My students are a highly diverse community consisting of cultures from all over the United States and the World. Unfortunately the one challenge they have in common is poverty. Because of this challenge they have not had the enrichment opportunities that many of us have been exposed to. I'm working hard to bring as many of these opportunities as possible into my classroom.
We are always looking for new and interesting ways to get students engaged with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
The student population at Roosevelt has many groups that historically do not see careers in STEM as an option. New technology like this drone is an effective way to get their attention and open their minds to the possibilities. Almost five years ago DonorsChoose.org and Makerbot helped equip us with a 3D printer. That 3D printer has helped make being a nerd cool again and served as a gateway to STEM for a diverse population. I am hoping to repeat this success with a piece of technology that will help move our efforts to promote STEM out of the classroom and into the larger community.
My Project
My FIRST FRC team has continually struggled to build our robot with off brand, and often second-hand power tools. They are often unreliable and have incompatible and often questionable batteries. It is high time that we remedy this situation.
Providing our students with reliable powerful tools will streamline the design process.
There is no better experience available than the FIRST robotics competition for students to get hands on experience in STEM. The founder, Dean Kamen says "It's the hardest fun you will ever have!" These professional level Makita tools will empower our students to design, invent and create even more amazing robots.
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 Mr. Kilbane and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.