Help me give my students a new laptop for me to continue presenting math content both in-person and virtually. It is imperative I have a district supported touchscreen laptop in COVID times!
I teach some AMAZING students students at a low-income high school. The majority of my students are freshmen in Algebra 1 who have traditionally struggled with math. There is a strong correlation between failing Algebra 1 freshmen year and not graduating high school, and I work as hard as I can to ensure all students earn passing grades.
The other 20% or so of my students are in AP Calculus; out of our school population of almost 2500 students, I only teach between 30 and 50 students in AP Calculus each year.
The more supports these students can receive, the better the chance they have to pass the AP Exam and gain college credits. These credits are incredibly beneficial to their college journey, as these days it can be equivalent to an approximately $500 scholarship.
Most of my students struggle to afford school supplies, and many work 1 - 2 jobs during the week outside of school. They are SO appreciative of any outside donations, and I love seeing their faces light up when I tell them about the support they receive both inside, and out of, our community. Thank you for considering my students for this donation.
My Project
As a 12-year career math teacher, I have used the same Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet since 2014. This tablet has been INVALUABLE over the last eight years. I use it for three main functions:
(1) Each class period of every day, I wirelessly connect my tablet to my projector.
Then, I project any notes and activities on the screen. Using Microsoft OneNote, and the touchscreen features of my tablet, I am able to circulate throughout the classroom while still projecting the notes up front for the students.
(2) I pre-record all of my lectures at home. I need a touchscreen device with a fast enough processor to do this. My tablet has been my faithful recording device for the last 8 years, and I have created over 200 videos that I post (for free) on my YouTube channel. The videos vary from 20 - 60 minutes in length, and students use them when they are absent (or sometimes on digital learning days) to stay caught up with the material.
(3) I use the webcam feature, combined with the touchscreen, to teach virtually. In this pandemic, this is absolutely invaluable. It allows me to continue teaching remotely for all students, both in a synchronous manner using OneNote and the touchscreen, and asynchronously using video recordings.
All three of the above functions have proved extremely successful over the last few years. Unfortunately, my tablet is on its last legs: the battery is failing for which there is no supported fix, and it no longer supports updates in our school district IT program. Even more sadly, our school district does not support Microsoft Surface Tablets with their imaging process and the school wifi. The only supported Microsoft device is the Surface Book 3, which is what I've chosen for my project.
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