Past projects 2
Netbooks for Online Math Program
Funded Aug 15, 2013I can't thank you both enough for the generous donation of computers you gave to our classroom. Best Buy no longer sells the netbooks I had originally requested, but a very nice lady from Donors Choose worked with me until we found a good alternative. Our class was sent two tablets that work amazingly well- much better than the original netbooks. My students are able to navigate smoothly to the IXL website and though the questions with a simple touch of the screen! They LOVE working with the tablets. The tablets are so awesome, in fact, that I now pull names from a hat to decide which group gets one of the two tablets. Everyone wants to use them.
A quick story: My Geometry class was exceptionally jaded at the beginning of the school year, more so than my Geometry classes last year. Once I introduced enough material to allow for practice with the IXL program, I brought out the computers. At first students were sitting back in their seats, not really interested in even working on a computer! Then I put the bar graph up on the ActivBoard for all to see. The graph shows student [group] progress as the bar changes from red to orange to blue and finally to green indicating mastery. All groups' bars were red, though one group's numerical score was a bit higher. Kids started leaning forward a bit more, now wanting to beat the other teams. Calculators came out, so did scrap paper. I refreshed the page to show that one group's bar changed orange. At this point all students were bought in. By the end of class, all groups were showing blue bars and they were even late leaving class! It was the best feeling in the world to be able to motivate such reluctant learners to work hard, compete, have fun and learn. And all thanks to David and Diane!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McKay
Notebooks for Online Geometry Program
Funded May 8, 2013I cannot thank you enough for your extreme generosity in donating two netbooks to our classroom. They have not only impacted my Math classes but have also completely changed the dynamic of a Study Strategies class that is held in my classroom during my prep period. Study Strategies classes are classes given to special education students to help them stay organized and on top of their work. The students in that class have been using the computers to write their papers and have been more focused and feel more empowered.
The reason I had asked for the two netbooks was to give my students the opportunity to use IXL, which is an online Math practice program. My brother uses IXL with his students and has noticed a big difference both in student engagement and with improved grades. Since using the program in my classes, I have noticed the same thing. Students get very excited about earning ribbons and seeing their scores improve as they get more and more questions correct. It's been such a great addition to my classroom. There is no way I can ever thank you for what you have given us, but I hope that knowing the positive impact of your donation, the cards that my students have made and the photos of them engaged in learning will offer you some idea of how huge the change has been.
I hope that you have a wonderful summer!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McKay
This classroom project was brought to life by People's United Community Foundation and 2 other donors.