Classroom Project

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Yet while they study physics and chemistry, practice scientifi... " MORE

Yet while they study physics and chemistry, practice scientific inquiry, and prepare for college, many of them lack regular access to important technological tools like digital projectors, document cameras, and computers. In our classes, presentations are supported with hand-made posters, statistics are compiled on individual notecards, and essays are written laboriously by hand. My students' exposure to the technological tools that direct research, improve data analysis, and facilitate communication in our world today is limited. Whatever their gifts or potential, they stand in danger of becoming technologically disenfranchised, unable to understand or make use of the technology that permeates our society today.

With this grant, I hope to transform our classroom into a place where students can experiment with technology, become fluent users of it, and participate more actively in their own education. Two critical components that are missing from our classroom are a document camera and a digital projector--tools that are gaining widespread use in more affluent schools. With these tools, my students will be able to enter the world of 21st century learning. With a digital projector, students will be able to share science video clips off the web, demonstrate how carbon dioxide emissions coincide with rising global temperatures, or present an explanation of Newton’s First Law using a PowerPoint presentation. With a document camera, they can closely examine the components of a model molecule of DNA, discuss a creative illustration of Newton’s Third Law, spark a debate with an insightful political cartoon, or demonstrate precisely how to assemble a simple electrical generator. Ultimately, these tools will not only help my students prepare for the rigors of college in the 21st century, but they will place students at the center of classroom learning experiences.

With your support, this project will make a real difference for my students, helping to prepare them for their future careers. Not only will these resources provide my students with technological skills and experiences they need for college, but it will also lay the foundation for their success in a society that relies on rapidly advancing science and technology. They’ll develop strong communication skills as they write, speak, and visually present new information; and they’ll grow as self-directed learners who think critically about the world around them. They'll also gain fluency with tools and technology that will inform and assist the next generation of inventors, scientists, and engineers. I hope you'll consider sponsoring a project that will bring learning into the 21st century, and set my students on a hopeful path--a path toward independence, and the opportunity to choose whatever future they want. Thank you!

My students need a document camera and a digital projector to bring learning in the 21st century to life!