Past projects 2
Think, Ink, Collaborate!
Funded Aug 8, 2023My students love using the enormous whiteboards to demonstrate their strategies for solving math problems. They have also used them to plan out storyboards to visualize the main idea of text that they have read. We love the opportunity to collaborate and share our ideas using the whiteboards.
When they first saw the huge whiteboards they couldn't wait to tear off the cellophane and get on the floor and use them. Anytime they have the opportunity to collaborate on these boards the enthusiasm and buy-in elevates.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to expand our ability to collaborate and share our thinking in a new way.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stephens
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.Inspired, Empowered and Engaged!
Funded Oct 4, 2018We can not thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to access technology without having to check out the Chromebook cart that is shared amongst 72 students. The ability to easily access technology gives us the opportunity to increase student engagement, connect to the world and discover things in real time. Students are able to use various apps to demonstrate their knowledge of math concepts such as Go Formative and Seesaw, they can create presentations to show understanding of literature and as a means to showcase areas of interest, they access typing club to practice typing using the correct form and hand location, and even record their reading to help them monitor their own fluency.
The new Chromebooks are touchscreen so they can be used much like a tablet, which the students absolutely love. This is particularly helpful when they are using Quizlet Live which is an interactive way to practice important vocabulary words for math, reading, science and social studies. It also makes drawing math models much easier which increases their engagement. We also use Google Classroom which creates a platform for students to be able to work collaboratively on a project with students from other classrooms in our school and penpals from around the world.
Writing is often a skill that many third graders struggle with. Using the speech to text feature on the Chromebooks creates less stress when students are brainstorming their writing. The ability to use computers to begin the writing process allows students to focus on their ideas and not get hung up on the laborious task of putting pencil to paper. I've seen a positive impact on reluctant writers by using technology. Not only is this tool beneficial in writing, but it also allows struggling readers the opportunity to access grade-level text by using the text to speech feature. Students are able to highlight the passage and the computer reads out the information. This empowers struggling readers and builds their confidence as they work side by side with their classmates.
Your generosity has given my class tremendous opportunities to learn, grow and become that much more ready for the ever-changing world of technology and become digitally responsible leaders.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stephens