Past projects 13
Fuel Our School -Help Us Rev Up Our STEM!
Funded Oct 10, 2016It is taking us a while to get things underway, as we had a roof leak and so it delayed our library opening has been delayed and our things have had to be stored in a dry place. But wow! The students are really excited to see the awesome STEM project games and I know they will do many great things through experimentation and design challenges. The students in the auto department will love designing new cars with the Zoobs. The legos will help the construction students design and create scale models. The programming games will assist all of the students in their coding skills, which is important for their futures!
Thanks so much to Chevron, Arthur Blank Foundation, and Donors Choose for making our school that much stronger for our students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
This classroom project was brought to life by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and 2 other donors.Educational STEAMPunk @Podstock
Funded Feb 19, 2015This thank you letter is long overdue but things have been hectic this school year! Thank you SO much for helping me attend Podstock in Wichita, Kansas! This professional development opportunity provided me with a chance to get super creative and think about ways that I can unleash the creativity in my students.
While I was at Podstock, I learned a lot more about Maker spaces! I learned how to make a graphite piano using circuits and you can see this in one of the pictures. I also created an "Open the World" pendant on a 3D printer which was terrific. There were sessions led by ESSDACK staff along with others. ESSDACK is the organization that puts on this amazing conference. Student voice and student choice were stressed, as was the power of global outreach efforts using teleconferencing tools such as Skype for education. I learned about a 3d tool that can teach kids all about science via a virtual reality program and this tool is also shown in one of the pictures I posted.
There was wonderful fellowship with all of the awesome educators in one place. Podstock is an awesome, community building conference with a focus on providing educators with the tools they need to empower their students. I highly recommend this conference! Also, I have to mention that this opportunity would not have been possible by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. I hope this type of professional development opportunity is offered again!
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.ISTE-- Kids Deserve a Magical Teacher
Funded Mar 18, 2015I am sorry for this belated thank you! I want to tell you that the trip to Philadelphia trip to experience the International Technology Conference (ISTE) was hugely transformational and did a lot to inform my practice. While at the conference, I was able to attend sessions run by innovators and visionaries! I learned a lot of "big ideas" that will translate into increased student motivation and engagement. I also learned specific things that can be implemented in the classroom right away!
Some of the biggest takeaways were: Do not just have a genius hour, that is not enough!! Also, it is important to create a magical school experience for our students. We must go the extra mile to keep them excited about learning! I also learned new tools such as Touchcast for creating student video productions. I also found out about interactive white board tools.
Most importantly, I got to share informal time and space with other like minded educators. It was amazing to be around my "tribe" and collaborate/come together/brainstorm and problem solve. This opportunity, brought on the by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation was a very worthwhile summer endeavor and I highly recommend that this professional development opportunity be offered again to other educators.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.MacBook Pro to Create Financial Literacy PSAs
Funded May 20, 2014Wow, what an amazing experience! The Mint financial literacy activities really peaked the interest of the kiddos! The students loved learning about financial literacy and they enjoyed working on their new MacBook Pro to make videos and podcasts teaching others about the importance of saving and investing money.
One of their biggest "aha" moments came when they learned about compound interest. They were also surprised to learn how much money one can save by doubling a penny each day for a month!! Financial literacy should be taught in school as a major subject but since it's not, thank you so much for supporting educators in their efforts to help students understand economics!
Thanks so much for making a difference in the lives of my students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 3 other donors.Young Readers-Rev Your Engines & Catch the Everything Cart
Funded Oct 7, 2014THANK YOU!!
The students were thrilled when the giant box came to our school. They were shocked to see that we received a GIANT PURPLE book cart! They instantly raved about the awesome color! The students love when the library gets something new but this--well this is the best addition to date!
This purple book cart is being used to organize the (early reader) non fiction books for so that the younger kids can find informational texts quickly and easily!
This book cart gives student learning a big boost because non fiction texts help to make kids smarter and more engaged in their learning. We are in the early stages of building the early reader non fiction collection and this is a great start!
Thanks again for supporting our students and our school library!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
Drive into Success with Computer Coding
Funded Feb 3, 2014As I write this impact letter, I am overwhelmed by the support I have received for this project from my friends and in some cases, from donors that I have never met. I would like to give you an update on my project.
First, there was nothing more exciting than receiving the new computers in their beautiful white boxes!!! The students were very excited to hear about all of the support we received for this large project.
After receiving the computers, I came to find out that I needed licenses for "management consoles licenses" for each of the computers in order to run them in a school environment. There was a cost associated with each of these licenses but I was eventually able to find a funding source for them. The next step is to have the school district IT department apply the management console to each Chromebook and I am hoping this will happen soon.
The dream of the computer coding club is alive and well however, despite the Chromebook implementation setback. I encouraged the students to sign up for a a very challenging 20 hour computer coding course offered by the cutwork consortium. While it has not been optimal, the students have been doing some of the course at home and some at school on our very old, slow, computers. A number of students have proudly completed the course and have experienced an increase in their confidence level.
The cutwork challenge has provided a forward momentum and increase in readiness for our school coding club that we will start in the 14-15 school year. At that time, the students will focus on creating code in Scratch and Tynker, both developmentally appropriate, visual block systems. I am very excited about the fun and learning that these Chromebooks will bring to my students in the fall.
I cannot thank each of you enough for supporting this project and other projects I post!!!!! You make a huge difference in the lives of students!!
#YOUMATTER!!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
Students, Start Your Engines: Document Camera And Sound Lectern
Funded Oct 4, 2013Receiving the sound lectern and document camera has been amazing for the students. Three of the published pictures show a parent volunteer who spent a great deal of time building the lectern...I had no idea it did not come preassembled and I am very thankful for this wonderful parent!!!
The students loved watching the construction of the lectern and were thrilled when it was built!!! They have a blast coming up to the microphone and sharing their ideas and inspirations; they really get creative and come to life with this useful piece of equipment and best of all, everyone can hear them!!!
We have been using the document camera to share our print/art creations on the Promethean board and also to connect with authors on Skype (it doubles as a webcam). I did not have the proper permissions to upload the pictures of the students but please be assured that the lectern and document camera are in use almost every day by the students!
It is important for you to know that these items have boosted student enthusiasm for creating, sharing, and learning! Thank you SO much for helping out with this important project!!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
This classroom project was brought to life by Greater Metro Atlanta Kia Retailers and 11 other donors.iPod for Portable Podcasting
Funded Dec 10, 2011Oh what fun it is to have an IPOD touch! Thank you very much for supporting my project. This 4th generation iteration has a built-in microphone that has been really easy for the little ones to use.
The kindergrtners recorded their favorite facts, which turned into a great podcast and the first grade students recorded their first group research project!!! It was so simple, yet so exciting for them to do!! The older students have been experimenting with podcast topics such as interesting careers and ideas about starting their own business! One class recorded a project called "Ask an Expert". In this show, one student would ask a question to the "student expert" in an interview format. This was a lot of fun...students got to choose their own area of interest and expertise for this project. Choice is always a great thing when working with great young minds!!
One important aspect of using the IPOD touch for portable podcasting is that the students get a chance to practice their presentation and speaking skills at a very young age. It's so nice to be able to give children every opportunity to succeed, especially those students have limited opportunities for practicing these skills outside of school.
Thank you so much for taking an interest in my students! We appreciate the time you have taken to donate to our project. You are very generous. You have made a difference!!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
Need to Show iPad on Big Screen
Funded Nov 29, 2011Thank you so much for allowing us all to be able to share in the IPAD experience! Having the Apple TV adapter has allowed us to really squeeze the juice out of the IPAD in such a fun way! First of all, I did not realize just how excited the students would be to take turns using the IPAD! But then, to have the student "IPAD driver" lead the instruction on the Promethean Board is the icing on the cake
The students have been working on an interactive math program "Rocket Math" as well as an animal identification program, a solar system app, and a an astronaut app!!! Whew, the kiddos are having a blast and learning a lot too!!!
Thank you so much for making our dreams come true!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
Exploring Science Through the iPad
Funded Apr 18, 2011As you can imagine, it was very exciting to receive the IPAD2. The students have really been enjoying this new instructional tool. The students at my school do not have access to this instructional resource at home, which is what makes your help with this donation so special.
I was not able to receive the IPAD2 last school year due to DonorsChoose end of year purchasing rules. However, it arrived right on time soon after school started this school year! I guess you know how exciting it was to receive this wonderful piece of technology but if not, I will tell you, it was VERY EXCITING!!!!!!
When I wrote this request I was really hoping to project the IPAD 2 on the Promethean Activ Board. Over time, I learned that this was not possible without additional equipment that was just funded yesterday. Because of this delay, we have used the IPAD 2 as a whole group as I described in my original writeup. Nevertheless, the students have been working in pairs on various apps. The best math program we found is called RocketMath. The student customize a rocket and launch it with various math problems that then come down from the sky. There is more to it than that but trust me, it's great! The younger kids have been watching stories (The Tortoise and the Hare is their favorite) and also they have been doing word and sentence building activities. One program that allows students to create sentences is called Word Blocks. The students hear the sentence and see the words in order but then they get jumbled and need to be re-ordered to recreate the sentence. This is really helping the little kiddos to accelerate their reading skills!!!!
Also, there is a great management tool called Stick Pick. This app allows me to create a class using virtual popsicle sticks as each student's name. Then I tap a stick and randomly selects a child. I am able to pre-program different types of question starters based on Blooms Taxonomy. I ask a question and give a quick grade based on the student's response. Then, I can email the scores to a parent. This is a great tool for informal assessments. I will keep you posted on the science portion of the IPAD2 once I am able to project (mirror) the IPAD2 on the Promethean Board.
Please know that when a student is using the IPAD2 a lot of learning is taking place! In addition to everyday use, three students represented our school district at a state wide technology conference Student Showcase. They shared the IPAD 2 to show their technology project (digital storytelling) projects. They each took turns walking up to attendees (educators) to do their live presentations. By becoming "mobile" with the IPAD2, they did not have to wait for people to come up to them and visit the table with the laptop. It was a transformation experience for these three students.
I will keep you posted on our upcoming whole group star gazing and other science projects after I am able to mirror the IPAD2. As always, thank you very much for your continued support!!! Trust me when I say lives are being changed because of YOU!!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine