Past projects 4
Our Developing World Develops Our Literacy!
Funded Aug 20, 2015The impact this technology has had on my students is incredible. Their engagement soars and they are instantly intrigued whenever the tablet basket comes out of the cabinet. Their celebration is comparable to 90's students' excitement when a TV cart rolled out! They share turns typing and using the technology and constantly teach and coach each other on how to utilize apps, accessibility features, and resources.
One feature that is unique about the iPads is the dictation/use of Siri. Many of my students are developmentally delayed and lack spelling or writing skills, and often times are unable to even search for what they want online. Using the dictation feature, they can either ask Siri a question, or have the tablet show them how to spell the word they need. This is tremendous in teaching my students basic concepts in phonics that they would be too embarrassed to ask for help for otherwise.
All of the unique learners and needs in my classroom have readily embraced and benefited from this technology, and become more confident students in using it. The difference our donors make is outstanding!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Albritton
Moving to Learn
Funded Dec 13, 2015I cannot express how thankful I am for the neighbors and strangers that are so caring of my students and the opportunities to increase their potential! Thank you all so much for your gifts, and most importantly, the gesture of support, as this in education is what truly impacts these kids.
I am so excited to share these materials with my students when they arrive, and also to share the photos and experience with all stakeholders as we use them to increase the productivity of our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Albritton
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 7 other donors.We Like to Read! (We Just Need Help)
Funded Aug 20, 2015The impact that the tablets have had on the daily process of my English class is incredible. Students get excited about learning, and ask to play "games" that quiz and assess their learning - and teach them while they think they are just competing for a high score. Many students use audio books and the immersion reading feature with the Kindles, which excites them and encourages them to read daily, while building confidence in their abilities.
The most exciting activity for my students is using the Kindles to play Kahoot!, which is a quiz-style game that allows me to create the content on which it quizzes. Because of students' competitive nature, they are so incredibly engaged and excited to "play", and they enthusiastically practice and study the content after it has been taught. There has been tremendous research that shows the most effective study method is by practicing with recall skills, rather than reading the information over and over again, and this commitment to their knowledge base is very evident.
Thank you again for your belief and support of our class project, I am so excited when my students enjoy learning and come in to my class asking if we are going to quiz and study. This technology is truly the pathway to this generation's engagement and I love adopting it into our daily activity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Albritton
Literacy Opens the Door to Learning
Funded Apr 13, 2015The excitement my students have everyday when using the Kindles for our reading is incredible and heart-warming. Along with the desire to read a book and use them to learn, they have also reinforced the feeling that people DO care about kids and want them to succeed. They could not believe that people who did not even know them cared enough to boost their educational experience in such a generous way.
Because there are more students than Kindles available, it was interesting to delegate who had a turn, and I did not want there to be an everyday battle. The solution to this was to use a random choice generator online, to randomly select four students for the day. The condition to have your name entered is simple, your name is entered if you completed the previous day's homework. It has been amazing...since we initiated that rule, we have only had a handful of days that we did not achieve 100% homework completion!
The Kindle Fires have really helped my struggling readers, as they are able to work without the continual shame of asking for help. Even when a rich acceptance environment is promoted, there will always be fear of judgment or inadequacy, and this project has eliminated the shame of needing modeled reading.
I wish I could sufficiently thank you both for your donation and investment in my students. I hope that if you're ever in the area, you visit our school and meet my class so they can tell you how much they love learning with Kindles!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Albritton