Bringing Technology To My Class

I teach in an inner city fourth and fifth grade class. I teach math and social studies to two classes. One group is a fifth grade class and the other is a fourth/fifth grade split. 98% of our children receive a free lunch. This school is located in the lowest socioeconomic area of the city. We work hard at our school to give our children the many things they lack. Recently, I built a computer lab from a grant my school earned. For the first time, our children will be able to use the Internet to conduct research. Although our school may lack basic technology, our students consistently score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests and receive national academic awards.

Since many of our children do not experience the world with trips and lack first hand exposure to the world, my colleagues and I bring the world to them. Our students go on a field trip once a month and we take every opportunity to invite speakers to our school. Our students need to see and touch everything around them. A document camera would be one tool that would help the students work together and "see" the world. With this camera, students would be able to share books, writings, and hands-on materials.

In math, students could share their work, look for mistakes in computation, and see how math manipulatives can be used to solve a problem. I love social studies. A document camera would give students a chance to see historic documents, pictures, and artifacts. Oftentimes it is not possible to pass these things around during a lesson. This camera would give students a chance to see them while the lesson is being taught.

I can think of so many ways a document camera would help to bring the world to my students through sharing and viewing both their work and the work of others. Please consider funding this tool for my classroom. My students get excited over any act of kindness shown to them. They would not only be thrilled with your generosity, but they would also benefit using this tool to further their reach for the stars.