I have the most enthusiastic, inquisitive students! Applied technology attracts students who like to work with their hands. They like to take things apart and build new things. They love to be out of their seats, working on projects. They love to choose their projects and the direction that their learning will take.
These kids thrive in an environment that provides them a greater variety of ways to express themselves typically not found in other classrooms.
My students live in a some-what rural suburb. While many students live close to school and can ride a bike or walk to school, many others live in neighborhoods with homes spaced far apart from the neighbors in narrow and winding roads. A good number of kids take the bus to school, making before and after school events more challenging. Students typically come from homes where both parents work.
The kids who like to take applied tech classes love being out of their seats. They need to be active and moving. Typically, they do not like to write but are highly engaged in projects and experiments.
My Project
Physical computing, where students learn how to write code that then makes the device do something, poses a significant challenge for our schools today but also the greatest opportunity for learning connections. Coding for kids can be a mysterious process when they write programs on a computer and then watch them execute on the same computer. However, when students learn to write code for other pieces of hardware that they then can turn into their own creation, they really learn the how and the why of computer programming.
Raspberry pi are an affordable, open source computer that students can use to create their own devices.
This is a game changer for classrooms. By adding the Pi Top Ceed, students can have a monitor and magnetic rails for easy prototyping. They are light weight, easy to assemble and incredibly powerful for students. They can easily make computer devices that inspire them- from a computer game complete with controllers to devices that monitor the environment and send email when specific events occur.
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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. Crandall and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
