Past projects 3
This School Year, Let Social Studies and Technology Meet!
Funded Oct 27, 2022I am so grateful for your support of our students! We are so lucky that you are willing to help provide us with valuable learning experiences. I can't wait for my first graders to continue developing important social studies skills this year. With your help, we will be able to learn more about the world around us and grow citizens!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marthens
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 3 other donors.Flexible Seating for Flexible Learners
Funded Jan 27, 2022My students are loving the opportunity to move their bodies during work time in our classroom! Using the "wiggle feet" and "wiggle seats" has become a regular occurrence for some of my more active students. Students regularly raise their hands for a turn with our flexible seating options, and they have also started recognizing when others need to use the seating options more than they do. The growth in empathy and emotional regulation has been so encouraging to watch!
When we first started using the wiggle seats and feet, students felt like they should ALWAYS have a turn. As we reviewed and practiced norms and behaviors about why we have these tools and how to use them responsibly, students developed habits and responses to when, why, and how they are best utilized in our room.
Our next steps are to start next school year fresh with flexible seating and seat pockets for improved organization and help to develop even more emotional regulation. Thank you so much for your contribution to our growth this year!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marthens
Plug in to Learning!
Funded Jan 22, 2021Students in my class are so excited to try new things and make technology work for them! Your contribution to our project has given students more opportunities to interact independently with their devices as well as impacted the families I serve. With new computers, students are learning to navigate different websites and apps to help them learn. Having separate mice and headsets at home has helped my students grow in independence as they worked through the challenges that come with online learning.
Many students really struggled to learn to efficiently use the trackpads on their laptops. Learning to navigate with a physical computer mouse has helped ease the transition and given them more independence in navigating the computer screen. Students who use the mouse with their laptop have gained confidence and have also switched back and forth between the mouse and the trackpad. Having the option to plug in a mouse when students are struggling with the trackpad has been a huge help!
My students have also experienced fewer distractions and been able to focus more on our online learning meetings and apps by using the headsets from this project. Being able to speak directly into the microphone has helped us hear each other more clearly as well. Many students learning from home have siblings who are or were also learning online this year. The headsets helped students to avoid more distractions and engage more in our lessons. A few of my students also LOVE how official they feel with their headset and mic combination! I am so grateful for a community like the donors on this project who have helped my class this year. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marthens