How discouraging is it when you know there is a wealth of technology out there, yet, the resources you need to access it are mere inches from your fingertips?
My students are in the 5th grade.
They are curious, energetic, creative, intelligent, comical, and fascinated by science and technology. All of them are preparing and eager to take on more responsibility and to become more independent learners and thinkers.
They attend a public, charter school in a diverse city that is part of the Expeditionary Learning School network. Expeditionary Learning is rooted in the philosophy that students should be allowed to navigate their learning process through authentic experiences and projects.
My Project
My students need to know that when you match the right technology with the right task, amazing, original, and creative products can be created.
Each of our major units of study are thematic and integrated. The end of each unit culminates with a project that demonstrates the students' understanding of both the concepts and skills covered within the unit.
Our first learning expedition will focus on space travel. At the close of this unit, students will be creating a podcast that details how space travel is accomplished. In order to do this, students will need devices that will allow them to record each of their podcast segments.
We will follow that up with a unit on where our energy comes from with an emphasis on coal. Our final project will be a short documentary that examines the pros and cons of coal use and transport in our region.
Four iPods are invaluable tools that my students will utilize to impact the world around them in a positive and real way.
Students who have the opportunity to create projects that will be seen and heard by real world audiences have far more buy-in, dedication, and pride in their work.
My goal is to connect them to those audiences by providing them with the tools they need to produce projects that are worthy of many eyes and ears.
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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. Fuller and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.