Chromebooks for Classrooms!

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We have just started using our new Chromebooks in our classroom and LOVE them!!! Each student is so excited to use the computer and is learning so many new things. Just today, I got my first email from a student! I am so excited to see them use technology in such meaningful ways.

Your donation has truly impacted the future of my 12 amazing students. They have been learning how to log into their own personalized accounts, check email, search for things that interest them, and writing emails to communicate with their teachers and peers. These are skills that will be with them throughout their entire life, and hopefully will give them more career options in the future.

Thanks again for your generosity, both myself and my students are astounded at how many new skills they are learning with this increase of technology. You have given them them so much learning power, and for that I am eternally grateful!!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Johnson

Thank you very much for your donation and for helping get technology into the hands (and laps!) of my students. When my students first received the Chromebooks, they were excited about how "new" and "cool" the Chromebooks were. They quickly learned that there was much more to these machines than just their newness and coolness.

My students have been able to use the Chromebooks to do research and further investigate topics in our inquiry-based units of study. They also use the Chromebooks for practicing and reviewing skills as well as self-monitoring their reading and math progress through online programs. My English language learners are able to access resources to help their receptive and expressive language.

Thank you again for your generosity and support! Not only does your contribution allow my students to grow in multiple content areas, it also allows my students to develop technological literacy so that they may compete with their peers in the 21st century. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and 24 other little, appreciative hearts!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Carr

I cannot express enough how much your donation has aided in my classroom. This school year I made the move into the kindergarten classroom. The Chrome books have been a daily resource for these students!

During our daily five reading time you will see students working on literacy activities on each of the Chrome books. During listen to reading they use a website called RAZkids.com to read books at their reading level, listen to those books, and even record their own voices reading those books! The students love it! During daily five math time students are working with numbers on websites such as ABCya.com or ThinkCentral (which ties into our new math curriculum). During our free play students play typing games and other activities where they may use their imagination.

Thank you again for your generous gift. The addition of the Chrome books has helped my students become more independent, excited learners, and aided in the development of technology skills that many were lacking in.

Thank you!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Goplen

We first of all want to say, "Thank you so much!" My students are so excited to have the laptops they received through your generosity. I at first was going to use them with my 6th grade Science classes, but was moved to Kindergarten. I have a mix of students who either have or have not had experience with computers/laptops. They are so excited to use the laptops for projects and during center time.

We have used the laptops in many ways. We use them daily during center time for reading and math reinforcement activities. We have also used them for research and writing. This is a new concept for them because, they are in the process of learning how to write for most of the year. It is also very powerful because they are being able to have many different experiences writing in different formats.

We have also been able to use them to do research on topics that we are reading about, such as pandas, how animals change, and different places (cities/country).

This project has been more than I could have ever expected. This is especially since I was placed in Kindergarten. I have always believed in an early introduction of technology. This has allowed this to happen within my class. We have also been able to share with our other Kindergarten friends. This has allow my students experience aspects of our reading that they would not otherwise experience because of our rural location. We are located 45 minutes to the nearest city.

We cannot begin to thank you enough for your generous gift! You have really invested in our future!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Farrell

The Chromebooks have made accessing resources easier in the classroom and throughout the building. There have been a few "technology" speed bumps we have encountered along the way and most have been worked through. One area that the Chromebooks make it easy to use in the classroom is the management side. Being able to control what is being opened and accessed on the Chromebooks in one central location is wonderful.

Several classes use the Chromebooks to access the testing program where students can take tests online. Then when the students are done with their test they have the ability to access other educational sites where they can further their learning while they wait for their classmates to complete the test.

We hope in the near future to start using Google Drive to work on collaborative writing projects across the grade level. They will not be limited to working with just the students in their classroom but students in all classes. We have several projects in mind and we are developing them to implement next year.

The Chromebooks will be an important piece to enhancing the educational process at our school for many years to come.”

With gratitude,

Mr. BENWARE

The computers you supported have made a huge difference at Rocketship Mateo Sheedy. Your generosity inspired me to be just as generous. The computer have gone to our Kindergartners, Fifth Graders, and Third Graders. Our Kindergartners have used the computers for things such as centers and exploring books, letters, and phonics. Third graders have been working on comprehension and research on the computers. The fifth graders have been doing all of the above with a little added computer programming practice! The computers have given our students these added experiences while also allowing the teachers to have high powered rotations that engage students and allow us to provide more small group and individual instruction. Thank you so much for your support of education in the Bay Area and support of our students' futures.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Sgambelluri

Thank you for your generous donation to my "Chrome is Beautiful" project. The students have benefited greatly and were thrilled to have five permanent Chromebooks in the classroom. The Chromebooks have become an integral part of our daily classroom routine. Students use them to listen to reading on-line, practice math facts, share writing pieces on Google Docs, and much more. They have taken responsibility for their learning and feel a sense of independence when they use the Chromebooks. Thanks to your donation, my students are excited to learn and explore the ever-changing world of technology!

Another important component that the Chromebooks have provided is privacy. If students need to work in a certain area of the classroom that provides less of a distraction or is a little bit quieter they can do so. They also can have more of an area to work on instead of having to be right next to someone when using the desktop, which means they can concentrate better & have any type of material that they may need right next to them.

Once again because of your generosity the students are benefiting! Thanks again for your support! The students have been able to be more effective & efficient not only with their time but also in being able to complete assignments that are important in them achieving success in the classroom.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Vogler

Thank you so much for helping my students access leaps and bounds of information on the Acer Chromebooks. Every day they're discovering new material that will help them apply their skills into something more. They were extremely excited to receive the Chromebooks - and students who were with me last year, when we initially set forth with the drive for them - came back to check them out as they too were excited.

We didn't receive the Chromebooks on time for our initial project, but they've been used so much anyway. We started off the year researching CNN Heroes, arguing which should be the hero for 2013, and thus evaluating credible sources. The students loved getting to learn about individuals, watching videos about them, and being able to do so in way that didn't involve the teacher pushing play or pause.

More importantly, the students also use the Chromebooks for quick formative assessments that make feedback faster. We can take quick quizzes on Socrative, which is then sent to me, and allows me to see where the needs are as a class, as groups, or as individuals.

Without your assistance, these students would be missing out on so many wonderful learning opportunities. Thank you for helping them stay ahead!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Kremnitzer

My students love the Chromebooks. They use them on a daily basis to conduct research, collaborate on writing projects using Google Docs, build creative products using apps and online resources, and to stay connected to a world of information that is constantly changing.

The first project my students completed using the Chromebooks was an online expository text set. Each group researched and compiled a set of five expository texts over a single unifying topic. Then they created a website that could be used by future researchers to access information over the topic. It was a great success.

This product has impacted my classroom in a major way. Having mixed ability groups and limited time in class, Chromebooks allow me to focus my time on students who need the most support while the more advanced students have a tool to continue their work at a high level. Also, in a low income setting, the ability to go completely paper free is an exceptionally useful one. We have not used a single shred of paper all year.

So, along with the forests and the streams, my students and I thank you.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Washmon

Thank you for your support! Your financial contribution has made our Google Collaboration project a reality. You are amazing and my third grade students appreciate all that you have done to contribute to this technology project. You have made an impact and improved the learning of the students. They are more engaged in their education and have taken greater ownership of their work. The children have loved being able to access Chromebooks daily. When students were first presented with the technology devices, they commented, "Oh my!" "Awesome!" "Can I have a turn right NOW?"

My students have utilized these resources in many different subject areas and for many purposes. The students have enjoyed accessing on-line math resources such as Sokikom and xtramath the most. They are able to learn and reinforce math skills with an on-line gaming resource. In Sokikom, as students master concepts, they can change their avatar. What they greatly enjoy has been being able to collaborate with other students with this resource. With xtramath, students have practiced their math facts to improve accuracy and rate. During reading class, students have listened to audio stories, which have increased the quantity of their reading. As a result of these on-line resources, students' oral reading fluency has improved. To coincide with our spelling, students access www.spellingcity.com to complete learning games and take practice tests. Each student also has his/her own Google drive account, which has enabled the kids to create a profile and a presentations about themselves to share with the class. They also have accessed Google drive while completing their non-fiction research projects. In addition, students typically compose their writing in the Google doc forum, which has enabled me as a teacher to provide immediate feedback and comments within their writing. Students love watching a comment pop up on their screen as they composed their personal narrative stories or non-fiction work. Truly, this has increased the amount of collaboration between students and myself. Recently, students have been blogging. I look forward to them developing the skills and etiquette to comment on other children's blogs and comments.

Overall, I feel that I am a better teacher and my students are receiving an enhanced education because we have access to technology devices to help them collaborate. Students have been more "tech savvy" and more connected with their learning. Thank you so very much for your support in making this project a reality!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Lynch