Paperless Classroom!

About My Students

This project will benefit several students, 140 of them to be exact. I feel that by putting my students in charge of creating a project, it makes them more appreciative of those who have donated to our classroom in the past. Student led projects are helping my students be grateful for these donations.

Currently, our class has six Chromebooks, and we're hoping to raise enough money to get a class set, 30 total, so that students can complete individual assignments, and not have to share Chromebooks. When we did a novel earlier this year, I would give them an outline to fill in to help them keep up with their reading, but I would have to check out 24 Chromebooks every time we read in class, and sometimes they weren't available because we only have 30 for the entire school of almost 1,000 students. By doing their notes on Google Classroom, they were able to be responsible and keep up with the class if they were absent, or wanted to get a head. By using the Chromebooks, students were able to take the initiative in their own learning. I gave them a guide and they did the rest. If they got stumped they could communicate with me through Google Classroom on their documents and via comments. Through this communication tool, they were able to take responsibility for their learning.

By using Chromebooks in class, I feel like I am teaching them how to be self-driven in their education. They all know that they have no excuses for late assignments because they had access to the resources they needed and learned how to use them. For example, one of the assignments I had them do went along with the novel we read in class. It was different things to think about as they read. When we returned to class, they would all open up their notes and we would have a whole class, student led discussion about their reading assignment that week. I truly feel like this tool was helpful in my students taking charge. They were given a freedom they probably hadn't had before. Several of my students came up with questions beyond what I was asking of them, and in return, I suggested they "Google" it. They were excited to share what they had learned on their own with their peers. When students are able to take the initiative, and look just to learn, THAT is something they'll remember.

In Their Own Words