Past projects 15
Raspberry Pi: Little Computers for Large Projects
Funded Oct 12, 2023The materials from this project have been instrumental in presenting student work to the masses. Multiple students programmed websites, which the Raspberry Pis are directed to, to show off things like our school schedule, after-school clubs, and student work. We have monitors that are hung up around the building where students have room to stand around them and see what is showing. In one common space near the front entrance, any student who walks in after school has started is greeted with the current time and what class it is (we use a schedule that flips morning and afternoon depending on the day). At the other end of the building, student work is featured in a looping presentation.
One student created a translation box that, when you speak into the microphone, will detect English and then give out a translation to Swedish (he's studying that in Duolingo). It will eventually be programmed to translate back and forth from English to Spanish, Bengali, and Arabic as well. This will change the way we interact with some of our students who come to us not speaking any English. None of these projects would be possible without your continued support and dedication to my students.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon on CBS and 5 other donors.Putting the "Pro" into Prototyping
Funded Mar 7, 2017Thank you so much for your donations. My students used the materials a bit at the end of last year as we were designing wind turbines for a problem-based task dealing with electricity production in Appalachia. Additionally, my 7th and 8th-grade Engineering and Design elective first marking period of this year will be using them to create prototypes of designs to repurpose vacant and blighted lots in our city.
Having access to basic modeling supplies has been huge as it has allowed me to plan some very intense engineering tasks and ask my students to do a lot of the same things college students are doing in regards to prototyping. I have found that when I am able to challenge my students to work at a level well above what they are used to that the vast majority rise to the occasion. I cannot imagine teaching students where I'm not asking them to create prototypes at some point in the year.
As always, thank you for your continued support.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
Making Outside the Makerspace
Funded Dec 7, 2016As always, thank you for your continued support. The impact of this tool chest has been immediate. I have been able to take students all over the building to do work and we have also been able to secure our tools without needing to lock them in a cabinet inside a closet. Having immediate access (and on wheels) has made it much easier to use both our power tools and our hand tools wherever we need them. In the coming weeks, we are helping the art teacher make shelves and also plan to build a bookcase for the 2nd-grade teacher. The students look forward to being able to do this without having to carry all of the tools all over the building. Again, thank you very much.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
Cutting And Etching: Empowering Students Through Art
Funded Jul 18, 2016Thank you all so much for your generous donations. I have had students come up with a number of ideas so far, and some of them have begun to create their ideas with the vinyl cutters. We currently have a student creating shadow boxes with vinyl-cut phrases, backlit with LEDs. She is selling these to make money for holiday shopping. In our STEM elective for 7th and 8th grade, we have students designing phrases to be cut, things to be stippled, and stickers to be printed/cut. These devices, although seemingly simple, have had a huge impact on my classes as students are excited to work with such finely crafted materials. First graders made cards with their favorite things about fall, using cardstock leaves and pumpkins cut with the Curios. Middle school students are designing things to sell and our entrepreneurship club will be using them in the spring to make their ideas come to life. This has been one of the most fun projects do work with because it really lets the kids show their creativity. As I type this, I have a student sanding and staining shadow boxes for more sales.
Thank you for your tremendous impact on my students and Happy Holidays!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
Coding on iPads with Scratch Jr
Funded Jan 15, 2016I cannot thank you enough for your generous gifts to our makerspace. Although this project was initially geared primarily toward using the iPads to do coding with Scratch Jr., to my surprise, the biggest excitement has been for the stop motion animation app from Lego. Students as young as 6 and as old as 15 have used the iPads to make stop-motion animation with Legos, and some have become quite good at it in the limited time they have used it.
To the original purpose of the project, the iPads are going to become a station in our Stem class next year for K-3 students to be able to use for coding. We also started a club for first and second graders, the Mighty Makers Club, which will provide some students with an opportunity after school to use the iPads as well. Our students are very impressed and thankful for your continued support as they grow as students, designers, and innovators. To continue to stretch the use of the iPads, our students will also be using them in our new Entrepreneurship Club, where students design and then produce things that they can sell through the makerspace and keep a portion of the profit. I'm so excited for the new school year to bring with it all of these awesome opportunities to see my students doing amazing things with your generous gifts.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 10 other donors.Using Lego EV3 to Teach Robotics in the Inner City
Funded Jun 16, 2015Thank you all for your generous donations. My students have already begun to use the EV3 kits to make robots. In my 5th and 6th grade stem elective, students will use the kits to compete against each other to complete challenges in our 4th marking period class. Additionally, we will be using these kits after school beginning in December. I have a few students who have really taken to these kits and come in every day excited to work with them again.
As far as academics go, my students are working with a drag and drop coding program called Scratch in their stem classes right now. This will lead into Lego's programming code, which is a simplified version of Labview. Students will learn how to code for more complex tasks after they first learn the basics in Scratch. I am very excited to teach them how to code and, at the same time, build awesome robots.
Thank you all again.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
M is for Makerspace: A Place Where Students Design & Build
Funded Jun 9, 2014Thank you all for your amazingly generous donations. The students have fallen in love with the space and I heard many parents tell me that STEM was their child's favorite class, even though some of them only see me once per week. The excitement this has generated at our school and in the surrounding neighborhood is palpable, and we continue to raise money, as the children are demanding more hands-on projects with their newfound interest in the Engineering Design Process.
The most influential materials have actually been the vellum and PrismaColor markers. When I explained to the students that they were using tools that a professional engineer or architect would use, they were blown away. We have used these tools to work on designs for our hands-on projects, such as a fan-powered car. Additionally, with the accompaniment of a picture book, Iggy Peck, Architect, our K-5 students all used the drafting tools to design buildings.
Arguably the most exciting part of this project is the fact that we will be starting our Makers Club in mid-January, where students will be using the hot wire Styrofoam cutter, among other tools, to create models. I cannot express my sincere gratitude enough for your belief in the creative process in schools. Without this funding, we never would have gotten this project off the ground.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
Expanding the Capabilities of Our Computer Lab
Funded Oct 8, 2013Thank you so much for your donations. I am happy to report that I recently took a group of children to our local Apple Store to learn about the history of Podcasting and to get lessons on how to use Garage Band to create their own Podcasts. We got to go upstairs to the "Briefing Room" and get trained by a guy who does Podcasts weekly. The topics ranged from ribs to ice cream, but all were about food. The students have begun coming up with ideas for their next Podcasts and I am very excited to see what they come up with.
Without your donations, this would not be possible. The children would not be able to edit their Podcasts at the same time, as they would not have had headphones to use. Additionally, the external hard drive allows us to easily upload Podcasts to different computers to share them.
In the future, we are going to move into creating movies with iMovie, taking full advantage of the tripod.
Thank you again for your kindness and generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 8 other donors.Projector for Computer Lab
Funded Sep 12, 2013I want to thank you all for your generous donations. Having a projector in our computer lab has made it possible to teach children how to perform many tasks on the computer while showing them at the same time. We have worked on blogging, keyboarding, and the many functions of Microsoft Word. In addition to this, our Newspaper Club has used the projector to share the stories children are working on. Finally, I have been able to do some supplemental math lessons with some of the classes by working problems out using our projector. As always, your continued support is greatly appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 7 other donors.Art Supplies For Science Projects
Funded Jan 31, 2013Thank you all for your generous donations. With them, my students have been able to craft posters of local civil engineering feats for my Civil Engineering Cub, create models of cells reproducing in biology, and work on a variety of posters for other projects. In the past, I have spent hundreds of dollars on art supplies, so it is refreshing to see that there are people who share my belief that art belongs in the classroom. Without your donations, we would not have nearly the opportunities that we do today. Thank you all very much and I look forward to posting pictures.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Franklin