Rapid footsteps chase me down the hallway. "Miss! Miss! I need to do my science homework! May I use the computer?" This is a scenario that occurs on a daily basis before school. Before I put my bags down there are students seated in front of our four classroom computers clicking away.
My students are a rambunctious group of 9th graders.
They are a picture of diversity not only culturally but economically as well. We have the gamut of social economic status' ranging from homeless to upper-middle class. Too many of our students do not have access to computers or printers at home. They come to our class before school, at recess, lunch, and after school to wait for one of our four accessible computers to become available. As the year is progressing I have had the privilege of learning more about them and have heard some stories that I wish weren't true. Many come from struggling single-parent households, some are in the foster care system, and others are battling homelessness.
My Project
In my classroom, I envision that students will be able to work in small groups and utilize technology. If I were able to provide them with 5 Chromebooks, they would be able to create their presentations in Google Slides, write essays in Google Docs, view class information and post responses in Google Classroom, and even take quizzes or complete exit slips through the use of Google Forms. Our school is a Google Apps for Education campus so utilizing the Google tools available to us is a priority. By providing our students with additional technological resources, it will help to even the playing field by providing access to these tools for ALL students not only during class time but before school, at recess, lunch, and during after school study hall.
Having four computers for a class of 55+ students is not ideal.
If my project is funded, integrating technology into the classroom would be a given. My students will be given opportunities to research and develop skills through the use of Google apps. They will share and edit documents and projects. Students who usually have difficulty completing assignments will gain accessibility and grades will improve. Technology speaks to this generation...let's give them a voice!
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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 Ms. Kawaguchi and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.