Past projects 2
Give a home for the iPads!
Funded Oct 13, 2021Thank you very much for your donation to fund a charging station for the classroom iPads! Now the iPads are safely secured and I am able to lock it if needed. The charging station is large enough for various devices, which is handy because we may be getting chromebooks soon! I will be able to charge iPads along with the chromebooks. The students and I are thrilled to have a home for the iPads. The charging station is sturdy and is on wheels so it is easily maneuvered. It was such a relief to know that I would not have to charge the iPads by using a plain surge protector with no way of securing them. Thank you very much again.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoshitake-Guris
Nurturing Language Use Through Technology for ELL Students
Funded Nov 5, 2013Thank you for funding my project, Nurturing Language Use Through Technology for ELL Students. You have given an opportunity that my students may not have had, so I am grateful that you have provided the iPad mini and Belkin Bluetooth keyboard case. With these tools, my ELL students can continue their growth as digital citizens.
My students were thrilled to hear that my project had been fully funded. I told them that an iPad mini was on its way to our school! They started to chatter excitedly about games and applications (apps).
Using an iPad is a great experience for the students because it goes beyond working with a textbook, paper, and pencil. While they are working with the iPad mini, they are having so much fun that they do not realize that they are actually doing work and applying what they have learned.
My students have begun using a new phonics program this quarter. Within each lesson, there is a section of "challenge" words for them to read. I use my iPad mini to show them pictures of the "challenge" words, such as comet, inlet, catnip, and goblet. I did not want the students to read the words without knowing what it means and/or what it looks like in a photograph. They enjoy seeing the photographs and are able to make connections with the words that they are reading.
I have also downloaded apps for language arts and math. The apps reinforce what my students have learned in both their homeroom class and in our ELL group. For instance, my students review sounds that were taught from first quarter on, like the 'ea' sound and 'magic e' words. They do this while using the app, Phonics Genius. There are several words for each sound listed and when the volume is turned on, they can hear the word read aloud. They can even record themselves saying the word! Another app that I have used with my students is called TapTyping. The students play this app while using the Belkin keyboard to practice their typing skills. A math app that I use on the iPad mini is called Math vs. Zombies. It is used as an incentive for my students during the math block. They practice their addition and subtraction skills with this game. The object of the game is to zap the zombies to change them into humans which is done by correctly answering the math problems.
Having an iPad mini makes it easier for me to think outside of the box as a teacher. The iPad allows me to work with my ELL students while using apps like Book Down to access ebooks and iTunes U to read and hear about historical figures like Rosa Parks.
It is easy to transport, which is wonderful because I service my ELL students in their homeroom classes. I am able to use the iPad with all students. An ELL student who is in a fully self-contained class enjoys using the iPad. He plays a sight words game with fun graphics and sounds. What a fun way to practice reading sight words, rather than only using flashcards!
An idea that I have for a future lesson involves the games called Minecraft and Angry Birds. Some of my students love these games. I plan to use this knowledge to implement a procedural writing piece. The students will write the directions to download the game and I will follow through with their instructions with the iPad mini.
We all need to keep up with technology since it quickly changes. With the help of technological tools like the iPad mini, students and teachers alike are able to teach other new things. We can use such tools to work to the students' strengths while working on areas of struggle or inexperience.
Thank you again for financing my project and providing the iPad mini and keyboard case.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoshitake-Guris