Funded Feb 17, 2019Words cannot express how grateful my students and I are to have received the four new Chromebooks for our classroom. This new technology has allowed my students to complete two different research projects within the past couple of months! They were able to research a variety of famous men and women, and they were also able to deepen their knowledge about the California Gold Rush. Throughout their research process, they had to choose their resources wisely, and they also learned to put the information that they found in their own words.
In addition to research, my students have been most excited to be able to use the Chromebooks to practice and build upon their skills in reading, math, and typing during these last few weeks of school. Within our small group rotations, each of my students has had the opportunity to play Prodigy Math, Raz-Kids, and Typing Club. Prodigy Math is a game geared toward each student's individual math ability and allows them to practice their math skills by competing against each other. Raz-Kids (Reading A-Z) is a reading program that offers leveled reading passages. Students read and answer comprehension questions based on their reading level. Typing Club encourages my students to practice their typing skills by requiring them to place their fingers on the home keys and to be able to type words without looking down at the keyboard. There are speed typing tests to challenge the kids and allow them to become proficient in typing. My students have been so excited to be able to practice these skills for the past few weeks.
I am most grateful for the Chromebooks because of the inspiration it has given to a particular group of four students in my class. These particular students' reading and math skills are far below grade level. Because their abilities are at the first and second-grade level, they are the kids who will do whatever it takes to avoid doing any tasks that involve books, or paper and pencil. Throughout the school year, I have seen very little improvement in their reading and math abilities. Since receiving the Chromebooks, they have begun to work harder than ever before! They will now put forth the effort to complete tasks that are a challenge for them just to be able to use the Chromebooks. Once they are able to use the Chromebooks, they seem to have the most fun of all the kids in the class when playing the reading, math, and typing games. I can sense a boost in their confidence level, and I am thrilled to say that their end of the year scores on their reading and math assessments have improved! It's so awesome that technology is such a motivator!
Our society has become one which relies on technology for almost everything. Utilizing it in the classroom for educating our students and bringing them closer to being proficient is, in my opinion, the most important use of all!”
With gratitude,
Ms. LeDuff