Past projects 6
Teacher iPad for Blended Learning
Funded Jan 29, 2022Thank you so much for this gift of iPad technology in my classroom. Having this iPad available brings in many new opportunities for my students. It has been incredibly useful as a portable whiteboard. I have been able to walk around the room interacting with students while I am teaching instead of being stuck in the front of the room writing on the whiteboard with my back to the students. Also, I can respond quicker to students' needs while still navigating the lesson from the iPad. It allows me to use new apps with my students where I can control their individual screens and they can view many things that we are learning about in 3-D, which they really enjoy and are excited about.
My students love it when they want to explain/show something to the class and I just hand them the iPad and they can draw right on it and have it show up on the screen at the front of the room. Being able to use the iPad in this way is probably their favorite part. It is a real self-esteem lift to be able to share with everyone their ideas and ways of learning and it is wonderful for others to see how their peers think and solve problems.
For those students who need to do some of their learning from home, the iPad is wonderful because I have been able to make videos of me teaching lessons and then share those with my students. It gives them the opportunities to learn what we are learning at school and to keep up with their education. Also, these videos can be used at school to watch/re-watch while I am working with individual or small groups of students.
Thank you for helping my students learn in new and innovative ways. This is a wonderful gift that we are all excited to have in our class.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Stapel
Sssshhhh, The Volume is too Loud!
Funded Oct 10, 2018Wow! I cannot find the right words to share with you how grateful I am for this generous donation you have given to me and to the students in my class. I wish you could actually be in my classroom to see the difference it has made. Before we received these amazing headphones the students were sharing the ones we had and we seemed to have one break almost every day. The cords were always tangled (even though we kept them in plastic bags). Now, each child has his/her own set in a nice drawstring bag that is comfortable and easy to store. Most importantly, they have high quality sound that each student can hear but does not allow everyone else in the class to hear as well. We have so many less distractions because of them.
You also gave us a chromebook charging cart and an iPad charging station. These two items have changed our world. Before we had these, I was only able to charge 10 devices at a time. We had chromebooks and iPads laying around the room in piles waiting to be charged and the shuffling around was time consuming, plus the room was messy. It felt like a juggling act to keep them all organized and charged so that everyone could use their technology at the same time. I never have to worry about a device shutting off because the battery has died. The kids have access to the computer programs and apps that we use to enhance our learning whenever they need to be used. It is wonderful.
Another thing that has changed for us is that now every student is assigned their own device. It is kept in the same place now and always is logged in for that particular student. When it is time to use a device, each child goes to his/her own spot in the charging cart and grabs the device that is logged in just for him/her. It makes the transition time so much faster. That didn't happen before because we were sharing the devices that were charged. Now they are all charged all the time.
It truly is amazing to have a quiet, organized classroom where the children can use technology without disrupting others and without wasting time trying to get their equipment organized. Thank you again for this wonderful gift. Not only is this making a difference for the 22 kids in my class this year, it will also benefit many students for all the years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Stapel
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School.Presenting...an Operetta, a Play, a Readers Theater & More!
Funded Oct 12, 2017My students and I are so grateful to you for this wonderful gift of technology for our classroom. We really love Drama and Theater in our class and having this speaker with so many microphones is really helpful. It has been fun rehearsing our play and being able to practice with our own equipment that we can rely on and know it will always be available when we need it. In addition to the speaker/microphones, we received an amazing camera with which we could video our rehearsals and then watch them to look for areas where we could improve and perfect.
A really exciting thing about this equipment is how professional it made our performance. We put so much time and effort into practicing and preparing to perform for the entire school as well as for our parents and families that we were grateful they could hear us. It is hard enough for young children to sit still for thirty minutes watching a great performance, I can't imagine how hard it would be if they couldn't hear what was going on. We performed for kindergarten through sixth grade students twice during the day and the audience was perfect. The equipment helped them stay fully engaged in watching, hearing, and enjoying the play. They laughed and clapped in the right moments and it was so fun. It was awesome that they could hear everything. My students were so happy and excited each time they were able to put on their costumes and perform. Of course their favorite performance was at night for their families.
Something that is very special for these students is the fact that they will now be able to have their own DVD copy of the play and of all the pictures that were taken with the camera we received. It was really neat to be able to set the camera up on a tripod and film the entire thing for them. This will give them memories to last a life time. They loved it so much that many of them have told me that they want to continue when they are older by participating in theater and drama classes. For some of them, this will be one of the greatest opportunities they will have in elementary school to be part of something so special. Again I want to say, "Thank You". This gift has meant the world to all of us in our 2nd grade class as well as to the families of these young students. They will always have their video and pictures to remind them of these amazing experiences you have helped them to have.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Stapel
Books in Desperate Need of a Voice!
Funded Oct 13, 2016My students and I cannot thank you enough for this amazing gift of technology to our classroom. I wish you could see the excitement that happens on a daily basis when the children know that it is their turn to use an iPod Nano with all of the books that are downloaded onto it. We have six in our classroom and they are in constant demand. It is pretty amazing to be able to have book after book read out loud to each student where the student is in control and gets to choose which books he/she "listens" to.
A really exciting thing about these iPod Nano devices is how easy they are to use. It just takes a few touches to the screen and the students can choose to listen to any number of about fifteen books that I have downloaded to the device. Each of the six devices has a completely different set of books downloaded, so our library is well over 100 books. The kids know how to use these Nanos and do not have to ask me how to work them. I am then able to work with small groups of kids learning reading skills while the others are enjoying these wonderful books.
I do have a few struggling readers and they especially are enjoying this. They get to "read" books that are fun, engaging and that they might not otherwise be able to read because they are a difficult reading level for them. Again I want to say, "Thank You". Your gift has changed our world here in the 2nd grade!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Stapel
Integrating Technology Through the Use of iPads!
Funded Oct 21, 2015I cannot thank you enough for this amazing gift of technology that you have given to my 2nd grade students. Not only has it been helpful to have these iPads in our classroom, it has been really fun as well.
Every morning using these iPads, the students get to sign in to their very own library filled with books to read at their reading level. They read the books out loud and record it on the iPad, which then reads the book back to them in their own voice. Because this is a touch screen it is really simple to use and the kids love it. I don't think a day has gone by since we received this generous gift that we haven't used them. There is always someone using an iPad for either reading, math, science or looking up information that we are interested in. Soon the students will be doing animal reports in science and these iPads will be invaluable as the children use them for their research.
Of course these iPads are also being used in some fun ways that the students get really excited about. I have found many math games that the students can play that are a reinforcement for what we are learning and practicing in math class. The games are fun and exciting (it often feels like playing an arcade game) but the children are actually practicing math. It is really fantastic and I am so happy to have this technology in my classroom! What a difference they are making in our class!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Stapel
We Love Technology! Wanted: Chromebooks For Our Classroom!
Funded Aug 31, 2015I cannot thank you enough for this amazing gift of technology that you have all helped to provide to my 2nd grade students. It has been so fun and helpful to have these Chromebooks in our classroom.
Every morning when my students come to school, they put their things away and then sign in to be one of the first to use a Chromebook. In the morning they are working on a math program that helps them develop fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Later in the morning, they use the Chromebooks for reading and listening to books that are at their reading level. We also have students that use the Chromebooks for research. We currently have a group of students learning about living and non-living things and doing many web based activities with these Chromebooks.
Of course these Chromebooks are also being used in some fun ways that the students get really excited about. I have found many math games that the students can play that are a reinforcement for what we are learning and practicing in math class. The games are fun and exciting (it feels like playing an arcade game) but the children are actually practicing math. It is really fantastic and I am so happy to have this technology in my classroom! What a difference they are making in our class!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Stapel