Our school left for Spring Break on Friday, March 13 and never returned. We were unaware that this would be the last time we were in our school building. Our teachers were allowed to retrieve items from school in a specific time window, but our school has since been completely shut down. No one can enter due to sterilizing the school.
Our students range from being home alone due to having military parents that are still considered essential, to being home with multiple family members, no income, and little food.
It's hard to focus on school in those situations. Our district has ensured that all families have internet access and devices, but we cannot change the home environments that are not ideal for the majority of our students.
My Project
Teaching middle school students math online is very difficult. My students do not learn well by watching a video. They need interaction, and the ability to ask questions. I have Zoom video conferences with my students daily, but it's hard to explain math without seeing it.
I don't have a document camera at home and the one in my classroom is so old that it cannot connect to a laptop or Mac (the only options I have at home).
Right now I'm balancing an iPad on top of 3 cans of Bush's Black Beans and opening the camera over a handheld whiteboard. Every time I have to swap screens, we have to reconnect the iPad. Due to the Bluetooth connection, the iPad lags significantly behind what we see on the Zoom screen. All of these hiccups are frustrating, and eat up valuable time.
The IPEVO document camera will allow me to seamlessly connect to my computer at home. This will allow for more efficient Zoom meetings for my students and myself. With the myriad obstacles and frustrations during this time, this document camera will allow me to teach my students virtually with greater ease.
IPEVO V4K Ultra High Definition 8MP USB Document Camera — Mac OS, Windows, Chromebook Compatible for Live Demo, Web Conferencing, Distance Learning, Remote Teaching
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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 Mrs. Yates and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
