The Jefferson City High School Debate Team utilizes laptops extensively while representing our school. The students have to use laptops to collect and file evidence to use in support of various academic positions around highly relevant national and international issues. The students store all collected evidence onto the laptops using a program called "Verbatim," which is a free program developed specifically for use in the debate classroom and at debate tournaments. This software is only accessible on a PC or Mac  (thus creating the need we have).

Students are freely engaged in 21st Century learning when asked to collect and create positions on the topics that are selected by the Missouri State High School Activities Association and the National Speech and Debate Association. The use of laptops in debate has grown extensively over the past 5 years and is now standard when attending a tournament. In fact, 90% of schools and students at tournaments utilize laptops now while at a competition. It has increased so much that MSHSAA and the NSDA now have rules governing their use at competitions.

Not only will these laptops be utilized in the co-curricular activity of debate, but students enrolled in my Speech I, Debate I, Debate II, or Speech and Drama performance classes utilize these programs and technology to enhance their understanding of the content. I freely integrate the use of technology in the classroom setting in order to ensure that students are prepared to enter into the real world. The use of this technology increases the rigor of the content and the relevance.

Donating to support this cause will go to support several students whose families are unable to furnish their own child with a laptop. Much of what these students do on a regular basis in the real-world requires the use of some form of technology. Equipping these students with a laptop is more than just giving them the ability to perform well at a tournament, but it is an investment in their education and their chances of being successful in the 21st Century. Not only is it an investment in their future, but investing is debate goes beyond the classroom. Research indicates that when speech and debate is encouraged, their chances of going to college and contributing to society increases. To read the scholarly evidence, I encourage you to visit our team's website at: http://jchsjaydebate.weebly.com/why-join.html

Listed below are the computers that we are wishing to purchase:

Empower these students. Help them find their voice. Please contribute to support these wonderful kids.

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