My students need an Acer Aspire netbook computer, flash drive for storage, and speakers to allow chemistry to come alive in a safe learning environment.
“Don’t try this at home,” and for safety reasons, it is not allowed in high school chemistry classes. I teach Chemistry, in a high needs district, to high school students with extremely diverse backgrounds. My students include English Language Learners, Special Education Students, and students who are in Advanced Placement courses in other content areas.
Danger! That is exactly what catches the interest of the students too. In chemistry, the learning environment needs to remain safe. I bring the high interest demonstrations to the students by utilizing technology. Over four years ago, I personally purchased a laptop and multimedia projector for use in my classroom. With the recent software upgrades to Office 2007 on all of the other computers that I use, I discovered that my laptop is not sufficient to even install and run Microsoft Office 2007. In the past, students would view educational videos, create PowerPoint projects, present them in class and even at board of education meeting with these software and hardware resources that I was able to supply. The updated Microsoft Media players are also too much for this outdated hardware.
Bringing more exciting demonstrations to the students via technology will continue to pique their curiosity and enhance learning. The advantages of this project are three fold. First the materials requested will allow for technology upgrades that will close a gap and benefit over 100 students just this year. This upgrade will allow for the continued use of previously purchased computer hardware and accessories. Second, continuing to bring stimulating chemistry demonstrations into the classroom that cannot be done due to safety restrictions. Third, students will have personal experience using Office 2007 software for projects. This includes but is not limited to creating new PowerPoint presentations that can have hyperlinks, have educational video attachments and inserts, be stored on the flash drive, and shared with others utilizing the net book, flash drive and speakers. A flash drive for student work is a great solution to address the unreliable server when it comes to final presentations. Furthermore, student created projects will provide an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the software that they will be exposed to and expected to use in college.
Your support will make it possible for my students to view spectacular chemical reactions that would otherwise go unnoticed. Many times that is just what a student needs to make a connection or to realize a professional interest. Your support will allow for students to have experience with not only creating a basic multimedia projects, but downloading appropriate educational video clips and inserting them into a student created PowerPoint project. Students can save their project to the flash drive with full video and sound. This eliminates delays from Internet and server deficiencies which can hinder the momentum of the learning environment.
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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. Kubik and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.