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.
We want to use 21st century tools to improve student achievement. I am the media specialist at a socioeconomially challenged rural K-5 school. We have a 99% minority population and 93% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
Thanks to creative funding, our school has a strong technology infrastructure. Unfortunately, many of our students do not have comparable technology in their homes, and most outside-of-school assignments, such as homework or research projects, still rely on old-fashioned materials that do not adequately prepare students to use tools of the 21st century. While our school does its best to offer access to the technology we have outside of school hours, many of students' technology skills are lagging.
We would like 10 MP3 players. These players will become part of the media center's collection and will be on loan to teachers. Teachers have expressed needs that can be solved by having MP3 players. For instance, many of our early childhood students need continual reinforcement of letter/letter sound associations. An MP3 player would allow the teacher to easily record personalized content for each child, send the MP3 player home for practice, and then re-record new content the next day.
Likewise, our school's technology coach has begun to work on podcasting assignments with our students in grades 3-5. Unfortunately, many of our students are unable to afford the technology for podcasting. The technology coach or classroom teacher would be able to check out the MP3 players so that students could participate in technology projects.
Your generosity will make a difference in how my students view technology tools. Currently, many of my students see technology tools as luxury items used for entertainment. We anticipate that by using MP3 players for productivity, communication, and problem-solving, students will rethink the possibilities of technology and will move closer to being 21st century citizens.
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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. R. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.