Past projects 3
All Students Deserve Access to Technology...Chromebooks!
Funded Dec 2, 2015Technology is changing my classroom! Thanks to your generous contribution, my students are finally more engaged in their writing. Using Google Classroom means that students can get real-time feedback, work on virtual assignments, and get challenged with more individualized tasks. The quick feedback loop is perhaps the most essential of these new classroom assets. Student writing skills are improving at a faster rate than ever because they can consistently reflect on teacher feedback without the usual downtime of writing with paper and pencil. Furthermore, students who have had very little experience with basic computer skills are becoming more comfortable in front of the computer - a comfort that is necessary to succeed when they move on to college and today's workforce.
My students are most excited by the sense of ownership that comes with having an assigned laptop in the class. It is not only ownership of a piece of technology most of them associate with success, but also an ownership of their own education. With a tool placed directly in front of them to guide them through the day's lessons or writing assignments, it is harder for them to not feel accountable for their own learning. This is invaluable.
Carla is a student that has done her work with little to no enthusiasm all year. The prospect of any writing task, no matter how short, has often been daunting and frustrating, due to her learning disability and a history of being disengaged from school. Upon being able to type up a response on our first day with computers, she immediately said with great relief that she wishes we could type everything, she prefers it. For many students behind in literacy, technology is a step toward skill-building and removes many writing barriers. I was able to tell her that we CAN type everything, the way it's done in most schools with the resources to do so. Thank you for that!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Khalifa
Listen to Learn! Increasing Reading Levels through Listening
Funded Aug 16, 2010The listening center has transformed reading time in our classroom, and I cannot thank you enough. Before the arrival of this listening center, reading a class novel had to be a whole-class affair, despite the fact that there were first grade readers and seventh grade readers reading the same book. Lower-level readers clearly needed extra decoding support, and higher-level readers clearly needed more challenging literary questioning, but I could not meet each reading group to enrich their reading experience with these extra supports. The listening center now allows me to do so.
Reading a class novel can now be an essential part of classroom learning and culture. All different level readers can find enjoyment from a common piece of literature. The listening center allows me to rotate among reading groups. When reading with the higher-level readers to push their thinking, the lower-level readers do not lose comprehension because they can read along with the listening center. Then, when I work with lower-level readers, higher-level readers can read independently, or listen to a complementary piece of literature to further challenge their understanding of the class text.
Again, my deepest thanks! Reading growth is a classroom priority, and you have truly helped us in this most important venture!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Khalifa
Books! Books! Books! High Interest Reading in the Classroom
Funded Sep 8, 2010I cannot thank you enough for the tremendous change that has come over my students since the arrival of these books. They are eating up these books, and I have YOU to thank for funding this page-turning selection.
The students now react very differently to our silent reading time. It is a sacred time, the books are truly cherished by the students, and each is able to match a passion with a story. This investment in reading was a necessary bridge to help our class reach our goal of two years of reading growth. Students are steadily improving, books that they love helping them on their way.
Again, (I cannot say it enough!) thank you, thank you, thank you! You have enlivened our class with the world of books”
With gratitude,
Ms. Khalifa