Funded Feb 2, 2017First off, my students absolutely love using the Chrome books. Every day during reading, they rush over to me asking if they can use the Chrome book. We mainly use the Chrome books for a website that had hundreds of books that can be read aloud to you, and as it reads it highlights the words to support student learning of vocabulary and improve their phonemic awareness. We've also used them in partnerships to play math games that support fact fluency and mental math problem solving.
As technology becomes a bigger part of our society, it is important for us as educators to educate our students in a way that makes sense. Gone are the days of solely chalkboard writing; we are trying to teach our children to use resources around them to solve daily issues, and to develop the necessary skills to make them successful in their futures. Many schools, elementary level, middle and high schools are trying to raise funds to support 21st century learning so they can teach students to type, to use the internet, and impressively, how to code programs and apps. As a society, we are seeing the impact technology has on our lives and sometimes we see or face the struggles that can arise when we don't understand it. It's exciting to learn and grow with the students in this technological world.
The Chrome books in our classroom have been shared among everyone, and we are seeing a growing interest in reading. We especially see an increased motivation for our English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities, for whom reading is sometimes a great challenge and can be frustrating for them at times. Being able to use the Chrome books to listen to a story being read aloud, while being able to follow the words, has not only helped with their comprehension of stories, but also has helped their phonemic awareness. We are very hopeful that the more we use the Chrome books, the stronger our students will become in their academic work.
The students and I are so appreciative of your generosity, and we thank you very much for your contribution to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Byrns