Welcome Jennilee Harrington's SEDU 21st Century Classroom
In class we were given an assignment to create a visual essay about what we believe and why we wanted to be teachers. Mr.Smith discussed a few different tools that we could use to do this, and although I would have preferred to use one of the video makers he showed us in class, I had to use photo story instead due to technical difficulties. I ended up really liking this tool though, and I am glad that I got a chance to use it -even if it wasn't my first choice! So here is my visual essay: Check out My Reflection on this activity.
My Classroom
My classroom design is based on cooperative and student centered learning for a first grade class. I chose tables, but four desks pushed together would work as well to create the groups that I wish to have. I have placed the students chairs only on two sides of the tables so that way they can easily see either the front of the room where the smartboard is located, or the back where there is the television/DVD player along with a projector. This enables us to use many technologies without having to rearrange the room at all to comforably utilize them. I like the idea of being able to let my students use the technologies as well, children find using things like smartboards fun and exciting.
A large part of the classroom is devoted to an area designated for my morning meetings, and it can be a comfortable reading area as well for the students. This is where I have the bookshelves located as well as comfortable seating.
The general set-up of the room leaves unlimited possibilites for cooperative learning. Not only do the students sit in groups, but I can break them into different groups and place them in the circle area, the meeting area, etc. I love the idea of children using eachother as learning tools. This design and the technology within the room allows for pleanty of flexibility within the classroom.
With the various technologies within the classroom my students can explore online resources and I can coordinate online tools into my lessons to keep them fresh. Along with the technologies within my classroom I would hope to cordinate a program like "celly" as well to help keep the parents involved with what we are doing in class. I could choose to send home little newsletters, but I could easliy create an online newsletter for the parents to view. I like the idea of a website better than a paper newsletter, becuase I can update a website quickly and easily and can include things that I couldn't include within a letter sent home. I could upload videos, share tools, link to other websites that may be able to help the parents. I feel that parental envolvement is incredibly important, and I think that as a teacher it is important to make it easy for them to be as envolved as they are able to be.
Rituals and Routines
I plan on having morning meetings to start my students day off with. I think that these meetings are a fun way to teach the children and to get them thinking. We can use this time for greetings, games, songs, and then begin our lesson here. I have a computer located right next to the circle area so if I chose to begin with the students watching a video off the internet or something similiar I can rotate the monitor so they can easliy see it. I just think that morning meetings are a very flexible and fun way to start off the school day and they promote collaboration, communication, and student-centered learning.
I have my classroom designed so we can use different tools throughout the day to keep things fun and interesting. For example, one day we might do our math lesson on the smartboard together, and the next day I could break the children into groups and have them utilize a math program on the internet. The possibilites are endless when there is technology built within the classroom.
Although I love technology and I think that it can be incredibly useful as a teaching and a learning tool, I wish to have my students do hands-on projects with real materials as much as possible. I would like to go outside, do artwork etc, I want to keep the students well balanced. They will use techology where it is appropriate, but I do not want them completely dependent upon it. I think that it is important for them to find that learning can be fun whether they are exploring the internet, or exploring the literal world.
I found an interesting website during one of our assignments called super teacher tools. Within this site there are various tools (Cool Tool For School!) for a teacher to use, but what I really liked about this site is that there are games that you can use within your classroom, and I would like to utilize these as a teaching tool. I think that kids retain more information if they are having fun with it and trivia games are a great way to have the kids doing something fun in an interactive way. I would use this site when I was able to within the classroom.
Instructional Glimpse
Mathematics
2.2.1.A: Apply concepts of addition and subtraction to solve problems up to ten.
Who is your Audience?
This lesson is prepared for first grade students.
What will the students do? (Objectives)
• Students will use objects to actually see addition and subtraction in a literal form.
• Students will demonstrate different set models assigned to practice addition and subtraction of objects equal to or less than 10.
• Still using the objects students will explore the power point.
o Within the power point they will attempt a few problems on their own, and also explore the links attached to utilize the math websites.
What competencies will the students need to know prior to completing this task?
Students will need to have a basic knowledge of numerical ordering, and how to use a computer mouse before this lesson.
What will they learn?
Students will learn how to add and subtract numbers up to 10. They will also learn about helpful and educational websites that are available to them.
How will you know?
Teacher will monitor the power point exploration, and also the attached websites actually assess the student’s answers.
What Risks did you take in the creation of this project?
The students in a first grade classroom may not have ever used a power point show, or even played games online so this may be a new experience for some of these students.
My Technology Integration
I have always been comfortable with social networking, but during this semester I learned how to use these sites for educational purposes. Sites like Facebook and Twitter connect people in an easy way. Before this semester I had never thought about how these types of sites could connect you with people who can help you grow and learn.
As I said before, I would like to use the internet as a way to keep the parent's connected with our classroom. I could choose to make a blog or use a social networking site as a way to keep the parents in the loop.
Keeping it age appropriate, I wouldn't be able to expect children to get online regularly. However, I could post links for parents to help their children access, or post educational games or videos for them to watch from home. With as many computers as I have placed within my classroom the children who do not have access to computers at home can utilize the ones in the classroom so they are not being left out.
I would love to make contact with another teacher from another place in the world. I think it would be really neat for the students to be in contact with another group of kids who have a different cultures. When I was in second grade we had pen pals from another state. I think that I could take the pen pals idea to another level if I did this. I could use my social networking tools to find another teacher looking to do the same thing. I think that the children on both ends of this can learn a lot from one another.
PLN
As a student and as a future educator, PLNs are a great way to continue learning and growing. I will continue using these networks, and others as they are created.
I think that I will use Twitter as more of an educational thing for ideas and updates. On Twitter, the only people that I follow are for professional reasons. On Facebook I have found other students and people that I can talk to about what we are leaning and doing. I like having them separate. That is going to be very important once I am actually teaching, I will have to separate my personal accounts from my professional ones.
Feedback
Please fill out my quick survey letting me know what you think!
Or you can e-mail me!
Bibliography
"Celly @ School." Celly. Web. 04 May 2012. <http://cel.ly/school>.
"Classroom Review Games." Super Teacher Tools. Web. 04 May 2012. <http://superteachertools.com/>.
"Redirecting..." Redirecting... Web. 04 May 2012. <http://docs.google.com/>.
"Welcome to Facebook - Log In, Sign Up or Learn More." Web. 04 May 2012. <http://www.facebook.com/>.
"Welcome to Twitter." Twitter. Web. 04 May 2012. <http://twitter.com/>.
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