Grant Recipient Lisa Bookout Believes in Access for All

Middle School Wonder Woman Lisa Bookout

Name:  Lisa Bookout

Subject taught: 8^th grade Science

Grant received:  Tablets for Teens : 10 Microsoft Surface Tablets w/covers and charging cart
Amount Received: $4,420

In her grant application, Lisa Bookout expressed her motivation for her request:

I teach 8^th grade Science.  In my classroom we have textbooks that are 8 years old. Microsoft Tablets will be a great supplement to our outdated textbooks.  I want my students to have access to the latest technology possible.  Many of the lessons in my class incorporate a project, poster, or presentation that demonstrates their knowledge of Science concepts.  By having access to technology right in the classroom, ALL of my students will be able to express their understanding in innovative, relevant, and exciting ways.  I emphasize the word ‘ALL’ because many of my students do not have access to technology at home.

When we followed up with her this year, we learned the grant has truly been "ALL" encompassing and reached even more students than originally intended. 

I wrote this grant last year with the hopes of integrating much more technology in my Science classroom.  I wanted my students to have access to the latest technology possible.  Many of the lessons in my class incorporated a project, poster, or presentation that demonstrated their knowledge of Science concepts.  By having access to technology right in the classroom, ALL of my students would be able to express their understanding in innovative, relevant, and exciting ways.I was so happy to receive this grant and spent time collaborating with my teaching partner, Josh Hamilton, about ways in which we could amp up the units we taught and infuse them with technology.  We reworked lessons for this school year and added the technology piece to projects and assignments.  

Over the summer I was hired for a different position; therefore, I no longer teach 8^th grade Science.  I am now the Gifted Resource teacher for the district.  Josh Hamilton along with Kevin Ismael are the 8^th grade Science teachers.  During the past couple of weeks their students have been learning about Lab Safety and Lab Equipment.  The students created videos to demonstrate their knowledge.  I was fortunate to be able to watch some of the videos and they were great!  The students were extremely creative and did an excellent job conveying the concepts correctly.  According to Josh the students had a blast with this lesson and are eagerly awaiting the next project in which they get to use the tablets. 

Josh Hamilton's class uses grant-funded technology to film their commercials

 I can’t thank the Foundation enough for helping classroom teachers.  We are very fortunate to have an organization like this in our district that makes dreams come true for students and teachers.  Some may think that sounds a little silly, but it truly was a dream of mine to get tablets in the hands of my students.  I really appreciate you making that happen!

Will you help teachers like Lisa Bookout, Josh Hamilton, and Kevin Ismael make a difference?  Every dollar matters. You can positively influence public education in our community.

Tahlequah Public Schools Foundation does not replace state funds for education. Its goal is to nourish excellence and provide a wider range of educational opportunities for our students. With your help, we can help fund more grants that provide access to "all."

Donate at www.tahlequahpublicschoolsfoundation.org