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Epson PowerLite LCD Projector, $999.95, 0.00% raised
Epson PowerLite LCD Projector Rank:
Single Unit Why I need this:
To display my computer screen onto the SMART Board
Quantity: 1 Price: $999.95

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Mrs. Angie Connot
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Crofton Elementary School
Class Information:
Students per Class: 28
Class Description:
I teach 28 enthusiastic Kindergarten students every day! What can be greater than that!
Position:
Kindergarten / Title I Teacher
Needs:
The need for 21st century skills in our schools today is great. According to research collected by NcRel/Metiri Group, an extensive review of the literature about 21st century skills suggests that educational design makers must acknowledge that the academics of yesterday are not sufficient for today. In order to thrive in a digital economy, students need digital-age proficiencies. The current and future health of America’s 21st century depends directly on how broadly and deeply Americans reach this new level of literacy that includes strong academic skills, thinking, reasoning, teamwork skills, and especially, proficiency using technology. At Crofton Elementary, I teach an average of 28 – 30 kindergarten students each year. 30% of our student population at Crofton Elementary is low-income, thus qualifying us as a Title I school. Technology is not always available to us as I only have two classroom computers which make the ratio 15 students per computer, and last year after taking a poll of my kindergarten students, less than 50% had access to a computer or similar technology at home. Our school is not in a position to help as Nebraska Legislature has limited school district budget growth to 1.5% of last year's expenditures so there is no room for technology growth on our current budget. This is alarming because 75 % of today's Kindergarten students will have jobs that do not yet exist because of the rapid changes in technology. With our district’s hands tied and the growing emphasis on technology integration, the students are not able to work on or meet these 21st century skills. The purpose of this grant is to increase the interactivity of computer-based learning, especially in the context of group learning. Many web sites now offer open-ended explorations in Math, Science, History, and Language Arts, and these experiences truly require interaction between the teacher, student, technology, and content. While students can learn at their own pace using individual computers, they are limited in their interaction with peers. A SMART Board allows students to discuss ideas and share learning in a whole-class venue, using a single computer. This technology therefore doubles the capability of classrooms to be fully engaged with online experiences . This technology also allows the teacher to teach the class "from" the computer, taking advantage of online video and audio clips and interactive sites. Students can come to the screen and interact with what is presented, with the ability to write in "digital ink." The SMART board is an especially effective tool for teaching students in the lower grades to navigate the many menus and hypertext environment of the screen before ever attempting the same operations on a laptop computer. In addition to being able to right-click and write on the screen, the user can also access an onscreen keyboard, which allows students to see all keystrokes performed, something which cannot be seen using a traditional projector and computer. The collaborative nature of using the SMART Board in the learning environment, where the teacher and students are grouped in front of the board engaging in an activity is highly effective for whole group instruction, active discussion, and questioning. The SMART Board provides teachers and students with a whole new interactive learning environment to share ideas, information, images, animations, audio, or video. Learning is much more powerful if it is multimodal and the SMART Board supports several different learning styles--visual-spatial,auditory, and kinesthetic. Young students are highly motivated when content is presented on a SMART Board. It increases their enjoyment by being physically involved touching and moving objects and by the size of the screen which makes images large enough for everyone to see. The engagement and knowledge-buildingof young children is fostered when they are given the opportunity to interact in a physical and mental way in the learning environment. Furthermore, children's excitement in demonstrating a skill or operating the SMART Board boosts their self-esteem and builds confidence in science and technology and aids them to work independently at a later time. According to The Primary Program: Growing and Learning in the Heartland, children use language, investigative processes, and technology as their primary learning tools. Technology-powerfulclassroom have been shown to have positive effects on the instructional process; studies have shown these kinds of gains made by students: students used technology routinely and appropriately, exploration and representation of information was expressed dynamically and in many forms, and greater problem solving and crucial thinking skills were obtained. ScholasticInstructor magazine quotes that "seven in ten" British classroom teachers have Interactive White Boards in their classrooms, helping their students to reach new heights and achieve their highest potential. It is now time for American, underprivileged students to reach those heights and go beyond.