Hooray for Headphones!

Funded Oct 10, 2024

Thanks to your generosity, our third-grade students in Los Angeles are absolutely thriving! Technology, particularly headphones and ear pods, has become an essential tool in our classroom, especially for our emergent bilinguals and English-speaking learners. These resources allow us to provide a personalized learning experience tailored to each student's needs. For our emergent bilinguals, the ability to use educational apps with audio support in both English and students' home language has helped them build vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and develop confidence in their language skills. Meanwhile, our English-speaking students have also benefitted from access to interactive programs that reinforce literacy, math, and critical thinking skills in an engaging and self-paced format. Headphones and ear pods also reduce distractions and create a focused learning environment, helping every student stay on task.

One of the most exciting aspects of this technology is how it empowers students to take charge of their own learning. Programs like adaptive reading apps allow them to work at their individual skill level, celebrate progress, and feel proud of their accomplishments. Additionally, the use of high-quality audio in storytelling or language lessons makes content come alive in a way that sparks their imagination. Many students have shared how much they love the interactive features and games built into these tools—they see learning as fun and rewarding rather than a chore.

Several students have truly blossomed with the addition of these tools. For example, one emergent bilingual student who was shy about participating in class has grown confident when using language-learning apps with her ear pods, practicing pronunciation independently before sharing with the group. Another student, who struggled with staying focused, now excels at completing tasks thanks to the distraction-free environment created by her headphones. These tools aren't just helping students academically—they're giving them confidence, independence, and the belief that they can succeed.

Your support has transformed our classroom, making it a place where every child has the resources they need to grow and shine. Thank you for making this possible!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Robles