Celebrate Black Teachers and Students
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
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Mr. Presser from New Haven CT is requesting technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
We need 5 Chromebooks so we can pilot a one-to-one computing program in order to make a recommendation to the district about its future technology investments.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Jordan, Elijah, Paolo, Anass, and Tyrese are eighth graders on a mission. Like many eighth graders, they decided that school is boring. Unlike many eighth graders, they decided to do something about it. Too often, school reform is done to students without their input. These guys are ready to lead.
This project is entirely student-driven. When they came to me complaining that school is boring, I challenged them to do something about it. And they have delivered. First, they researched different schools in their city to determine whether other schools are doing things differently. They identified three schools that piqued their interest and decided to email all three principals to see if we could visit. Two weeks later, we boarded a school bus to spend a day examining how other schools work and interviewing students and teachers about what makes their schools interesting. The students came away from that exercise invigorated, thinking that improving students' experiences is not just a possibility for them, but also that it is their responsibility. One of their ideas is to expand the use of one-to-one computing programs in schools, but they don't want the district to throw thousands at this solution before testing out computers themselves and seeing how such a program might work.
These students share a real camaraderie from our months working together on this project. They feel empowered to solve real-life problems and they have a belief in the power of education and an enthusiasm for learning. I challenged them to dig deep into how schools might be structured differently, and they noticed with interest how our youngest kids get off their school buses excitedly, whereas middle schoolers come to school with dread. They refuse to accept this as normal and intend to present their recommendations publicly to the Board of Education in our city. With their ideas for improving schools, I would not be surprised if we read about these dedicated students alongside John Dewey and Ken Robinson not too many years down the line.
Most Think It Up projects help individual schools. We want to help our entire district -- and students around the country. We will pilot five Chromebooks and then make recommendations to the district about how it should invest in the future. Technology is evolving and jobs in the world are integrating more technology. Our goal is to test out whether Chromebooks can replace outdated books and minimize wasted paper. Afterward, we will recommend whether they should be used districtwide.
Usually, teachers are in charge of the classroom, but with the Chromebooks students can be set off to do their projects. Our plan is to make recommendations to all schools to let students be independent inside of school and outside it, too. Old books hurt students with outdated information; the Chromebooks can help ensure we students have up-to-date information and can schools save money and time. We are committed to speak in front of the Board of Ed with our recommendations once our pilot is over.
We are trying to make schools better by increasing students' access to technology. When we do so, students will be more engaged and have a better source for learning. Also, this project is important because schoolbooks and resources are outdated. If we had Chromebooks, information will be continually updated. Every two days, more information is created than existed in the first 2,003 years of society. With Chromebooks, we'll have that information at our fingertips at home and in school.
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