Past projects 3
Chromebooks for Research and Coding!
Funded Jun 10, 2017Thank you again for your support for my classroom. Through your donations, I was able to purchase 11 Chromebooks. This is a big deal in a school where the ratio of computers to students is higher than 5:1. While I don't believe 1:1 access to be the be-all end-all solution for student achievement, it makes a huge difference in my classroom.
Already in this year, my Earth Science students have used the laptops for multiple virtual labs focused on atmospheric processes, weather patterns, and topographic maps. They have also used them form multiple research papers and are currently crafting their science fair projects on them. Many of these students do not have access to computers or internet at home, so this is extremely useful.
Finally, I am once again teaching a coding class. Every other day, many students are learning the fundamentals of HTML, JAVA, CSS, and other languages, thanks to these laptops. Without them, I would be in a constant state of scramble, trying to locate and maintain computers that are shared throughout the school, computers that are frequently off limits due to high-stakes testing, computers that are well worn.
Thank you for helping my classroom be a part of the 21st century.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Bearman
Classroom Link To The 21st Century!
Funded Sep 11, 2014Thank you so much for donating to my classroom,
After receiving and installing the Brightlink Projector, I have been using it constantly for lectures and class activities. My students were fairly astounded by the projector's features, jokingly heralding it as "black magic," and "crazy" (they're middle schoolers, remember). It was so easy to install and is very user friendly, resulting in my classroom being one of the few in my school where this kind of technology is being used on a regular basis.
At the moment, we have used the projector for lecture notes, student presentations, review games, and watching various amazing science videos - the fave rave so far has been organisms of the deep ocean. My students really enjoy being able to come to the board and manipulate diagrams and mark up projections of their work. I know there is a great deal more that we can do with the projector, which I will be researching with all that ample time off(!).
From my perspective, this projector has made engaging my students in their own learning much easier. It seems like a small thing, but not having to set up a projector and deal with lecturing in my own shadow is a great asset. It allows us as a class to explore new ideas and any questions that pop up in the course of a lab or activity in a split second. It also allows my students to easily display their work and get feedback from their classmates.
Again, thank you for your support,”
With gratitude,
Mr. Bearman
Classroom Podcasting Set-Up
Funded Sep 26, 2013Thank you so much for your donations to my classroom. We have received the microphones, recorder, and Chromebook, and have been putting them to use. My 8th graders regularly use the Chromebook for research and online interactive activities.
The microphones and recorders have begun getting use, as we roll out our first set of podcast projects. Their first usage is for a Weekly Science Podcast (my students named it "The Weekly Bearcast", against my wishes), which allows my Earth Science students to focus on science news and topics beyond what we study in class. The first podcast, which I just posted at http://joshbearman.edublogs.org/weekly-science-bearcast/, focuses on Real vs Fake Christmas Trees. Coming in the near future will be podcasts on the frequency of blue moons, the comet ISON, and many other interesting themes!
My students are super excited about this. Once I have a more streamlined process in place, I hope to open up the usage of this equipment to my 6th graders and then to other interested students at Lucille Brown.
Please keep up with the podcasts, if you're interested, and thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Bearman