Teaching in a high-need school district has been challenging, much more than I initially imagined. We are a large comprehensive school in the Oakland Unified School District which has about 2,000 students. The student body is 37.2% Hispanic or Latino, 34.7% Black or African-American, 16.6% Asian, 6.5% White, and 5% others. Most of my students are coming from low-come neighborhoods and receiving free and reduced meals. They come with so many obstacles that they should not have been facing at their ages. “Helping out with the family” has become a common phrase that I have learned from many of them. Some of them even value less on attending college to pursue their further education.
I am fortunate enough that I have created a space that they can feel safe and comfortable to learn math.
Our school has just started using a more innovated and Common Core-aligned curriculum, which includes different research assignments, group presentations, and various math projects. Through these assignments, I have witnessed their creativity, their tenacity, and willingness to learn math. I am hoping to continue providing a stable environment to ensure their positive learning experiences to achieve academic excellences.
My Project
Thank you for investing in my classroom and students! My students are thrilled to have an iPad Tablet and MacBook Pro in the classroom where they can interact with them in a meaningful way. Technology like the iPad and MacBook Pro allows me to differentiate content, so students get the help they need regardless of where they are. Technology also allows me to help students without physically being there, setting Khan Academy or other education based applications/websites.
What excites me most about our classrooms' new iPad Pro is the ease to which I can make videos for my students using the application Doceri and Desmos.
I can use MacBook Pro to edit and record my voice over presentations with ease, as well as use Apple Pencil to annotate the presentations. These allow my students to get help from me, instead of a random person on the internet. I'm also thrilled about using these technologies to interact with students about transforming equations, graphs, and tables.
I never had a working Document Camera, but with your donation, all of my classes will be able to visualize mathematical concepts and graphs through this technology daily. With the transition to Common Core Mathematics, my students have given complex real-world research topics and problems, which they need to demonstrate how to perform calculations and justify their reasonings. Students can improve their mathematical reasoning skills by elaborating their thoughts while working collaboratively with each other. I am delighted that student can have access to advanced technologies such as MacBook Pro and iPad to create videos and edit presentations to apply and synthesize knowledge, demonstrating their college and career readiness for the future.
Please join me together to give these hard working students a chance to become confident communicators to show their mathematical abilities.
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