"Data by itself is useless. Data is only useful if you apply it." ~Todd Park, Technology adviser for the Obama Administration.
A typical day in my math class begins with a whole group mini lesson.
After the concept is taught or reviewed, students begin their independent work where they get to choose the current concept-focused center/station to work at. Meanwhile, I am differentiating the concept to a small group.
My kindergarten students are the best! They come from all over the city, and from different socio-economic backgrounds. My school is multicultural. My students range from being in school since the age of 2, to never having a formal education setting until they come to kindergarten. Because of this vast range, I attempt to teach in different aspects with different materials to reach all of my students. Some learn best from demonstration, while others learn best from hands-on experiences. My school's vision and focus is Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
My Project
I want to help my kindergartners become prepared for our technologically changing world and become competent leaders. One of the important skills they will need is being data fluent. I am constantly incorporating data into my students' everyday math lives. We gather and collect all types of data to graph, analyze, and problem solve. From voting on a street name, to the different types of ways the students get to school, they know that data and graphs are important.
By having the Chromebooks, my students will be able to see how to transfer data to the computer and apps, and then how to analyze the different results. They will also be able to see how data can be used in mathematical problem solving. They will be able to visually see how to input the data, show it in different representations, but most importantly use the data to influence their learning and relate it to real life.
This donation will help to improve my students' understanding and application of data that affects their daily lives.
They will be able to graph a simple thing like our weather daily, then after a period of time, analyze the overall weather we have had and make predictions based on the data.
I hope that my students will always remember how important technology and data are in their whole school career, which begins in kindergarten.
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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. Tobiason and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.