DrugMonkey Blog's 2010 Science-up the Schools Challenge

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I cannot even begin to thank you enough for your generous donation and for the impact that it has made in my classroom. Having an LCD projector has opened so many doors to learning opportunities for all of my students. When I wrote this proposal I imagined using it to show pictures, video clips and other similar multimedia applications, but I never imagined how much I would use it and in so many different ways.

Having the projector has allowed me to use so many different pieces of technology, that without it I would never have been able to use. Here are a few examples of the ways I have used the projector in the past month:

*I projected a live, interactive skype broadcast with a tsunami scientist that allowed my students to see, hear and interact with a real scientist doing real science.

*students have played review games using remote answering devices connected to a computer

*students have taken tests using the remote answering devices (and can you imagine, most of

them asked when the next test was because they wanted to use the devices again!)

*we have viewed video clips and images to help enhance learning and comprehension

*I have modeled note taking and various other strategies using the projector

*I have trained all of my students on the use of different programs such as Microsoft

PowerPoint and Word as well as the use of Google Documents (all of my students have now

become proficient with the use of these software programs and use them for other work outside of my homeroom)

*all of my students have given effective and interesting presentations for assignments in class.

these are just a few of the things this simple, yet incredible, piece of technology have allowed me to do in the classroom this year thanks entirely to your generous donation! With each passing day I find another way to enrich my teaching through the use of the LCD projector. I thank you and each and everyone of my students will thank you for years to come.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Fuller

AWESOME! Is the word I use to describe the experience that my students are going to have dissecting a rat. I want to thank you personally for making a difference in my students' lives. My students typically have trouble working together peacefully. However, I am sure that during the rat "autopsy" my students will be the picture of collaboration. I am truly grateful for being able to expose them to this experience.

This experience, I am sure, will be one that they will never forget, even when they're an old and gray, like me. The rats will give my students a chance to view and actually hold in their hands mammalian organs. The rats are a good size and it will be easy for my students to identify major organs and the beginning formation of bones and muscles.

You are a kind and generous person and this world is a better place because you are a part of it. Without you none of this would have been possible. I applaud your commitment to education. Because of your generosity, my students can now have the same experiences as their counterparts in "better funded school districts." ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Long

Thank you all so much for donating generously to our classroom. Our students often are required to learn and retain a plethora of information about biology and ecology. Without hands on activities, retention begins to wane.

Thanks to your kind support, my students were able to have a memorable inquiry-based activity which helped them retain information about the nervous system. Many things inside the body that students must learn is often intangible and giving them the real-life example is just the solution! Most of us probably recall dissecting something in high school science classes. In addition to the education benefit provided, I hope my students keep a fond memory of a brain dissection in their Living Environment class. I offer you my utmost gratitude and thanks for your generous support.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Maloney

Thank you sincerely for the frog specimens. I was able to provide all 5 sections, two Anatomy and 3 biology classes, with an opportunity to dissect a specimen. This has a huge impact on our teaching. Hands-on activities have become few and far between. Our District has cut all discretionary spending, including the $200 we used to receive for lab courses. Without your support our students would be restricted to reading textbooks and watching video of dissections, rather than experiencing the real thing.

Your generosity keeps science instruction interactive and engaging; thank you so much for your support.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Stahl

Spring is coming and we are planning for our Ecology field trip to the local river in April which is when we will put all the supplies and kits you donated to our classroom into use in a real life situation. It is projects like this, that involve a real community connection, that motivate students to do their best and learn the most in school.

They are all so excited to learn how to use the LaMotte test kits correctly, measuring and observing the chemicals for the expected reactions in class. But they are really impressed that they will be taking measurements and gathering data that they can upload to an on-line site that is accessed by real scientists and used to keep tabs on our local and global environment. Our river is a valuable resource that we need to keep protecting in our desert environment. Because of having these special science kits, that will help evaluate our river's conditions this spring, my students truly feel they are scientists working hand in hand with adults who do this research for a living.

The macrolenses are going to make identifying insects, larvae and other macroorganisms they find in the river so much easier, and they loved using them in the classroom to see up close the crystals we grew in petri dishes last month. Hopping around in the river to catch and view these tiny critters has always been a favorite station on our field trip day for the students and parents who come along. I wish I could have uploaded some of those photos, but our trip is not happening in time to meet the deadline.

Thank you so much for supporting my classroom and giving my students access to these materials this year.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Neill