For the past 100+ years, chemistry teachers have been drawing 3D renditions of molecules and orbitals on flat boards. The results have been terrible to barely acceptable. The apps available now are amazing! These apps on the iPad can be manipulated and projected for the entire class to use.
My kids are inner city public students.
Most of my students struggle with going to school or dropping out. We lose 40% to 50% of our kids every year. The one who stay, the lucky ones, need all the support and energy we can give them. Our school has no funding for science, and the computers I currently have are 10+ years old and incapable of running new software and apps.
My Project
For the past 80 years, chemistry teachers have been trying to draw and display 3-D objects on a 2-D board, namely a chalk board or white board. The results have been from fair to terrible. Trying to teach students spatial concepts like molecular orbitals, electron clouds, VSEPR atomic orbitals, molecular orbitals, and electron transitions are already challenging. I use models, draw pictures, and do a lot of hand-waving trying to teach the material.
The apps available for the iPad are amazing. The students can drag the images around, look at different angles, add or remove an electron, create multiple bonds, and examine the distances between atoms, all in real time. My current technology is 10+ years old and incapable of running any such software. A new computer would cost the same or more but would not offer significant advantages over the iPad. The tablet technology is the fastest growing field, and probably the way of the future, certainly for education.
Today's kids learn differently than the kids of 10 years ago.
Technology is part of their everyday lives. They understand and respond to it with positive results. Today'Âs learners are more visual, requiring pictures and graphics to stimulate their minds and hold their attention. The iPad is the tool of the future, and these devices are becoming commonplace in most classrooms because of the directly related education apps. My classroom is no exception. The addition of an iPad will directly impact my students' success.
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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 Mr. Richardson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.