Imagine witnessing first-hand the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy on your community, and not being able to do anything about it. My students saw the physical damage, but I want them to be able to go out in the field and collect data to research the impact the storm had on our local ecosystem.
My students attend the largest elementary school in our district in New Jersey.
They are a diverse group of students who come from a variety of backgrounds with some receiving free and/or reduced lunch while others come from upper middle class households. I have students who receive Special Education services, ELL services, regular education students, and students who are part of the gifted and talented program. Although my students are diverse - they are all incredibly hard working.
My Project
My students need two individual iPads to conduct field experiments investigating the impact of Hurricane Sandy on our local ecosystem. Imagine a child sitting in a classroom listening to his teacher reading about ecosystems from an outdated Science textbook. BORING....Now, imagine that same child using his iPad to take pictures of the oil that is collecting on top of the water by his school because of the more than 50 cars that were pushed into the bay by Hurricane Sandy. That same student can then use those images to create a video documenting the changes to the ecosystem as a result of Hurricane Sandy, or post them to his blog and write about the increase of tidal flooding and its damaging effects on plant and animal life. The possibilities are endless.
The ability to efficiently utilize iPads as a tool is something that will have a profound effect on the way my students learn, as well as the possibilities it will open up for their future. To learn how to use an iPad for research purposes as well as a creation tool is something that will change their lives forever
The impact of Hurricane Sandy on our community was devastating.
However, the amount of learning experiences it has created is something that I, as an educator, would be remiss if I did not take advantage of. My students need to use this experience as a platform from which positive changes can be made. These iPads will make this field work possible now, and along with many students to come.
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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. Pratt and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.