What Matters Most: Kids Find their Voice Using Technology
My students need 4 digital cameras with larger memory cards, 4 flash drives, and a 2 TB external memory drive to create digital stories, video and animation projects that reflect what matters most to them in their lives.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
What a gift, placing technology in the hands of youth. Please help us give our fourth and fifth graders updated tech equipment to use in order to give them an opportunity to document their stories, using their unique voices. They learn about media literacy, while creating their own media projects.
We are an urban school nestled in the midst of one of the highest crime neighborhoods in our city.
My students come from all walks of life, in all colors shapes and sizes. They represent five continents, numerous faiths, and a range of income brackets. Their families have chosen this school for their children specifically because of the mission and core beliefs of this school: that it is our job and duty to nurture the whole child: mind, body and spirit. We are a school founded in the belief that each student has something worthwhile to contribute to his/her community. I am just a guide in helping them navigate their way, figuring out their own paths, and of course picking up some core knowledge along the way. Building friendships where they seemed unlikely, bridging language gaps that seemed impossible, connecting students to each other and thus the world We encourage our students to use their voices to speak out against injustice and to take action to create our strong community.
My Project
Our digital cameras have seen better days. Many have ports that no longer work, not to mention shutters stuck halfway between open and closed. It is time to replace the cameras that have done their time in the hands of nine and ten year olds. With the cameras students document their processes from brainstorm and storyboard, to filming etc. They use them to take home to their own homes to document and take photographs. Then place these photographs to original poetry, and music. My hope is that students are learning about themselves, their likes, dislikes, what inspires them, and that they find a way to create something that they can feel proud of. Students also have projects in stop motion animation as well as regular video production.
Please help us find a way to replace old equipment, as well as help us get re-inspired with new technology.
Watching their own pride and accomplishment in their faces is one of my greatest gifts as a teacher.
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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 Ms. Fink and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.