Laptops for Low-Income 2nd Graders
Donation protected
ABOUT MY STUDENTS
My name is Hanna/Abbey Brown. My students are brilliant second gradersat Willow Oaks Elementary. Daily, they impress me by how they enter our school, a culture very different from their culture at home. For instance, many of them live 8 or 10 person families in a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. They bravely come into my classroom where they are expected to communicate all their desires, needs, and inquiries in English, which for 90% of them is their second language. My students can also be described in the following manner: they live in East Palo Alto, a historically low-income area. 98% of the students at our school receive Free and Reduced Lunch, a correlate for low-income.
And yet, they are so much more than their demographics. They have passions, some of which are training parrots, art, reading, traveling to Mexico, NYC, and Tahoe, camping, gardening, and many more. They have dreams; some of which are owning a dog or cat one day when she moves out of the apartment that does not allow pets, becoming a teacher, and moving up reading levels. Through familiarizing myself with their passions and dreams I am able to lay the groundwork for real learning. My intention with my students is to make our classroom a community where they can see themselves, and begin to envision how they can be themselves in society at large.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
My class has access to a computer lab with at most 13 consistently working computers, twice a week. My class has 24 students. As you can see, technology access is extremely limited for my students. Additionally, most families I work with do not have access to computers at home. There is a well documented digital divide between affluent and low-income schools. (http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor/) Technology has the powerful ability to differentiate learning (i.e. meet learners where they are) and engage learners in a diversity of topics. Technology can be a dynamic tool for implementing universal design for learning. As Meyer and Rose (1998) tell us, many learners do better when they receive information through multiple modalities (e.g. visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, etc.). The more modalities I can present in my lesson the greater the chances learners will be engaged (Gargulio and Metcalf, Teaching in Today’s Inclusive Classroom, 2013). It is imperative that I use technology to not only differentiate learning, but also use it to prepare my students for success in the 21st century. Your money will be helping to support educational equity in the Bay Area. I would like to purchase our class 24 computers and a laptop card to store and charge them in. After working with these families for 2 years, I can tell you this community is extremely grateful and hardworking. Your donation will be a powerful investment in your community.
ITEMIZATION
24 Chromebooks at $119.99 = $2879.76
24 Chromebook Protection Plans at 37.64 = $903.36
Tax = $266.40
1 laptop cart for storing & charging laptops = $614.19
No Tax for laptop cart
____________________________________________________________
Total =$4663.71
My name is Hanna/Abbey Brown. My students are brilliant second gradersat Willow Oaks Elementary. Daily, they impress me by how they enter our school, a culture very different from their culture at home. For instance, many of them live 8 or 10 person families in a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. They bravely come into my classroom where they are expected to communicate all their desires, needs, and inquiries in English, which for 90% of them is their second language. My students can also be described in the following manner: they live in East Palo Alto, a historically low-income area. 98% of the students at our school receive Free and Reduced Lunch, a correlate for low-income.
And yet, they are so much more than their demographics. They have passions, some of which are training parrots, art, reading, traveling to Mexico, NYC, and Tahoe, camping, gardening, and many more. They have dreams; some of which are owning a dog or cat one day when she moves out of the apartment that does not allow pets, becoming a teacher, and moving up reading levels. Through familiarizing myself with their passions and dreams I am able to lay the groundwork for real learning. My intention with my students is to make our classroom a community where they can see themselves, and begin to envision how they can be themselves in society at large.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
My class has access to a computer lab with at most 13 consistently working computers, twice a week. My class has 24 students. As you can see, technology access is extremely limited for my students. Additionally, most families I work with do not have access to computers at home. There is a well documented digital divide between affluent and low-income schools. (http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor/) Technology has the powerful ability to differentiate learning (i.e. meet learners where they are) and engage learners in a diversity of topics. Technology can be a dynamic tool for implementing universal design for learning. As Meyer and Rose (1998) tell us, many learners do better when they receive information through multiple modalities (e.g. visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, etc.). The more modalities I can present in my lesson the greater the chances learners will be engaged (Gargulio and Metcalf, Teaching in Today’s Inclusive Classroom, 2013). It is imperative that I use technology to not only differentiate learning, but also use it to prepare my students for success in the 21st century. Your money will be helping to support educational equity in the Bay Area. I would like to purchase our class 24 computers and a laptop card to store and charge them in. After working with these families for 2 years, I can tell you this community is extremely grateful and hardworking. Your donation will be a powerful investment in your community.
ITEMIZATION
24 Chromebooks at $119.99 = $2879.76
24 Chromebook Protection Plans at 37.64 = $903.36
Tax = $266.40
1 laptop cart for storing & charging laptops = $614.19
No Tax for laptop cart
____________________________________________________________
Total =$4663.71
Organizer
Hanna Abbey Brown
Organizer
Menlo Park, CA
