"Osmo Here, Osmo there, Osmo Everywhere!" is a Donors Choose application for a Kindergarten classroom to get a class set (4) of Osmos to use for digital literacy and math concepts. This teacher does a really fantastic job of mentioning what her Kindergarten class is interested in, and comments on how appreciative they are when they have the opportunity to use technology in their classroom. She really makes it a point to note how this technology would not only benefit her classroom, but how grateful her students would be for this donated resource. I would suggest, however, that this teacher explain what Osmo is to the potential donors. I am familiar with Osmo and it's interactive and hands-on activities, but some of those who are looking to donate, might not. With a simple description of some of the activities her students could participate in with this new form of technology, she may get a stronger response.
"iPads to Help ELLs Navigate a New Language" is a Donors Choose application that I found whose funds will go to provide 2 iPads for a Special Education teacher that works with English Language Learners ranging from ages 4-12. This teacher does an especially good job providing reasoning for the iPads in her classroom. She focuses on how she has seen students improve greatly in their language and literacy skills, and how constant practice with these digital resources helps build their confidence in verbal, audible, and visual classroom settings. Similarly to the previous review, I would suggest that this teacher consider giving descriptive examples of how she intends to use these iPads in the classroom. Other than that, this teacher really succeeded in educating her audience on the importance of their donations and has had extremely positive feedback on the site because of this attention to detail.
"Early Childhood Podcast Studio" is one of the most interesting Donors Choose applications that I have seen on the site, and it's straight out of Oklahoma. The funds from this application will go to provide this school's Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms with the technology needed to "make videos and podcasts to inform their families and community members about the things they are learning about." I think this is an extremely interesting idea that allows the children to experience technology in an entirely new way. This teacher does a really great job of providing information to engage the potential donors with this unique idea. However, this is one of the most expensive applications that I have seen, and unfortunately the teacher behind it didn't provide an extensive amount of information on exactly what this technology would be used for. I think this application would be more successful if he had focused more on the benefits of this donated resource and how it would positively impact his classroom.
"iPads to Help ELLs Navigate a New Language" is a Donors Choose application that I found whose funds will go to provide 2 iPads for a Special Education teacher that works with English Language Learners ranging from ages 4-12. This teacher does an especially good job providing reasoning for the iPads in her classroom. She focuses on how she has seen students improve greatly in their language and literacy skills, and how constant practice with these digital resources helps build their confidence in verbal, audible, and visual classroom settings. Similarly to the previous review, I would suggest that this teacher consider giving descriptive examples of how she intends to use these iPads in the classroom. Other than that, this teacher really succeeded in educating her audience on the importance of their donations and has had extremely positive feedback on the site because of this attention to detail.
"Early Childhood Podcast Studio" is one of the most interesting Donors Choose applications that I have seen on the site, and it's straight out of Oklahoma. The funds from this application will go to provide this school's Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms with the technology needed to "make videos and podcasts to inform their families and community members about the things they are learning about." I think this is an extremely interesting idea that allows the children to experience technology in an entirely new way. This teacher does a really great job of providing information to engage the potential donors with this unique idea. However, this is one of the most expensive applications that I have seen, and unfortunately the teacher behind it didn't provide an extensive amount of information on exactly what this technology would be used for. I think this application would be more successful if he had focused more on the benefits of this donated resource and how it would positively impact his classroom.