Donors Choose Project for First Grade

Media Station with STEAM in Mind

Help me give my students 2 iPod Touch devices for tomorrow's digital STEAM projects.

Currently Verizon is matching funding. For every $2 donated to this project Verizon will donate $1.
We are $121 away from being funded. I hope it happens and I am immensely grateful for your support.

To view the project online and contribute, please click here and scroll to see the proposal. Thank you!

My Students

My eager first graders go to TISA, a small K-8 public charter school with a mission of art integration and project-based learning in Taos, Northern New Mexico. They come from all walks of life in our tricultural (Spanish, Native American and Anglo) rural community. They typically have little exposure to educational technology outside the classroom.

In recent years there has been a dire need to round-out my first graders’ hands-on learning with the use of digital technology.

My creative kids have been engaged in taking on LEGO STEAM projects, composing songs using AutoRap, creating augmented reality art, as well as navigating the high-stake state-mandated computer-based testing. They are hungry for more!

My Project

As I have reflected on the new group of spirited kids entering my first-grade class over the summer, I found that they will much benefit from opportunities for creative use of technology that can elevate their hands-on STEAM projects.

The iPod devices will provide a cutting-edge media center, setting the stage for a perfect rendezvous between technical intelligence and creative genius.

Students would be motivated to pick up digital skills as well as to apply hands-on creativity. The IPods' STEAM apps would come in handy in exploring STEAM concepts as kids learn, experiment with, apply and adjust their projects.

High-interest STEAM apps (such as Tinker Box, Frog Dissection, and Fractals, Epic) will enhance learning as they provide social interaction, come with engaging content, motivate to advance literacy, jump-start 21st-century digital skills, and inspire hands-on applications. I can't think of a more perfect mix!

The IPods will provide a universal high-mileage entry point into our curriculum for every theme and project. Units like "metamorphosis" (unpacked from raising the black swallowtail butterfly in class), "native astronomy" (involving the creation of a constellation lantern used at our Lantern Walk Festival) and "animal architecture" (using LEGO bricks and stop-motion animation to explore animal homes) will be taken to a higher level, thus further infusing our dynamic learning ecosystem.

With the help of this DonorsChoose project, I am confident and excited about instilling the love of learning in an authentic, meaningful and super-engaging setting for my first-grade kiddos.

Where Your Donation Goes

MATERIALS	COST	QUANTITY	TOTAL
Apple - iPod touch 32GB MP3 Player (7th Generation - Latest Model) - Space Gray • BEST BUY EDUCATION	$199.99	2	$399.98
Logitech Z130 3.5mm Jack Compact Laptop Speakers + Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter Bundle • AMAZON BUSINESS	$41.58	1	$41.58
Belkin RockStar - headphones splitter • BEST BUY EDUCATION	$10.02	1	$10.02
iPod Touch 7 Case,iPod Touch 6 Case,iPod Touch 5 Case, SLMY(TM) Heavy Duty Dual Layer Shockproof Hybrid Rugged Cover Case with Built-in Kickstand for Apple iPod Touch 5 / 6 / 7 Red • AMAZON BUSINESS	$8.98	1	$8.98
SLMY zting18 iPod Touch 6 Case,iPod Touch 5 Case, (TM) Heavy Duty Dual Layer Shockproof/Impact Resistance Hybrid Rugged Cover Case with Built-in Kickstand for Apple iPod Touch 5 6th Generation Blue • AMAZON BUSINESS	$6.70	1	$6.70
Materials cost $467.26 Vendor shipping charges FREE State sales tax $0.00 3rd party payment processing fee $7.01 Fulfillment labor & materials $30.00 Total project cost $504.27 Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose.org reach more classrooms $88.99 Total project goal $593.26 Still needed View calculation $120.76

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.