Mr. Hansen's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 27

• Can you Hear the Echo? It is a New Classroom Assistant

  Funded Apr 3, 2016

  Thank-you for helping to fund our project for an Amazon Echo. It took a while for the district to get the wifi to work automatically with it, but once we got it properly hooked up it is working exactly how I hoped that it would in our classroom. The class was really excited to use the Amazon Echo and now they use it continuously throughout the day. The Echo has become a real classroom assistant. In order to use it, a student says, "Alexa (the Echo's name)" and that wakes it up. Then they can ask it any question. Most of the time, my students ask it how to spell a word. This is wonderful as it allows students to use words that they have in their speaking vocabulary, but may shy away from writing as they are unsure of the spelling. My student's writings are now full of a much richer vocabulary.

  One of the benefits of using speech technology is that may students have learned that they have to speak clearly and enunciate their words properly for Alexa to understand them. They have risen to the occasion and this had been eye-opening to them as they were unaware of their mispronunciations. Besides being a spelling assistant, my students use the Amazon Echo is many different ways (and we are still learning new things to do with it). They ask for the temperature outside, what is on their schedule for the day, and for important facts about history or other events. It has become a very worthy classroom tool that is innovative in its use of technology to solve easy problems.

  The neat thing about the Amazon Echo is that it is becoming a classroom tool that others are noticing. At first, the technology department was reticent about it. They thought I just wanted it to play music in my classroom (we haven't even done that yet), but when they saw it was more than a speaker, they immediately were impressed with it and were commenting on how useful it would be in other classrooms. I think other teachers will some day want their own Amazon Echos in their classrooms helping children solve problems more efficiently.

  Thanks again for your contribution towards making my classroom a better place to learn.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

• One More Chromebook to Replace the Dead One

  Funded Oct 31, 2015

  I was very happy to get this final Chromebook for my class, because as soon as we finally got a class set, we discovered that one of our original Chromebooks had died. That left one student without a computer to use full-time in the class and that is just not workable and fair. I am really happy and thankful that we were able to get the replacement Chromebook so quickly so that we would have one Chromebook for every student again.

  My class uses the Chromebooks for projects and reports as well as for using educational websites that supplement our learning in new and meaningful ways. We are also learning how to use computers purposefully and effectively so that they can take some of the creativity skills learned and use them in future years.

  We thank-you for your support of this project for our final classroom Chromebook.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 5 other donors.

• Complete Our Classroom Chromebook Collection

  Funded Oct 19, 2015

  My students and I were thrilled to get five new Samsung Chromebooks for our classroom and we thank-you for your support. It has taken four years of adding new Chromebooks through Donor's Choose, but my class now has one Chromebook for each of my 23 students. It has been a dream of mine from back when I started teaching to one day be able to work in a classroom where each student has full time access to a computer and it is wonderful to finally have that goal realized for this class.

  My students no longer have to wait their turn to get a computer when they want to research, write a paper, work on a project, or practice their skills on an education related website. My class is able to use the Chromebooks to complete projects and practice all sorts of computer and problem solving skills. It is fun to work with a class and help them as they begin to understand how to use technology to its greatest and most creative benefit as students and learners.

  Thank-you again for your donations to this project and interest in helping to provide the materials for my students to be successful and excited about learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 14 other donors.

• Facilitating Focus and Reducing Stress through Bouncy Bands

  Funded Sep 30, 2015

  My class was really excited to get the Bouncy Bands. There was one set for each student and that is important, because I wasn't even sure who would benefit the most from them. It turns out that they all use them. It was fun watching the class opening the packages and assembling the Bouncy Bands on the desks themselves. They fit perfectly and each student's legs figured out exactly what to do with them. I was happy to note that the Bouncy Bands make no noise and are not distracting at all in the classroom.

  As for results, the Bouncy Bands really seem to work! About 80% of the time, I notice that my student's are using the bands. They usually keep one or both feet on them, with a slight bounce. In times of more stress or excitement, such as when a guest is in the classroom or during difficult work, I notice that their feet are bouncing much more. We do have a classroom spin bike for student's to help practice self-regulation for better focus and stress relief in the classroom. The Bouncy Bands allow all students an additional opportunity to move a bit as they learn to calm themselves down or just to move as they learn In over thirty years of teaching, I have never seen a class make so drastic a turn-around from the first month of school when they were very antsy and had a hard time concentrating to now, when they are a very focused class intent on learning with far fewer distractions. I believe the Bouncy Bands have made a positive impact on my students and classroom. Thank- you for your donations to this project. The idea is catching on as other classrooms in my school are very interested in the positive results and have acquired their own set of Bouncy Bands or are thinking of doing so!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 11 other donors.

• Classroom Filmmakers Exploring Creativity

  Funded Mar 2, 2015

  My students and I were really excited to get this project funded. We have big ideas for using these resources to practice our photography and video making skills. The iOgrapher case takes our class iPad and turns it into a professional looking camera setup with a microphone, light, tripod, and extra lenses. I feel so much more comfortable letting the kids move around the school taking photographs and movies without them clumsily dropping the iPad or knowing how to hold it. When the class saw this setup, they were thrilled and ready to start filming right away.

  We intend to use the resources purchased from this project in the videos me make for individual and group presentations. We also have a simpler way to take photographs, now. The handles on the iOgrapher case allow the kids to feel in control when handling the iPad.

  We have already used the the setup to take photographs of our Colonial projects that were completed so that we could make Animoto videos to send home to parents. I have been able to send kids around with the camera to take photos and videos around the school and classroom for various purposes. The resources turn our classroom iPad into a more serious film-making tool to enable us to be more creative in the classroom and to allow students to do the filming and editing of photos and videos for their projects and presentations.

  Thank-you for your donations to this project. I love the fact that my students enjoy coming to school knowing that they get to try new things and to further explore their education with creativity and hands-on experiences.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 3 other donors.

• Spin During Class to Reduce Stress and Help Self Regulation

  Funded Feb 5, 2015

  Our class was very thrilled to receive the kid-sized spin bike. The students were so excited that they even helped me put the bike together. When it was ready, they couldn't wait to get their turn to try out how it worked. It was fun watching their smiles as they started peddling away!

  While the spin bike does give a little bit of much needed exercise, that is not the point of having one in the classroom. We keep it in constant use throughout the day. My students are already in a routine of using it for 5 minutes or so and then passing it off to the next student as we constantly cycle through the students multiple times a day. The short burst of spinning help my students understand the process of self-regulation. They learn they that they have the ability to manage their own energy states, including emotions, behaviors and attention, in ways that are socially acceptable in the classroom. Hopefully they will take what they have learned outside the classroom as well!

  Thank-you for the donations to this project. I hope that it will spark a positive mini-revolution in my classroom that can be modeled to other classrooms in my school and district.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 3 other donors.

• Complete our Chromebook Classroom Collection

  Funded Dec 3, 2014

  My students and I were thrilled to get the three new Samsung Chromebooks added to our classroom and we thank-you for your support. It has taken three years of slowing adding Chromebooks through Donor's Choose, but my class now has one Chromebook for each of my 18 students. It has been a dream of mine from back when I started teaching to one day be able to work in a classroom where each student has full time access to a computer and it is wonderful to finally have that dream realized.

  My students no longer have to wait their turn to get a computer when they want to research, write a paper, work on a project, or practice their skills on an education related website. We were recently working on a project that needed full-time access to computers as students were researching, working on, and completing an online interactive poster. They were able to use the Chromebooks to complete the project and practice all sorts of computer and problem solving skills. They were able to place photos they had taken, movies and animations that they had made, and PDF files they had written onto their online interactive posters. These are all advanced skills that they were able to work on in class with their Chromebooks and will serve them well as they begin to understand how to use technology to its greatest and most creative benefit as students and learners.

  Thank-you again for your donations to this project and interest in helping to provide the materials for my students to be successful and excited about learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 7 other donors.

• Chromebooks for a Creative Classroom

  Funded Oct 31, 2014

  I am very happy and excited that you were willing to donate to our classroom project for three Samsung Chromebooks. My students are thrilled to hear how quickly we got this project funded and they will put the Chromebooks to lots of good use now that they have been added to our classroom.

  We enjoy using the Chromebooks for individualized and independent use while using websites like IXL and Sumdog. We also appreciate the ability to research online as well as to learn how to create various types of interesting presentations. As my students gain experience working with the Chromebooks, they are preparing themselves for further success in this digital age. I know that they will be thrilled to have these three new Chromebooks available for their classroom use and that makes learning more interesting and fun for them.

  Thank-you again for supporting the students in my classroom,”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 5 other donors.

• Chromebooks for the Classroom

  Funded Dec 19, 2013

  I am very happy and excited that you were willing to donate to our classroom project for two Samsung Chromebooks. My students will be thrilled to hear how quickly we got this project funded and they will put the Chromebooks to lots of good use. We are finding that the Chromebooks allow for a lot of independent and individualized learning, the ability to research online, as well as to learn how to create various types of interesting presentations. As they gain experience with working with the Chromebooks, they are preparing themselves for further success in this digital age. I know that they will be thrilled to have these two new Chromebooks available for their classroom use and that makes learning more interesting and fun for them. Thank-you again for supporting the students in my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 3 other donors.

• Chromebooks for the Classroom

  Funded Jan 10, 2014

  My students let out a cheer when our two new Chromebooks arrived at school. I am thrilled to add them to our classroom and the students are always eager to get their turn at using them at various times throughout the day.

  They are put to daily use as we access various websites to practice spelling, math, and to do classroom research. My students are also learning how to use various Google tools as well as Google Drive in order to create and save work, and then applying all these skills in making presentations using the Chromebooks.

  The Chromebooks are an excellent technology tool that helps benefit my students as they become 21st Century learners. I am pleased to pioneer their usefulness in my classroom for our district and I am just as pleased by the student response to using them.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Hansen

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nashua Board of Education and 4 other donors.