1. The first Donors Choose I reviewed was for the "Busy Hands Building Brain Power" at Ronald Reagan Elementary School in Norman, OK. Last semester, I took an Early Childhood class called Creative Expression. In this class, we made lots of lesson plans and one of them was for a Maker Space. Learning about Maker Space lessons and how they are so beneficial for all ages, including early childhood, was really interesting to me. It is a space full of materials for a child to create anything on their own. These spaces also include a technology component. My teacher, Tabitha, took us to her elementary school where their Maker Space had craft material, legos, giant blocks, iPads, and a 3D printer. This teacher is asking for Snap Circuits and metallic building blocks and other things for her Maker Space in her classroom. I think she stated nicely how this elementary school may not have as much money as my teacher's school did and that they also need these materials. I liked how she described each material she asked for and how it will be beneficial. She talked about how her children will get to be creative with learning and creating and that sparked my interest. Lastly, I like how she also added the social skill aspect to her post. She talked about the problem-solving skills children will learn from these Maker Space items.
2. The second Donors Choose I reviewed was for "Sensory Items for Super Students" at Mary Louise Phillips Elementary School in Fort Worth, TX. I really was drawn to this one due to the need. This post was asking for items to make the classroom a safe and comfortable environment for her children with autism. A child cannot learn if they do not feel as they are in a safe environment or if their needs are not met. This teacher is wanting sensory tools in her classroom to help specific students in her class. I like how this teacher individualized her children and paid attention to their specific needs. She uses this quote, “if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism" in her post. This quote shows how children's needs vary and it is important to keep in mind that different children need different things. She also mentions how not meeting sensory needs with children with autism can make the child overwhelmed. If they are overwhelmed and overstimulated, they are not able to learn. She states how she needs specific tools to make a sensory corner for her children. This corner will help students self-regulate and meet their sensory needs when the class can get too overwhelming. I really like this post because this teacher knows what her students need and is catering to those individual needs. You can also tell that she is very qualified to work with special needs students due to all the information and research examples.
3. The last Donors Choose I reviewed was for "We Need to Print" at Woodway Elementary School in Fort Worth, TX. I like how she stated how the school was low income and 100% of the students have free lunch. You are able to see the budget the school works with. However, I do not feel as a printer is what the teacher should be asking for. She states how her students are Kindergarteners and they need a printer for their work. Children should be playing and creating rather than just printing things in the classroom. The teacher states they need more technology because that is how our world is now; however, I do not think this technology would be beneficial to Kindergarteners. She states that she wants her students to be able to print out a Powerpoint they make. That is not a good use of technology when she wants to push for technology in the classroom. Maybe iPads or tablets will allow her students to share and present the Powerpoints rather than just print them on paper.
2. The second Donors Choose I reviewed was for "Sensory Items for Super Students" at Mary Louise Phillips Elementary School in Fort Worth, TX. I really was drawn to this one due to the need. This post was asking for items to make the classroom a safe and comfortable environment for her children with autism. A child cannot learn if they do not feel as they are in a safe environment or if their needs are not met. This teacher is wanting sensory tools in her classroom to help specific students in her class. I like how this teacher individualized her children and paid attention to their specific needs. She uses this quote, “if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism" in her post. This quote shows how children's needs vary and it is important to keep in mind that different children need different things. She also mentions how not meeting sensory needs with children with autism can make the child overwhelmed. If they are overwhelmed and overstimulated, they are not able to learn. She states how she needs specific tools to make a sensory corner for her children. This corner will help students self-regulate and meet their sensory needs when the class can get too overwhelming. I really like this post because this teacher knows what her students need and is catering to those individual needs. You can also tell that she is very qualified to work with special needs students due to all the information and research examples.
3. The last Donors Choose I reviewed was for "We Need to Print" at Woodway Elementary School in Fort Worth, TX. I like how she stated how the school was low income and 100% of the students have free lunch. You are able to see the budget the school works with. However, I do not feel as a printer is what the teacher should be asking for. She states how her students are Kindergarteners and they need a printer for their work. Children should be playing and creating rather than just printing things in the classroom. The teacher states they need more technology because that is how our world is now; however, I do not think this technology would be beneficial to Kindergarteners. She states that she wants her students to be able to print out a Powerpoint they make. That is not a good use of technology when she wants to push for technology in the classroom. Maybe iPads or tablets will allow her students to share and present the Powerpoints rather than just print them on paper.