My students are incredibly inquisitive, out of the box thinkers. The majority of them are identified gifted in one or more areas. Most of them have been in class together for 4-5 years already, which builds a type of familial community. We don't have busses, so our families get to see each other almost daily. Gifted students can feel out of place in a traditional classroom where their bigger than life ideas and emotions can seem out of place or odd. We are working to create an environment that fosters this love of discovery, imagination and innovation through project based learning.
My Project
While I picture the Chromebooks being utilized daily for practice and review across all curriculum, my students are most excited to use computers for research and to create a culminating project of their choosing for a Genius Hour project. This was presented as, " If you could do anything, what would you do?" I currently have students trying to plan how to remove all animals from zoos, testing recipes with the goal of writing a cookbook, creating a series of youtube tutorials, etc. Students are already planning on Powerpoint presentations, movie and photo editing, creating a self published book, etc. Adding to the technology I currently have in my classroom will ensure students have more time to fulfill these endeavors and provide valuable skills in real world scenarios. I have seen tremendous excitement and more success when students are allowed the choice and flexibility of presentation options that these Chromebooks will provide.
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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. Yocklin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.