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Goal

The goal of this grant is to purchase an Apple iPad Air and Otterbox case for the iPad to be used in the Pre-K classroom by both students and staff to increase student engagement and streamline the assessment process with the new Teaching Strategies Curriculum. We are using this curriculum in all Head Start Classrooms in Florida and the assessment app is only available on the iPad. 

What will be done with my students

Students will use educational apps to practice literacy skills such as letter recognition, letter sounds, phonemic awareness, print knowledge, and to learn sight words in order to help prepare them for Kindergarten. Students will also use educational apps to practice counting, number recognition, patterns, and basic addition and subtraction. All of these activities are aligned with the curriculum and standards that we teach in our classroom. Students will have the opportunity to use the iPad on a one-on-one rotation during Academic Center time (60 minutes) and Free Choice Center times (75 minutes). When time allows, this will also be used for students to practice specific skills and knowledge they struggle with during afternoon review time (30 min). For example, there are apps that will allow the teacher to assign letters to a student who does not yet recognize those letters.  

Benefits to my students

My students are all English Language Learners and speak Creole or Spanish at home. All 18 of the students in my class will have opportunities to use the iPad. The iPad will increase student engagement as well as improve my students' English language skills.

The iPad allows a teacher to specialize instruction for all learners in the classroom. Our classroom is an inclusion classroom which means we have several students in our room who have special needs and receive special education services. The diversity of the apps available on the iPad will allow us to also plan opportunities for students to practice skills related to their education goals in addition to the services they receive in and out of the classroom. We are excited to be able to plan activities that meet the specific needs of each child in our classroom.

Additionally, my teaching assistant and I will use the iPad to document student progress with photos and anecdotal notes via the Teaching Strategies Gold documentation app that was recently implemented in all Head Start Classrooms. This app is only available on iPad devices.

The outcome of implementing the iPad in my classroom will be increased early literacy and math skills among all students. Students will have opportunities to interact with technology they do not otherwise have the opportunities to use. The teacher and the teaching assistant will both be able to add their observations and assessments to all of the students' learning portfolios. 

Budget Narrative

Apple's website lists the iPad Air's price as $399.00. The Otterbox website lists the Defender Case as $99.90. Since young children will be using the device it is necessary to purchase a case that is both water-proof and protects the device if it is dropped. The total request is $498.90. Thank you for your consideration. 

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