Today, I posted a project on DonorsChoose.org to get an iPad for my students so they can create content digitally. The amount of technology on campus has severely limited what I have been able to do with my students. I'm constantly running into roadblocks - I can't use Chrome. At all. The computer lab is always in use 1st period, so I have to ask the computer teacher to give up her prep so I can use her lab if I ever want them to have lab time. There is a cart of laptops that are seven years old and barely function. There was no wifi network until today, and even then, you can't access YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Chrome. Oh, and the number of internet leases is far lower than students using the network. And the log-in process is 5 steps. And different on every device.
So yeah. It's been a frustrating year, technologically.
Getting to the point: DonorsChoose. I posted this project about six hours ago. Already, many of my #flipclass friends have helped out - in fact, Karl Lindgren-Streicher, John Stevens, Stacey Roshan, and Eric Pitt got me all the way to 1/3 of my funding total. It also helps that there is a donation matching code - INSPIRE - that doubled their total.
I'm not posting this here asking for money. I'm posting it here as a way that you can give tangibly to students who can't possibly afford something this nice. I'm opening the door of opportunity and inviting you to share in the gift of a device that will help every freshman at East Bay Arts be creative, innovate, critical thinkers, collaborative communicators. You get to own a piece of that.
Plus, there is research that says that giving gifts to other people will make you more happy. It's really a win-win.
That being said, if you can't afford to donate or just don't want to, please don't feel obliged. I like opportunities to help my friends and members of my PLN do their job a little bit better. So I'm giving you all the chance to do the same. And NO BIG DEAL if you can't.
This device won't change any lives. But it will improve the lives of over 100 students, just this year. That's not something most people get to experience every day.
UPDATE! In only six days, the entire project got funded. I got the shipping confirmation yesterday, and I hope to have students making videos within the month. Thank you to those who helped out, and thanks to the Yellow Chair Foundation for matching all donations, and thanks to everyone who retweeted and read this post. Seriously, I'm very blessed.
So yeah. It's been a frustrating year, technologically.
Getting to the point: DonorsChoose. I posted this project about six hours ago. Already, many of my #flipclass friends have helped out - in fact, Karl Lindgren-Streicher, John Stevens, Stacey Roshan, and Eric Pitt got me all the way to 1/3 of my funding total. It also helps that there is a donation matching code - INSPIRE - that doubled their total.
I'm not posting this here asking for money. I'm posting it here as a way that you can give tangibly to students who can't possibly afford something this nice. I'm opening the door of opportunity and inviting you to share in the gift of a device that will help every freshman at East Bay Arts be creative, innovate, critical thinkers, collaborative communicators. You get to own a piece of that.
Plus, there is research that says that giving gifts to other people will make you more happy. It's really a win-win.
That being said, if you can't afford to donate or just don't want to, please don't feel obliged. I like opportunities to help my friends and members of my PLN do their job a little bit better. So I'm giving you all the chance to do the same. And NO BIG DEAL if you can't.
This device won't change any lives. But it will improve the lives of over 100 students, just this year. That's not something most people get to experience every day.
UPDATE! In only six days, the entire project got funded. I got the shipping confirmation yesterday, and I hope to have students making videos within the month. Thank you to those who helped out, and thanks to the Yellow Chair Foundation for matching all donations, and thanks to everyone who retweeted and read this post. Seriously, I'm very blessed.
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