Heidi Hayes-Jacobs said, "Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event." If we are to properly prepare students for their futures, I believe we need to give them more opportunities to learn with technology.
My students are first graders in a rural community.
About 50 percent of the children in our school are from low-income families. Many of these students have very little access to the technology that is becoming the norm in households elsewhere in the country. Because they are only in the computer lab for 30 minutes each week, and because they can normally take a turn on our few classroom devices for only about 15 minutes a day, the students currently have limited access to technology at school, as well.
My Project
The goal at our school is to increase the opportunities of our first graders to use technology by providing one device for every child in the classroom. We feel that meeting the 1:1 technology goal will give our students the competitive edge they need as they grow up in the 21st century. With one Chromebook for every first grade student, we would be able to provide a more individualized learning experience in math as we supplement our standard curriculum with daily time using online programs which individualize the teaching and practice to each child's personal level. Using Chromebooks, we could give online math tests, allowing us to have paperless assessing options which are currently not available to us in our busy computer lab. Also, using Chromebooks with our Smart boards, we could engage all students in lessons, games, and fun quizzes which would enhance their learning and provide teachers with quick formative assessment options.
Growing up in the situations these students are experiencing presents challenges to their technological opportunities.
Having one device for each student would give them more chances to use technology every day. This would better prepare them for the quickly changing world where they will live and work. Implementing a 1:1 ratio of technology to students would give them the computing, logic, mathematical, and problem solving skills that will make them the successful future leaders we need!
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Mrs. Jackie Clove Jewett and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
