Help fund a Thai school STEM program

Background

Hello! My girlfriend and I are currently english teachers at a Thai government school in a small town within the province of Suphanburi, Thailand where we teach grades 7, 8 and 9 (Matthayom 1, 2 and 3 respectively). As our second and final semester abroad approaches, we look forward to leaving in a meaningful and lasting way.

Many years ago, our colleagues helped to develop a technology based learning program dedicated to enhancing ESL student outcome. Today the ESL program has helped foster some of the brightest Thai students and has even helped better prepare some in attending various prestigious institutions all over the world. The program however continues to neglect key technological infrastructure as well as fundamental ESL learning materials. Early last year, the program was gifted a stockpile of children's books donated by a close affiliate of one of our Australian colleagues. We would like to do something similar, in a way that will greatly impact our fellow staff members, the program itself and first and foremost, the students. This is where we are asking for your help. (To find out more about the ESL program, please visit http://brettwilkin.com/)

The Problem

During our time with the students, we have come to realize that while they greatly benefit from foreign interaction, the learning experience in its current state is very much hindered by lack of infrastructure and learning material, subsequently slowing the development of interpersonal communication skills necessary to be successful at the collegiate level as the majority of the students are stagnantly reading at the 4th and 5th grade levels.

Another problem faced is the lack of consistency amongst the foreign teaching staff. Every 6 months or so, the school receives a new rotation of 2-3 teachers from various overseas ed groups. While this is great exposure for the students, it also results in an overall inconsistent learning experience. In addition, there are just two permanent foreign staff members, both of whom are stretched very thin and are responsible for boosting retention rates of 200+ students.

The Solution - *Revised, 6/21

While our initial goal was to simply supply students a broader spectrum of learning by way of VR system integration, our vision has grown into a greater scope of work, one that will grow exponentially after our departure and foster a new generation of student learning in the form of a small scale STEM program within the english program itself.

It has come to our attention that technological upgrades could additionally be allocated across a multitude of other platforms and learning environments that will ultimately benefit students and encourage interdisciplinary learning. We have listed the revisions as well as the additional items below.

Virtual Reality:

With your help, we are hoping to bring a more interactive and impacting approach to the english program that will offer students a more tangible way of achieving academic success. We hope to purchase Google cardboard VR headsets for 7th and 8th grade classrooms. The VR technology will become an integral part of the ESL program and will help to create a more tangible learning environment, ultimately offering students a grander view of the world, one limited not by the mundanity of textbooks nor bound by vicarious social media browsing. We strive to inspire, influence and offer students a glimpse at life of limitless potential.

3D Printing:

In addition, we have taken notice of a growing demand for computer science, to which one of our colleagues has been leading a dedicated computer program covering various topics such as; 3D rendering, small website and blog building as well as various other interactive projects. With this in mind, we are hoping to raise enough funding to carve out a dedicated STEM path, to which currently does not exist. With your donation, we will be looking to purchase 1 3D printing system.

The Cost Breakdown: Your investment will go toward the following

Order Summary:

1.) IPad 32GB Wi-Fi - Gray Space Gray - $375 USD (12,500 THB)

- This IPad will serve as the teacher control device to host and guide VR 'field trips'.

2.) Google Cardboard VR headsets - ~$375 USD (13,125 THB)

- to accommodate 30 students (Typically the size of 1 classroom)

3.) Robo C2 3D Printer - ~$799 USD (28,000 THB)

- We chose this 3D printer because of its reputable quality, user-friendly interface, educational support and ability to scale with experience. To find out more about this 3D printer, please click here.

Total Order Summary

Items (16): 2pk Google Cardboard VR headsets (x15) Robo C2 3D printer (x1)	$1,100.43
Shipping & handling:	$193.69
Total before tax:	$1,294.12
Estimated tax to be collected:	$0.00
Import Fees Deposit	$98.63
Order total:	$1,392.75

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Grand total: ~$1,768 USD (61,880 THB)

All we ask is for a small donation of $5!!!

With your help the ESL program can better serve the students of Sanguan Ying school! All proceeds will go towards the betterment of the students and ESL program. I will be updating this story as the funding commences. Thank you all for your time and consideration!