Small, but Mighty: Putting Technology in Their Hands
Help me give my students the ability to show their understanding of math, reading, and social studies problems through the interactive technology of an iPad and Apple Pencil.
If I could describe my students in three words they would be curious, silly, and determined. I have been lucky enough to teach in a wonderful, inviting elementary school for the last 2 years and I am reminded every day why I chose this profession thanks to my kids and colleagues.
The thing I love most about working with kids, mine in particular, is how they can make me smile and laugh no matter how much our day has gone off track or life is trying to throw us curveballs.
We laugh at silly things like a student telling me they found my phone across the room using their x-ray vision from eating carrots (what?!?) To singing along to Moana on the way to lunch. While I enjoy the silly moments, I enjoy the powerful, educational moments even more.
A fourth grader is a stubborn student. They want to be independent but still want to impress and get approval from their teachers and classmates. My students are no different. They are willing to step in and answer questions with certain bravery and celebrate with each other or admit defeat and keep going at every turn.
My Project
These materials will allow my students to interact with all types of educational stimuli. The ability to put an iPad in student's hands, have them draw out their thinking on a math problem or even to give text evidence for an English question, and have it projected onto the screen to show other students is a powerful thing. These materials will allow for this on a daily basis with my intention always being to give each student the ability to show their thinking with those around them while they try to grapple with the ability to confer with their peers in conversation.
The apple pencil is a relatively new tool but will have huge impacts on my students' ability to illustrate their mental images for reading, write out a compound sentence, or draw a model for a division problem.
With this tool I hope to do all of this and more, giving my students opportunities to code, do graphic design, or create an educational movie about a topic we are discussing, using the iPad as a tool to further their understanding.
I truly hope that you will consider donating to this project as I know that my students will become even more engaged with the ability to actually show their thinking. Their confidence will soar knowing that they can truly depict what they did on a math problem from the comfort of their seat and with the knowledge that their classmates understand what they were trying to say or show.
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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. Carlson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
