Funded Mar 11, 2016Thank you so much for your donation that was used to purchase 3 mini iPads for my adjustment classroom. A lot of us tend to take technology for granted. We also don't realize just how much it motivates us! Knowing that we can go home at the end of the day and relax watching our favorite show or playing a computer game is our own reward for the hard work we did that day. My students do not all have these motivators at their homes and often need more immediate and frequent reinforcements throughout the day. I have been using the iPads as motivation for my students to complete their schoolwork throughout the day.
In order for students to understand the idea that, as we all do, one needs to work in order to obtain a "reward", my students earn tickets during academic blocks for being safe, nice to peers, and completing their work. For my students, completion of work does not mean always mean finishing an activity but instead means working for a set amount of time on the activity presented by the teacher. For students who can follow these classroom instructions, they are able to earn a ticket every 10 minutes. Often this will even motivate the students who are struggling because they know that time on an electronic device will be the end result. At the end of the work period, those students who have earned their tickets may make the choice to purchase time on the iPads. Their favorite activity is playing Minecraft together!
In the end, these iPads have provided my students with a great motivator! I have seen, even in this short time, a greater desire to earn their tickets and in turn purchase time on the iPads! Thank you again for your generous donation, what a great impact it has made in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Borrelli