My students live in one of the richest cities in the world, yet their schools are terribly underfunded. San Francisco is the technology center of the world. I'm trying to help my students prepare for careers that require strong technical skills. But with minimal funding available for resources and supplies, preparing my students becomes more difficult by the day.
My students come from a wide range of backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of San Francisco.
We have students from all ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, and cultures, with many students speaking English as a second language.
My Project
Arduino boards are a great way to introduce students to the world of "Internet of Things" by allowing them to develop programs and hardware that solve real problems. I teach four sections of AP Computer Science and each year I try to incorporate a fun project after the AP test that applies their computer science skills.
One project that I would love to have students develop is an automated plant watering system for my classroom and our school in general.
This is a real-world project that will empower students to apply technology to solve a real problem. Incorporating plants into classrooms has many benefits (e.g. improved air quality, calming effects, beautification, etc.) but it's difficult for staff to maintain them, especially routine watering. So an automated system would be very helpful and would provide students with many computer science and engineering challenges. This is just one example, but students would have opportunities to develop their own ideas and visions.
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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. Oliva and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.