Connected Classrooms :)

Edit title

Thank you to everyone who supported my classroom and funded the project. It couldn’t have come at a better time for my students in the new year. I am over the moon with hope and joy at all the possibilities for my students to create art the way they enjoy and are able.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Ramsey

These laptops have made a world of difference in my classroom! My students had more opportunity to explore and learn online. I was able to do review games using technology and my groups were small enough so that it made a more meaningful impact on the kids and more were able to participate. We explored Science topics with virtual labs so that students could learn a whole new angle of what was being taught. More students were able to use our computer program i-Ready so that they could improve their math and reading skills. The kids were also excited to be able to use the laptops around the classroom and not be tied to one place. We are so grateful for your contribution to our classroom!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Cooper

I deeply appreciate your generous donation to help fund a follow focus system for my students. With this, students will be able to utilize the skill of follow focusing, which is being able to adjust the focus on the fly. Typically, when shooting with a shallow depth of field, many things are blurry except for the subject. Without a follow-focus mechanism, adjusting the focus becomes cumbersome and often results in guesswork that simultaneously adds a lot of camera shake. Now, we can avoid that.

I have multiple students who have been very engaged with this new system as they would like to be professional cinematographers when they graduate. Because of this donation, they now have experience with focus pulling using proper equipment and we're all very grateful for the opportunity.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Madrigal

Thank you very much for helping us fund part 1 of our VR project! Reimagining education seems like a daunting task, at the outset, but when you realize that there are people out there who are passionate about helping educators and students, the mountain seems surmountable. This is what I have come to realize and I cannot emphasize this point enough: knowing that supporters like you are behind us 100% of the way allows me to dare to dream big as a teacher and, as a result, I am able to support my students and their big dreams!

As I think about the idea of virtual reality and how foreign its use may seem to people, in general, I continue by imagining people questioning what it would be like in a classroom setting. What are the applications for learning? What use does an HTC Vive system have in education? I started out with these questions in mind, along with many more, prior to submitting our project but ultimately, I believed in the grand and innovative possibilities afforded by VR. Even then, I could never have imagined the impact that the VR system would have on our classroom because, until you are able to slip on the headset and be immersed in the environment, you truly cannot grasp the possibilities. It is beyond imagining or description and it is this sense of awe and wonder that you have allowed my students to access that I am truly thankful to have in our classroom.

One of the favorite things that my students enjoy are the "experiences" where they can immerse themselves within a story and interact with the environment. What I have come to realize is that every single student who takes off the headset retains a sparkle in their eye and a smile on their face, along with some emotions (depending on the experience). Through them, I know that being in virtual reality does not lessen the emotional connection that they would have when compared to reading a piece of text or watching a movie. One of my favorite quotes to date is this one: "Virtual reality is the 'ultimate empathy machine.' These experiences are more than documentaries. They're opportunities to walk a mile in someone else's shoes" (Chris Milk). When my students put on the headsets, they are doing just that but rather than just walking, they are flying, jumping, diving, and doing so much more while tethered to the ground back in the classroom.

Thank you very much for your support. As you can tell, your help has allowed us to reimagine learning, the way we interact with content, and, above all, to continue to believe that there is still wonder and magic to be found in the world, we just have to seek it. Happy 2018!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Pond, M.Ed.

Whenever I think of the importance of nurturing my students' sense of creativity, I am reminded of a quote by Albert Einstein: "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." I am a true believer in the power of the imagination because it is the imagination that has given us the computer, Facebook, solar panels, Keurig, smartphones, and virtual reality, just to name a few things. Many of the things that we rely upon to run our world or our daily lives had their inception within someone's mind or had their genesis stemming from a collaborative effort by people who imagined together.

The power of shaping, molding, and bringing a block of clay to life holds a strong attraction for many students. It is sad for me to see that, by the time my students move on to the secondary level, opportunities for them to engage in artistic endeavors become diminished. Even though we are an English class, my goal has always been to become interdisciplinary and offer my students chances to engage in the content in different and enjoyable ways; with your help in funding our claymation project, you have helped me do just that! Even though my students are "playing" with clay, the work that they have done in order to plan and execute their project from beginning to end has been more rigorous and multi-faceted than they realized. It was not until we debriefed and reflected did they realize all of the many steps and processes that they used to produce a successful claymation project! They were in awe of themselves but, ultimately, proud of what they produced and having your help in funding our project so that my students can experiences that sense of pride and accomplishment is invaluable!

This is why I am so thankful for your support because by funding our project, you are helping my students imagine and conceptualize, to see the possibilities and realize the potential of their own imaginations and power. So, thank you! Thank you for continuing to believe in us, in our classroom, and for imagining with us! Have a wonderful 2018 and we look forward to a successful year!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Pond, M.Ed.

I cannot express enough how thankful I am for your support and help in allowing me to provide these emergency supplies on an "as needed" basis to those students who need it. Every single student who picks up items from the pantry never fail to express how amazed they are that the items were provided to them by such awesome "people out there" and I always have to remind them that there are so many people who are rooting for their success and will always help them in their time of need. I will be forever indebted to everyone who is a part of the "Student Life Essentials" group and our foundational supporters (teachers, parents, citizen donors) because you all truly do help teachers across the nation provide the necessities that helps students concentrate and learn by addressing their most basic, but critical, needs. In 2017, one of my goals was to have our classroom become a safe haven and for students to be able to access items and resources that will help them physically, mentally, and emotionally and you have all been a major factor in helping me achieve this goal. In 2018, I hope to continue the tradition. Thank you so much for your help and support of educators and students across the nation!

Happy 2018!

Mr. Pond”

With gratitude,

Mr. Pond, M.Ed.

I started out with the request for our "Virtual Reality and the New American Experience" project with an inkling of the power and impact that the VR system could have in our classroom but after testing it out for myself prior to releasing it to students for a pilot program, I quickly realized that I knew nothing at all because the system is so much more than can be imagined. The HTC Vive system is one of those things that must be experienced and cannot be truly understood through reading reviews or watching videos of it in use alone. We just started a soft rollout of our HTC Vive Student Pilot Program and the responses and exclamations of excitement and wonder from my students has given me a truer sense of how much of a game-changer this system will be for us! The unique and immersive perspective afforded from using the VR system alone is indescribable and I am so thankful for the support that we have had with this project because the funding of the HTC Vive VR system was truly a dream come true for us. The spectacular impact that it will have on our classroom is unfathomable and I am truly in awe of its potential to engage my students. I will update the project page as we continue to conduct our pilot program and on into the general release for whole classroom usage. Even as I am writing this right now, I am shaking with excitement ad gratefulness for your support because we would not be the classroom that we are now, one with an HTC Vive system, without your generous support. Thank you very much for helping us to transform our classroom!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Pond, M.Ed.

My PreK class is learning so much from the Kindle Fires that you donated to our class. The Kindle Fires have apps that require cooperation and problem solving. The apps explore emotions, occupations, and cultures. Students learn letter formation, number recognition, shape and color identification. My students are learning about the world through this engaging technology. I use this technology when I am teaching in small groups. As I am teaching a small group of children, the others are actively engaged in learning on the Kindle Fires. The apps have bright, colorful graphics, and playful music. They give the students instant feedback on their answers and help to them to self correct any mistakes they may make.

We are enjoying the Scholastic My Big World with Clifford. Each month, the children in my class take home 2 different magazines though which they discover interesting facts about various science and social studies concepts.

( School, Leaves, Apples, Firefighters, Dental Health, Melting & Freezing, Plants, Friendships, etc...) The children in my PreK class are from low-income families. They are able to attend school only because of a Preschool Development Grant. Many children do not have books at their homes. Thanks to your donations, they are collecting a lovely non-fiction library of their very own.

My class and I are thankful for your understanding of the importance of a strong well-round early childhood education!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Perillo