Past projects 2
Reaching English Fluency and Getting Tech Savvy with iPads
Funded Mar 10, 2016Today, there are many free and low-cost apps that help students reinforce skills learned in the classroom. These apps allow for hands-on practice and help students who are tactile, visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. They are beneficial across all learning modalities. Many low-income students do not have access to this technology at home, and school is the only place where they have access. Our charter school is in a low-income area and many of our English learners are new to the country. They struggle to learn English without extra supports, which results in falling behind their peers. These apps help students catch up to their peers both in English language skills and in technology skills.
The students were so excited to use the ipads! Many had never used one or seen one up close. They quickly caught on and helped each other. They were so excited to learn or complete something on their own, plus they enjoyed collaborating with each other.
There are several individual English Learner students who normally avoid interaction with others. However, the ipads changed that. Their curiosity and excitement outweighed their anxiety and they now participate in group work using the ipad! They also are becoming more verbally expressive in English. It is heart-warming and rewarding to watch,
Thank you!
Dr. Ebner”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ebner, Ph.D.
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 8 other donors.Laptops for the Library 2014
Funded Sep 15, 2014I can't thank you enough. The students at Olive Vista Middle School "flipped out" when they saw the laptops. They had not seen new computers on campus in quite some time. Many don't have access to computers at home. They were SO excited about the laptops that I had LINES waiting to get into the library JUST to use the laptops!! Many of these students admitted that they hadn't stepped foot into the library for over a year except when a teacher scheduled library time during class. Now, these same students RUSH to get to the library and are REGULAR library users! They said that the library is now the "cool" place to be.
The students have now been regularly accessing our Digital Library on the laptops to do research for just about every course we offer. Until now, they did not have access, so they NEVER used this resource. They now come to the library ON THEIR OWN TIME and think it is fun to do their homework on the laptops. I loan them by having students sign off on form reviewing use expectations. They then use the laptops in the library. Students mostly use them for research. Some use them to learn coding by accessing websites with educational coding games. A book club has even formed and the students use the laptop to look up book choices before they vote on which books to read.
This has greatly boosted learning. Since I serve the entire student population, you have positively impacted the learning of 1000 students. They are more likely to get assignments done and prefer spending time in the library over getting into trouble in the neighborhood before or after school. I can also present lessons on Internet research and Digital Library research which I was previously unable to do. I have now presented this lesson to many classes. As a result, even more students come in to use the laptops and are able to successfully complete assignments for their classes. Best of all, when the principal saw how great the student response was to your donation, he convinced the School Site Council to allot money to add additional computers to the library! You sparked a technological revolution in my library and reinvigorated a formerly outdated library to become current!!! Thank you so much!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ebner, Ph.D.