Web charities help teachers equip classrooms
Teachers accustomed to paying for supplies out of their own pockets are now looking online for benefactors Elana Militzok started the school year at Oakland Park Elementary with a bare kindergarten classroom -- and a secret weapon to fill it.
By spring, the room was teeming with brightly colored educational toys, art supplies, markers, puzzles, writing journals, recess equipment and books. The supplies, worth thousands of dollars, came from strangers who saw Militzok's pleas for funding on a website called DonorsChoose.org.
''You can be a great teacher, but unless you have the materials to teach with, it's hard,'' Militzok said.
On the site, educators write detailed proposals about items they need and explain how they will be used. Online philanthropists can fund a portion or all of the project, and the charity buys the supplies and ships them to the school. All donors get an e-card from the teacher, and those who give more than $100 or who give the last amount to fulfill the need get photos and handwritten thank-you cards from students and the teacher.
Donors have fulfilled 11 projects for Militzok's class this year.
At a time when school budgets are tight, educators say the website -- which received the highest rating from Charity Navigator -- provides an opportunity to give students resources that schools, parent groups and the teachers themselves couldn't afford. All donations to DonorsChoose.org are tax deductible.
Founder Charles Best, a former teacher in the Bronx, was frustrated by the meager resources available when he and colleagues came up with the idea more than seven years ago.
''Most of us would spend our own money on basic copy paper and pencils,'' said Best, 32. ``For the most part, we saw our students going without the materials they needed for a good education.''
The site was first available only to New York City public school teachers, then spread to a handful of states. It expanded to the rest of the country in the fall; so far, Florida teachers have received about $165,000 in goods from donors in 38 states.
By early May, 95 proposals had been funded in Miami-Dade for almost $36,000. In Broward, 27 had been funded for more than $8,300.
''There are so many things that we have to buy as teachers,'' said Melody Gutierrez, a Miami Park Elementary teacher who also uses the site. ``It's allowed me to do a lot more fun things and be more creative with my kids during lessons. It makes the classroom a nicer place.''
Thanks to the charity, Gutierrez has outfitted her second-grade classroom with a giant carpet that bears a map of the United States, seat covers that hold kids' books, a listening center so students can practice reading aloud, a Dr. Seuss library, miniature whiteboards for kids to write on and even pencils and crayons.
`LOT OF NEW STUFF'
''The first day of school, we didn't have any good stuff,'' said 9-year-old Taurrian Stafford. But, he said, after Gutierrez went online and asked for supplies, ``we got a lot and a lot of new stuff and our room got good.''
The website has given Gutierrez, who like Militzok found out about the website while teaching in New York, the chance to talk to her students about giving.
Other sites, including iLoveSchools.com and Miami-based www.adoptaclassroom.org, offer services similar to DonorsChoose.org. Experts say these organizations are examples of how online social interaction is connecting people with needs to those who want to help.
''It's another magical solution to some of the nation's persistent problems with inequity,'' said Claire Gaudiani, a professor of philanthropy and fundraising at the Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University. ``It's driven by the young generation, and that's a very good sign for America.''
She said the kids who receive the donated supplies ``are learning the power of generosity.''
Donors say they like being able to choose specific projects to fund, and getting feedback after students have received the supplies.
Wendy Cole, office manager at MBR Construction in Fort Lauderdale, said the family business has funded two proposals, including buying safety goggles for students to use in science class at Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary in Miami. The thank-you notes from the students were ''one of the greatest things about it,'' she said.
''They were so sweet and honest,'' Cole said. ``Truly, we all had tears in our eyes when we were reading the letters.''
SOMEBODY CARES
Andrew Navratil is the Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary teacher who wrote the proposal for the safety goggles, which his students have used many times.
''It makes you feel like somebody really cares about my school and my students because they chose our project,'' he said.
Militzok and Gutierrez, both former teachers in New York who moved to South Florida this school year -- have spread the word to their colleagues about the website, and several other teachers have since gotten supplies.
''Nobody really understood how incredible it was and how worth it it was until they saw me every day walking out of the office with huge boxes,'' Militzok said.
The children who learn the lesson of philanthropy aren't only recipients.
Matthew Nadel, a third-grader at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, is allowed by his parents to pick a charity every month for a $100 donation.
Recently, he split the money between a few projects on DonorsChoose.org and got pictures and thank-you letters back.
''It made me feel like I was proud of myself that they really appreciated it,'' said Matthew, 9.
''It really brought home the message to my son that you're making a difference,'' said his father, Phil Nadel. ``You don't get that feedback with very many charities.''
Join the discussion
The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Not a registered user? It's Free! Register here. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
Useful Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers and Students
In this issue's column, 1 am introducing several useful Web 2.0 tools to those of you who are just beginning to use the read/write Web in your school library program. These tools enable many types of student and teacher collaboration.
ONLINE COLLABORATION AND DOCUMENT STORAGE
Google Docs, available from the "More" button on the main Google page, is a free online work-sharing tool that has many potential uses for students and teachers. It enables users to create or import existing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that they can edit and upload to Google storage space. The documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are stored online and can then be accessed and edited from any computer by using a web browser.
Users can invite others to collaboratively read and edit uploaded material. There is even a mechanism to enable multiple individuals to view and make changes at the same time using an onscreen chat window. Presentations can be viewed by groups of people in various places simultaneously or separately. Documents can be organized into folders and can be viewed in various versions. Students can use Google docs to take research notes, upload them, and then write and edit research essays and presentations, inviting their teachers and other students to view and comment on various drafts. Teachers can create access for groups of students to work collaborattvery on group research assignments, with the ability to monitor and comment on their progress online. Google Docs is on its way to becoming a "ubiquitous" application in many high schools and colleges, one that is in such wide use that it is assumed that most know how to use it. Is it ubiquitous in your school?
SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Del.icio.us, available at http://del.icio.us, is being used by millions of people to store and organize their bookmarks online rather than on their browser. This, of course, allows them to access them from any computer and add to and edit them from any computer. As well, because these bookmarks can be shared publicly, users can search the resources others have tagged using similar keywords.
Del.icio.us can be used in schools in many ways. Students doing research assignments can use Del.icio.us to keep track of materials they find online and can look up similarly tagged bookmarks. Pathfinders for student projects can be created, and teachers can organize "reading lists" of online material (including podcasts) they want students to read and listen to. Because it is a collaborative tool, Del.icio.us can be used by groups of students (using a shared user name) to collect and organize relevant bookmarks for use in group project work.
PHOTO SHARING AND SLIDESHOW CREATION AND SHARING
Flickr, available at www.flickr.com, is one of the earliest read/ write web tools and has grown to gigantic proportions. Providing online management of photographs, Flickr enables users to upload and share photos publicly or privately and allows them to organize photos collaborativety in sets by allowing users to give others permission to add comments, notes, and tags to posted photos.
Because all photo files are tagged, they are easily searchable. Currently, Flickr allows registered users to upload 100 MB per month free and offers unlimited uploading for $25 a year. Many schools now use Flickr as a way to mount slideshow presentations, as a way of highlighting student work, recording special school events, and marketing services and programs. You can highlight your school's library program by uploading photo sets to Flickr and by creating a slideshow and posting it online.
Slide, available at www.slide.com, offers a simple sequential way to create slideshows and then post them on web sites, blogs, and wikis.
Another simple to use online tool, Bookr, available at www.pirnpampum .net/bookr, also enables users to create and share their own captioned slideshows.
One True Media, available at www .onetruernedia.com/otm_site/ public_hom e, provides an easy way to create slideshows with added text, music, and images.
Show Beyond, available at www .showbeyond.com/show /home, enables users to create and share multimedia stories as "slidecasts" incorporating images, sound, and text.
In this issue's column, 1 am introducing several useful Web 2.0 tools to those of you who are just beginning to use the read/write Web in your school library program. These tools enable many types of student and teacher collaboration.
ONLINE COLLABORATION AND DOCUMENT STORAGE
Google Docs, available from the "More" button on the main Google page, is a free online work-sharing tool that has many potential uses for students and teachers. It enables users to create or import existing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that they can edit and upload to Google storage space. The documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are stored online and can then be accessed and edited from any computer by using a web browser.
Users can invite others to collaboratively read and edit uploaded material. There is even a mechanism to enable multiple individuals to view and make changes at the same time using an onscreen chat window. Presentations can be viewed by groups of people in various places simultaneously or separately. Documents can be organized into folders and can be viewed in various versions. Students can use Google docs to take research notes, upload them, and then write and edit research essays and presentations, inviting their teachers and other students to view and comment on various drafts. Teachers can create access for groups of students to work collaborattvery on group research assignments, with the ability to monitor and comment on their progress online. Google Docs is on its way to becoming a "ubiquitous" application in many high schools and colleges, one that is in such wide use that it is assumed that most know how to use it. Is it ubiquitous in your school?
SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Del.icio.us, available at http://del.icio.us, is being used by millions of people to store and organize their bookmarks online rather than on their browser. This, of course, allows them to access them from any computer and add to and edit them from any computer. As well, because these bookmarks can be shared publicly, users can search the resources others have tagged using similar keywords.
Del.icio.us can be used in schools in many ways. Students doing research assignments can use Del.icio.us to keep track of materials they find online and can look up similarly tagged bookmarks. Pathfinders for student projects can be created, and teachers can organize "reading lists" of online material (including podcasts) they want students to read and listen to. Because it is a collaborative tool, Del.icio.us can be used by groups of students (using a shared user name) to collect and organize relevant bookmarks for use in group project work.
PHOTO SHARING AND SLIDESHOW CREATION AND SHARING
Flickr, available at www.flickr.com, is one of the earliest read/ write web tools and has grown to gigantic proportions. Providing online management of photographs, Flickr enables users to upload and share photos publicly or privately and allows them to organize photos collaborativety in sets by allowing users to give others permission to add comments, notes, and tags to posted photos.
Because all photo files are tagged, they are easily searchable. Currently, Flickr allows registered users to upload 100 MB per month free and offers unlimited uploading for $25 a year. Many schools now use Flickr as a way to mount slideshow presentations, as a way of highlighting student work, recording special school events, and marketing services and programs. You can highlight your school's library program by uploading photo sets to Flickr and by creating a slideshow and posting it online.
Slide, available at www.slide.com, offers a simple sequential way to create slideshows and then post them on web sites, blogs, and wikis.
Another simple to use online tool, Bookr, available at www.pirnpampum .net/bookr, also enables users to create and share their own captioned slideshows.
One True Media, available at www .onetruernedia.com/otm_site/ public_hom e, provides an easy way to create slideshows with added text, music, and images.
Show Beyond, available at www .showbeyond.com/show /home, enables users to create and share multimedia stories as "slidecasts" incorporating images, sound, and text.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)