http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/ Engadget Comments for Help Engadget Energize Education in the DonorsChoose blogger challenge http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Will donate rite away...]]>Oct 4th 2007 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 10:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 4:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 5:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 5th 2007 9:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
I am NOT criticizing these charities and by all means donate if you will. But, I am curious. How do these charities help children? I was taught without computers, projectors, overheads, or any other such thing. Are those useful tools? Certainly. Are they necessary to a good education? Not that I can see.

What do you all think?]]>Oct 4th 2007 10:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
It's a toss up, these days kids don't know how good they have it, and i was a kid not too long ago... i managed to get edjimikated without newfangled ache-dee-tee-vees or kahm-pew-ters in the classroom, i gots mai readin and ritin and rithmatic just fihn.

anywhozle, i'm of the mind that donating money isn't the best way to help (in-fact with the rare exception of a few charities, like the ronald mcdonald house, or whoever happens to be hanging out at the register, that get my change, i only donate money to a breast cancer foundation). It's better to help by doing than by funding, because when you do something it goes 100% to someone who needs it, no skimming off the top.

I sit on the fence i guess, but when the jury is out i'll be donating whatever i feel i can spare this month.

]]>Oct 4th 2007 11:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
At DonorsChoose.org we ask donors to voluntarily contribute towards our fulfillment expenses (mailing materials, admin expenses, etc.) when making their donation. However, you can choose not to give these additional funds in which case 100% of your donation will indeed go directly to the classroom chosen. No skimming here! :)

Thanks!
Zach]]>Oct 4th 2007 11:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/I don't know about you guys, but I'd consider that skimming.]]>Oct 4th 2007 10:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
http://tinyurl.com/28svq2
(WARNING: PDF file)]]>Oct 4th 2007 10:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/As for the 20%. If you look up on Charity Navigator you can see where the money goes. Every charity has overhead. You have to advertise to get people to contribute. Looking the numbers, they are spending a good percentage on funding the program and not on overhead.]]>Oct 5th 2007 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
On page 2 of that pdf the following is written:
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The project fulfillment fee supports this work and ensures "end to end" integrity on every student project. While the cost of fulfilling a student project remains the same, DonorsChoose.org offers a "scholarship" to the highest-need schools. Depending on a school's poverty level, the fulfillment fee is 25%, 20%, or 15% of the total project cost. The vast majority of schools using DonorsChoose.org
have high rates of poverty, so most proposals carry the 15% fulfillment fee.
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And again, this fee is optional. When you make your donation you have the option to include or not include fulfillment costs. These costs help us pay the bills. Without these fulfillment costs we wouldn't be able to help as many students as we do. Luckily for us, and thanks to our always generous donors, 90% of our donation dollars have the fulfillment fee attached. :-)

- Zach (at) donorschoose [dot] org]]>Oct 8th 2007 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 11:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/

(Did you know DonorsChoose inspired a similar organization in China two years ago?!)
]]>Oct 4th 2007 1:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 3:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 5:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 7th 2007 11:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 4th 2007 5:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/But...what a pity, DonorsChoose doesn't let people outside the States to make donations.]]>Oct 4th 2007 6:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
But I suppose US citizens living abroad might wish to.]]>Oct 4th 2007 6:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
This information is from Tomato Nation and was provided by a Donors Choose employee:

+++++++++++
For all you generous non-US-address-having people:

When registering you should include your town/city in the “Address Line 2” field and your postcode & country in the “city” field. Select New York as your state. Enter 5 zeroes as your “zipcode.” For example:

Name: Sarah Bunting
Address: 123 Featherstone Street
Address 2: London
City: EC1Y 8SY, GREAT BRITAIN
State: NY
Zip: 00000]]>Oct 5th 2007 11:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Well, it's just a missed chance to make a donation, for me. Sorry, Engadget!
Let's see the next time, maybe it'll be allowed. Could it be, count on me.

Have a nice day, guys!

Luca]]>Oct 5th 2007 6:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/I would not donate through Engadget until they tell me what they did with the money from that auction.]]>Oct 4th 2007 9:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 5th 2007 9:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/We need to discover a way to make being smart as sexy as professional sports or being an actor, then there would be gobs of money being thrown around the educational system.]]>Oct 5th 2007 9:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 5th 2007 10:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 8th 2007 11:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 9th 2007 12:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/Oct 9th 2007 10:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
To those asking why since they got buy just fine without when they were in school, I'd ask if you went to a doctor and he used methods from 20 years ago, or a lawyer, or an engineer- would that be OK? Wouldn't you want him/her to use the most current methods?

Bringing tech into the classroom is not about tech. Its not about toys. Many of the projects that are listed are about providing opportunity to kids that don't have it. Desktop publishing / read-write technology is about providing an authentic audience. Collaborative tech is about allowing kids to scaffold ideas and communicate outside of class hours.

These kids are entering the workforce soon. They'll need to have experience with technology to compete. Why not give them an opportunity that other already have?

Teachers aren't looking for another piece of technology. They are looking to give these kids a chance.]]>Oct 9th 2007 10:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/help-engadget-energize-education-in-the-donorschoose-blogger-cha/
What do you remember most fondly from your days in school -- reading from the textbook or the cool hands-on activity you did one day in class?]]>Oct 10th 2007 5:29PM