District 75 serves the highest needs special needs students and, oftentimes, these students also fall into the highest needs economically disadvantaged category. Over 90% of my students fall into this category. We are a 12-month program, where students attend year-round to receive services.
My students are part of the largest school district in the country, the NYC DOE and they fall into the highest needs category.
For years, I have poured my own money into my classroom, but it is not enough! I have reached out to local community members and collected used and refurbished computers, but they do not meet the requirements to run modern software.
I teach grades K-8 and a total of nine classes, a daily lunch club, and a weekly positive behavior intervention club as a reward for students. All students would have access to these resources! That is why today, I am reaching out for global support to help our highest-needs students get an equal chance to succeed! We truly need your assistance to level the playing field. Many students come from homes that do not have Internet access or technology, further increasing the achievement gap.
My Project
Now that students are finally back in school, we have A LOT of catching up to do! For the past 3 years, with your help, my students and I have been studying 3D printed prosthetic limbs. We have been learning about 3D printing and together have created 3D printed prosthetic hands for children in need! To date, we have presented at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in NYC and had a prosthetic Iron Man Hand featured at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago's Wired to Wear Exhibit that we 3D printed!
It has been an incredible experience teaching my students about 3D printing to help others and build their skills in empathy while solving real world problems through STEM.
Similar to a woodshop or art teacher, in order for my students to create projects, we need a constant supply of 3D printing filament (spools of plastic). I purchase the filament completely out-of-pocket and through the generous support of the Donors Choose community. As students learn about 3D printing, they create projects that they get to keep and eventually we design a 3D printed prosthetic hand for a child in need as a culminating project!
Students learn real-world skills as they solve the problem of designing prosthetic hands on a budget through purely mechanical means (no bionics/robotics to keep the cost down). The average cost of a medical-grade prosthetic hand is $40,000-$50,000. We can build a prosthetic hand for a child for under $20/hand! This exercise in STEM hands-on learning is not only practical, it allows students to learn empathy and take on a personal level of ownership!
With your help, we can continue our mission of learning about 3D printed prosthetic hands. Thank you so much for your generous donations and support. We truly appreciate it!
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Red
• Amazon Business
$24.99
4
$99.96
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Black, Pack of 1
• Amazon Business
$22.99
4
$91.96
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm - Glow in The Dark - Blue
• Amazon Business
$27.99
2
$55.98
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Gray
• Amazon Business
$24.99
2
$49.98
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Glow in The Dark
• Amazon Business
$24.99
2
$49.98
HATCHBOX Temperature Color Changing PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm
• Amazon Business
$29.99
1
$29.99
AMOLEN PLA 3D Printer Filament, PLA Filament 1.75mm Silk Shiny Filament Blue Silver Filament, 3D Printing Filament 1KG/2.2lb
• Amazon Business
$29.69
1
$29.69
HATCHBOX Sparkle PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Red
• Amazon Business
$28.99
1
$28.99
PLA 3D Printer Filament 1.75mm 3D Print Material Printing Filaments Rainbow Filament Color Changing Pla Spool Multicolor Filaments 1KG(2.2lbs) for FDM Printer XVICO
• Amazon Business
$27.99
1
$27.99
SUNLU Rainbow Silk PLA+ 3D Printer Filament, 3D Printing PLA+ Filament 1.75mm, 1kg(2.2LBS) Spool, Rainbow
• Amazon Business
$26.95
1
$26.95
3D Printer Silk Rainbow Multicolor PLA Filamentt 1.75mm 1KG Multi Color Printing Materials Gradually Changing Color PLA Rainbow Mulitcolor Multicolored Metallic Color Gradient Filament CC3D
• Amazon Business
$25.99
1
$25.99
Purple Blue to Pink Color Change PLA Filament 3D Printer Filament Color Changing with Temperature 1.75 mm 1KG 2.2LBS Spool CC3D
• Amazon Business
$24.99
1
$24.99
Amazon Basics SILK PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75mm, Blue, 1 kg Spool (2.2 lbs)
• Amazon Business
$23.19
1
$23.19
Amazon Basics SILK PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75mm, White, 1 kg Spool (2.2 lbs)
• Amazon Business
$23.19
1
$23.19
Amazon Basics SILK PLA 3D Printer Filament, 1.75mm, Silver, 1 kg Spool (2.2 lbs)
• Amazon Business
$23.19
1
$23.19
Materials cost
$612.02
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$9.18
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$651.20
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$114.92
Total project goal
$766.12
Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Mr. Kamer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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