Our students have art once a week, where they have a chance to express themselves through the projects they create. The new art curriculum has a strong focus on cultural concepts that span the world, which foster connections to other academic areas. How do we share the world with the students?
Our students are highly motivated, eager, 7th and 8th graders who strive to find unique ways to make their artwork meaningful to them.
When we challenge them to raise the bar, they set it 10 times higher. As their art teacher, I am ALWAYS impressed with the work our students produce. They encourage one another to do better, the think of new, expressive, creative ideas.
The student body, of about 820 students is split between two art teachers, where they engage in their projects once a week. Despite the lack of time spent in art class, our students push themselves to produce high quality work, that is worthy of a high school, or even a collegiate level! The students are ready to work when they come into class. It excites us even more, when our students come in and say "I've been thinking about my project, and came up with this idea, what do you think?"
Our students make do with the limited technology tools we have in art class, and somehow, they manage to design their amazing projects!
My Project
Currently, we have one "Teacher Only" desktop, and one "Teacher Only" iPad in each classroom, both of which have access to the internet.
We encourage our students to bring their personal devices, if they have them, to use as a tool in the classroom to look up references. Internet accessible technology has brought the world to our students fingertips, however, in our classroom, it is only limited to the "Teacher Only" technology, or student technology...if they have it.
The Chromebooks will be set up so the art room has a DEDICATED "Student Only" resource center, where students with or without personal technology can access the world! Where they can research references and develop inspiration for their designs. Currently, we have to let students use the "Teacher Only" technology which is discouraged by the district because the are strictly designated for teachers.
We want to encourage the use of technology in our classroom. We want to foster 21st century skills in the art room.
The donations will help us to develop a permanent "Student Only" resource station in the classroom, so ALL students can access references and find inspiration for their projects.
The dedicated Chromebooks will help to avoid the challenges we currently face with using the "Teacher Only" devices in the classroom, and will ensure that every student has access to a device within the art room.
Additionally, this will help us foster 21st century learning skills in the art room.
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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. Coles and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.