"Teachers need to stop saying, 'Hand it in,' and start saying 'Publish It.' Alan November said about the difference between a 21st century education and a traditional classroom. My students want to use digital equipment to showcase their talents to a worldwide audience.
My students are amazing, innovative, and creative.
They live in a low-income, rural community on Kauai. Most of them don't have computers in their homes, and few have smart phones. They chose project-based learning instead of traditional education. They chose to preserve the Hawaiian culture and language, opting to dance hula instead of playing football, studying Hawaiian mythology along side ancient mythology, and striving to be bilingual Hawaiian/English, hoping to make a difference in their small community. They are a small, closely-knit group that wants to be part of our digital world instead of observers.
My Project
My students want to join the digital world and use social media to showcase their learning. We are creating a class garden to promote sustainability on Kauai and provide education about the importance of the local farmer. The garden will include native Hawaiian plants, medicinal herbs, culinary herbs, edible flowers, vegetables, and fruit. Students will need digital cameras and equipment to photograph each stage of the garden. They will use the digital pictures to create a "Digital Botany" presentation on our class blog. The impact on the students will be tremendous for they will take ownership of their learning and be more accountable for the garden's success. More importantly, they will be able to connect the technology of "their" present and future with the traditional rural, farming roots of Kauai to make a difference in their community. My students need 2 digital cameras, 2 memory cards, and equipment to document, research, and showcase the ecosystems in our class gardens.
This project will have a lasting impact on students' lives as they will show pride in the garden in ways that are meaningful to them.
They want to draw attention to our classroom garden through social media by posting pictures on Instagram or Flickr. My students want an international audience and the digital equipment will take them one step closer to their goals.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Ms. Sands and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.