Mrs. Kushner's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 5

• Photography Artist in Residence with local photographer Yancey Hughes

  Funded Sep 21, 2022

  It was such a pleasure having Yancey inspire students with ways they could create portrait photos using a professional backdrop and lighting. Students loved learning about photography as a career and gaining tips for shooting portraits and creating memorable poses.

  Using the inspiration gained from their discussion with Yancey, students went on to create and edit their own portraits using tips they gained, and we shared them virtually using Padlet so students could give and receive feedback on their work.

  Students then chose their best photos to submit to a class photo competition where students posted their photo virtually and voted on categories such as best edit, most interesting subject, and more! Students then recognized the contest winners with a critique and treats for the whole class!

  It was such a pleasure collaborating with Yancey again and we look forward to a continued partnership so 8th grade students can learn about portrait photography and what it is like to be a professional photographer each rotation this year!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kushner

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 10 other donors.

• Stop Motion Animation

  Funded Jun 8, 2021

  Students were so thrilled to be able to use the clay and legos from this project to bring their characters and props to life to tell their stories through animation. Students come alive when given a hands-on project like stop motion animation, and they were so enthusiastic and engaged while working in teams to create their stop motion stories. The lego characters and sets were perfect for students who had specific ideas of what they wanted their stories to be about. Multiple groups chose the cars and vehicles to create stories about car races and crash rescues. One group was interested in space and built a rocketship with a female astronaut who went exploring on Mars. Other groups used the clay to build familiar characters from shows or games like Sponge Bob or Among Us, then used their imaginations to create tales about underwater or game-related adventures. The lego characters were also very popular, as students experimented with character interaction and dialogue. Having so many diverse characters helped inspire students to create a variety of stories and situations, and allowed for students to use characters of different races, occupations, and ages. Having sets of individual supplies for each group made it possible for each class to create using their own set of materials, eliminating the need to sanitize supplies between classes.

  We are looking forward to continuing this project with all 6th grade students this school year!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kushner

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 14 other donors.

• Meaningful Remote Instruction for Media Arts

  Funded Nov 18, 2020

  Thanks so much for your generous donation towards a new iPad for me to teach with. Using the new iPad, I had plenty of device space to create tutorials and do live demos with many creative media apps.

  Students were so engaged in our photography, animation, digital painting, and visual storytelling units. Having space on a new iPad allowed me to save my resources and project demos to help students learn in a variety of ways, while ensuring that my apps ran smoothly as I streamed live demos on zoom with my students.

  Using creative media has been an important outlet for students to express their feelings as they dealt with the challenges of quarantine, distance learning, and isolation this year. Your donation made these creative learning opportunities possible for students and we appreciate your generosity!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kushner

• Engaging Learners Through Hands-on Making

  Funded Jan 14, 2020

  This professional development opportunity pushed me to think about new ways to use microbits and microelectronics with my students. We learned about working with frequency, using adapters to extend the power of the microbit so we could connect servos and additional lights, and use microbits in conjunction with paper crafts to add an interactive, coded elements to student projects. Now that the new microbit v2 is out, I am imagining so many possibilities for working with sound and taking our microbits projects further!

  The highlight of this event for me was networking with other teachers. One teacher I met also does video documentation with his students, and he shared with me a new app that I now use to create amazing videos to show off my student work and advocate for my program. After learning about the app from him, I created a video showcasing my program, which I now am able to share with parents, community members, and on social media to celebrate student work in my class.

  One specific thing I learned at this PD was how to use the Cricut vinyl cutter. I use the Silhouette vinyl cutter in my class currently, but we also have Cricuts in my school, and now I am more familiar with how to use the machine and the software, and I have many project ideas from things we tried at the Infypathfinders professional development.

  I am grateful for all the learning and networking I was able to do at this event, and I know that when we return to in person learning, I will be able to engage many more students with all these hands-on opportunities!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kushner

  This classroom project was brought to life by Infosys Foundation USA and 4 other donors.

• 3D Printing for the Media Arts Classroom

  Funded Jan 21, 2015

  Thank you so much for funding our 3D printer! Students were so excited to receive the 3d printer! They loved the opportunity to work in various 3d modeling programs to create their own designs and watch them print layer by layer before their eyes. Students were amazed to learn about the different types of filament and how the 3d printer works. A university student in the area created an ebook for students about the history of 3d printing and all the different ways this technology is shaping our world. Students enjoyed looking through online 3d galleries and seeing all the innovative objects that people are making. They were inspired to remix existing ideas and then come up with their own items. Students frequently borrowed rulers to get a sense of how large the item they designed on the computer would actually be when printed. They considered what purpose their creations would have. One student made a robot that he designed to hold a pencil in its left hand. Another student designed a bookmark in the shape of a ruler that said "teachers rule" which our student council 3d printed for our entire teaching staff for teacher appreciation week. Students also learned how to take drawings and images they designed in Photoshop and convert them into 3d cutouts for phone and iPod cases. We experimented with a flexible, stretchy filament which students preferred for their cases. Students tried Tinkerplay, which allowed them to design characters using different pieces that could then be 3d printed separately then assembled to make characters will movable legs and arms. Students are now using these characters to make their own stop motion movies. Students also learned how to use the Xbox kinect to do body scans using a program called Skanect. It was a unique experience for students to create miniature replicas of themselves, their own "mini-me". All these experiences generated a lot of interest in our school community about 3d design and printing. Students are learning tools to be makers and innovators, enhancing their creativity and gaining interest in pursuing STEAM fields in the future. We are so appreciative that you helped us bring this amazing technology into our school!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kushner

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Team and 10 other donors.