With these funds I will be purchasing 13 chromebooks for $250 each on Amazon to be used within all four of the middle school classrooms to use with inquiry based learning. Each classroom will receive four chromebooks and we will have one more as an back up. Our vision for inquiry-based learning involves increased student-engagement, which in turn will amplify their motivation, curiosity, and ownership of their education. This model will ultimately shift the role of the teacher from lecturer to facilitator and mentor. Our goal is to empower students to control their own learning through hands-on student centers, research, discovery, and reflection. Through the use of technology, students will be equipped with a much broader base of knowledge, connecting and integrating the real world beyond the traditional textbook model. Furthermore, our vision includes enhancing 21^st century skills by integrating technology through all phases of work and projects. 

We are a small school located in Germantown, neighborhood in Philadelphia, and are within the Philadelphia School District. Many of the my students travel a great distance to come to our school, in hopes of gaining a better education than their neighborhood schools, even though many of them suffer with multitude issues that plague the city of Philadelphia. I have the privilege of teaching within our middle years academy, which is made up of two 7th grade and two 8th grade homerooms. They are creative, intelligent problem solvers. There is no shortage when it comes to expressing themselves, they just need the tools on how to do that in a constructive way. My students have a passion for history and enjoy when I connect our literacy units to their social studies content. My students are inquisitive risk-takers who, when given a challenge, will not back away. Two of the four classrooms are equipped with fifteen outdated MacBooks, most of which have no battery life. The working laptop to student ratio for our middle years is roughly 15:90; and of those working, they must be plugged into a power source, creating an additional challenge for teachers. 

Each teacher will be using the chromebooks in whatever manor can help improve the students skills in their subject (Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies) Within my classroom, I will be using my four chromebooks for a center to help enhance my students research-based skills including but not limited to primary/secondary sources, document based questions, webquest, historical essay writing, MLA Citation, and critical analysis for units of study. I will also have them practice using Google programs such as Slides/Docs/Forms and Microsoft programs such as Excel/Word/Powerpoint to help enhance their capability of skills they will need in their future careers. 

Back Up Plan