the curriculum through the use of technology. This is an opportunity that is helping our students to thrive and become creative and critical thinkers who are learning skills they desperately need to succeed in the future due to a lack of technology available in many of their homes.
Next year we will implement the use of PhotoStory 3 to create digital stories to enhance their projects. In preparation I have shared a digital story that was created with digital photographs. Many of my students could not believe that it was made with pictures from a real camera. This made me very sad, as I realized how many of them do not even have a simple digital camera at home. These are very creative students who are highly engaged in learning about all the different things technology can do.
Both our State Technology Standards, and 21st Century Skills Standards require students to learn how to present their learning to a global audience through the use of multi-media presentations. We already have a global audience due to the recent implementation of Voicethread accounts for every student in the school. This allows other students and educators from around the globe to view and comment on the great work that my students are currently able to post to Voicethread. What we are missing is the ability to take photographs and videos that the students can integrate into true multi-media presentations to share with the world.
My students would benefit from a small supply of digital cameras with video capability that they could check out for use in completing small group projects that enhance their learning in all areas of the curriculum. Not only will they learn how to use technologies that many of them do not have exposure to at home, but they will be sharing their knowledge with other students both within our school and on a global level. This enhances the education of untold numbers of other children as well.
Any help you can give to this project will help my students to get one step closer to realizing the power that technology can truly have in their lives, and on their education. It will enhance teamwork, collaboration, critical and creative thinking, application of skills, and knowledge sharing to a global audience. Most importantly it will give them an unexpected tool to use that will put a smile on each face in our school.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Whitaker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.