Smart Classrooms making Smarter Community

Members Jill Bunker

Mamie Agnes Jones Elementary School

Baldwin, Florida

Rural community school in Duval County

We have approximately 400 students from Pre-K 4 to 5th grade

We are 63% free and reduced lunch, so are economically challenged but are not eligible for Title 1 funding

Who We Are!

100% rural population Median Household income $26,636 Unemployment Rate is 17.3% (national avg. is 7%) 21% of the residents are living in poverty 21.5% of the community over the age of 25 has less

then a high school education Above Data retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/city/baldwin-florida.html From school based data we know that a large

percentage of our students are from multigenerational households (meaning that the students and maybe their parents as well live with grandparents or great grandparents)

Community Information

Our school is technology challenged and needs modern technology in the classrooms to help prepare our students for the future in a technology savvy world

One goal for this program is to provide interactive smart boards in each classroom to allow students access to smart technology

What we need

We want to prepare our students for life after elementary school

A high percentage of our students do not have access to technology anywhere else

Most students do not have internet access at home

The closest public library is 8.50 miles from the school and has limited hours of operation

Why is this important?

We want to put a smart board into each classroom at M.A. Jones Elementary School in Baldwin, Florida with an interactive tablet for students to use with the smart board to demonstrate mastery of skills on the smart board to other students.

We also want to obtain remote clicker test response systems for use in multiple classrooms.

What we want to do

Interactive smart boards allow students to not only see information displayed but also to interact with the display to manipulate and problem solve

Using visual displays would promote collaborative

conversations among students

Using the existing wireless technology, students and entire classrooms will have access to internet resources for use during instruction. There are also many resources available where teachers can access video clips and interactive websites during class, this will increase student engagement

Why Smart Technology is So Important

We need $25,000.00 for 25 interactive smart boards 25 interactive tablets, and 3 testing response systems with the required training and software to place these in classrooms.

If possible we would also like to add an additional system in the Media center for teacher professional development and training. Any additional funds raised would go to updating technology around the school that benefits the most students possible.

What we need

I have taught in this community for 9 years at the middle high school level and have noticed that students need more technology to be successful

I am new to the elementary school and have an extensive technology background and feel that putting technology in place here will benefit everyone in the community

I will devote the time during the summer to implement any new technology that could be brought into the school and can facilitate the training involved with this initiative during pre-planning next year

Why I am the One to do This?

Through Ed Spark and One Spark and having the opportunity to update technology at our school site, I feel this would ultimately lead to more engaged students and would build a better Baldwin Community of learners. Our students would be better prepared for middle and high school as well jobs after their school careers in a technology savvy world. I would like to be the catalyst for change in this community with your help.

Concluding Thoughts