Hi everyone,
It's been a few weeks since we wrapped up the first Volume of my education funding initiative here on Steemit, and it was an overwhelming success. Through your generosity, we were able to raise $425 for my wife's classroom. The money has been spent on books and creative seating options, and we're still waiting for some of the materials to arrive, but when we do, you'll hopefully get to see a video of my wife and me demonstrating the wobble stools!
Today, I'd like to introduce Volume 2 of this initiative because I want to keep this going and use Steemit to help other teachers and schools in my area. I did a search on DonorsChoose.org today for schools near me with open projects, and it returned several results:
iCan Learn: iPads for the classroom!
The first project is titled "iCan Learn." The project seeks funding for four iPads for a classroom in a rural area. The project ends on March 27, and at the time of posting this blog, it still needs $226 for completion. I think it's well within the realm of possibility for us to raise enough to finish out this project! Here's an excerpt from the project description by Mrs. Schrantz, an elementary teacher in Pulaski, VA:
Though my students are very different from one another, something they have in common is that they enjoy using technology in the classroom. Many of them do not have access to these resources in their homes, so I try to incorporate the use of technology very often. In our classroom, we have five student computers. These computers are used during Reading and Math rotations on almost a daily basis. This can be a challenge if the student groups are large, or if there are issues with a computer and I am not readily available to help.
Having iPads in the classroom will give all of my students the opportunity to participate in engaging activities.
There are many educational apps found on iPads that align directly with skills my students are working on in the classroom. While I am working with a small group, I can be confident my other students are focused, engaged, and getting the practice they need.
If you'd like to read the full project description and view the itemized costs for the project, you may visit the project page here.
I believe this project is worth a vote from everyone, and I'm hopeful that we can help fully fund the project soon! At current STEEM prices, we'd only need to raise around 50 STEEM to complete this project and send this classroom four brand new iPads!
This is the primary project we'll be hoping to support. If donations in excess of the $226 are made, here are a few other projects from my area that I'll consider sending the excess funds to:
Diverse Classroom Library Choices Allow All Students To Feel Relevant- Mr. Thompson, High School in Blacksburg, VA -This project seeks to connect 9th graders with books they can better identify with. The project still needs $244.
Hands-On Fun...I Mean Learning- Mrs. Dowdy, First Grade in Blacksburg, VA -This project seeks funds for hands-on learning tools such as Legos and Magna-tiles for a first grade classroom. The project still needs $459.
You may view the individual project pages by clicking on the bold lettering. I would love to be able to make donations to all of these projects, but I am going to prioritize the iPad project simply because it has the earliest deadline. I'll consider doing future posts to raise money for the other projects after this one goes live.
Thank you in advance for your donations, votes, comments, and resteems. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of students everywhere, and show them that the blockchain has the power to influence the world as we know it.
The Donation Process
All rewards from this post will be used to fund the projects above. Liquid SBD rewards will be converted to STEEM and I will contribute an amount of STEEM equal to the SP payout. The combined amount will be sent to my Coinbase LTC wallet via Blocktrades. I'll make the donation to the project in the exact amount received in USD via DonorsChoose.org. I will also document this process and provide the relevant transaction links and a screenshot of the donation confirmation email.
This process was used for Volume 1, so if you'd like to see the confirmation, check out the transparency post here.
I also accept liquid transfer donations to my wallet! Any support is greatly appreciated. I'll be upvoting comments to show my support, and I want to thank everyone in advance for helping to further education here in the United States, and specifically in Southwest Virginia.
