My students need 2 video cameras with tripods and USB devices for transferring video to DVD or CD to write, film, edit and save instructional videos for social skills and Positive Behavior Support videos.
Tired of Spongebob Squarepants as the only topic of our children's creative repertoire? I am an elementary school special education teacher who also is a co-founder of a Diversity Club. In each, I use video as a powerful instructional tool both with my autistic students and in the Diversity Club.
The biggest obstacle facing most students with autism spectrum disorders is social skills. By using video, I have very successfully demonstrated to students the art of entering a conversation, sustaining a conversation with multiple topics with their peers and ending a conversation gracefully. The Diversity Club students have produced promotional videos with "how to survive school gracefully" skills. With our new Positive Behavior Schools incentive now in place, we're ready to demonstrate appropriate behavior in the universal areas of our school (cafeteria, hallways, bathrooms, etc.) However, our current video camera equipment is from the ICE AGE! Okay, there were no cameras back then, but you get the point. At the end of last year our camera was on its "last legs." It took 3-4 times the normal processing time because of technical difficulties and was extremely frustrating.
With this project, we will supply both my classroom and the Diversity club with all the equipment needed to teach social skills and give the Diversity students the creative freedom to produce their own videos! We would benefit from two sets of equipment so that I could leave my materials set up and in place from day to day without transferring, damaging or losing equipment by moving it around frequently.
However, we can't do this without you! Think of the poster with the gigantic fish being overtaken by a school of organized much smaller fish. If we all donate just a little in these tough economic times, we can do it! We can give our children the tools that they need to not only practice and study social skills, but teach others those skills as well. Additionally, students would learn technological skills that would aid them in future school projects. Thank you so much for working together to help us meet our goal!
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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. Haas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.