I am a Library Media Specialist at a Rhode Island elementary school which accommodates Pre-K through Grade 6. The school desperately needs funds for a laptop computer which would be used with a SMART Board screen and projector that have already been bought by the Parent Teacher Group. Unfortunately, because of a scarcity of funds, the purchase of the laptop has been put on hold indefinitely.
The SMART Board system (laptop, screen, and projector), with its interactive component, is the ultimate teaching/learning/presentation tool. The system energizes presentations and enhances education by engaging and motivating the learner.
The SMART Board system would be located in the library, which the school's 350+ students visit weekly for library classes. During these periods, all students would have the benefit of SMART Board-based lessons. They would do the following: go on virtual field trips, read e-books, explore web sites by their favorite authors, learn to use online reference works, review internet search strategies, create and share Power Point presentations...
The Library Media Specialist (myself) would model curriculum-specific SMART Board lessons for classroom teachers as well as for the art, music, and physical education teachers in order to get them “on Board” (pun). These teachers would be encouraged to visit the library with their classes and use the SMART Board to enhance their respective curriculum's. Students could participate in a wide variety of learning activities such as: reinforce their reading skills with interactive programs, solve math problems using virtual manipulatives, do peer editing, visit online museums, and even dissect a virtual frog! After school activities which include academics would also profit from the availability of the SMART Board system.
As appropriate, the principal would use the SMART Board for presentation purposes at both Faculty and Parent Teacher Group meetings. This tool would likewise be utilized during the many professional development sessions held in the library.
I hope that someone considers the donation of a laptop computer as this tool is THE MISSING PIECE in the school’s SMART Board system. This gift would benefit the entire school community, especially the 350+ students, in a multitude of ways.
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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 Mrs. B. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.