My Ideal Technology Based Classroom
Figuring out what type of teacher I want to be in the modern classroom begins with figuring out who I am and how I teach best. I want to be their facilitator not their drill sergeant. Integrating technology into my classroom will allow me to learn with the students, to explore and discover as they do, instead of just lecture. I want them to be based in situations that are new to them every day; where they do not already know the technology. Just because these students have grown up in our current society we cannot assume they know how to use technology properly to do research and acquire new knowledge. How to be a digital citizen (the fundamentals of copywriting, how to find meaningful research that is not biased etc.) needs to be explicitly taught to these students. If I am able to properly integrate and introduce technology into my classroom I believe I will be able to improve the skills of my students so they are able to adapt for whatever the future may hold.
The world is continuously changing. How do I prepare my students for jobs in the future that don’t exist yet? The answer comes in the form of preparing students by developing their skills in the technological aspect. If teachers are able to do this for their students, they will hopefully be able to critically analyze the world around them and use their skills to help them succeed in a future we don’t know what has in store for us. William Thomas Kelvin has been quoted for stating, “heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible" (1895). Look at our world now; it is always and forever changing? We need to prepare students with modern skills and not lecture them about information they can easily google. To be able to maximize what students can do best, technology must be involved as most of their interests lie in the technology field aka gaming. I believe game-based learning is going to be playing a major role in our future classrooms. Students need a personalized learning environment because the “old school” classroom is no longer relatable; I don’t know if it ever was. Students should be able to communicate and access information in their school instantly. KNEWTON will be able to help me personalize their learning environment.
The classroom would function with the instructor’s PC as the hub of all contained work. It would keep all curriculum course content, grades, marks, control the whiteboard and have access to Web 2.o tools etc. This would allow for immediate responses, feedback and additional resources to help the students excel in the classroom. In the classroom there would be “focused” work environments where every child has their own device at a large table. There would be a charging station in the middle of each table to help keep work constant as students are countlessly complaining about dead/dying devices. Included at these focused work environments would be headphones to allow students to work independently without missing out on the entire experience. Some students are better audio learners and need repeated instruction which the headphones will help with. The classroom will include wifi that can be used on independent devices at focused work environments and at collaborative/hands-on environments.
In addition to the “focused” work environment there would also be “collaborative” work environments; large tables where students share one device. This device can be used with the video conferencing system by using skype to globally contact experts in their fields. These collaborative work environments become hands-on when students bring their own devices (BYOD) and work together to share their learning by using web 2.0 tools such as Comic Life and iMovie. Web 2.0 tools will be included on the smartboard and on all iPads that belong to the class. Students will be able to download web 2.0 tools on their own devices as well; this will allow students to use the abundance of web 2.0 tools out there to differentiate their own learning, which does not always happen in a regular classroom. There will be a smartboard with a carpet in front, to encourage students to use the device in addition to the teacher. The smartboard will include enough clickers for students to be able to respond immediately and be involved in an active learning environment.
Before technology can be integrated into the classroom the proper procedure, protocol and use of the devices must be understood by all students and whenever the device is not used properly it will be taken away. If technology is integrated into the classroom at an early age students will learn the benefits of digital citizenship and the fear of technology hindering instead of helping will be dispelled. Teachers will be able to work collaboratively side by side with students as they use eBooks, iCloud, games and apps regularly to explore, generate collaborate and share their learning.
The world is continuously changing. How do I prepare my students for jobs in the future that don’t exist yet? The answer comes in the form of preparing students by developing their skills in the technological aspect. If teachers are able to do this for their students, they will hopefully be able to critically analyze the world around them and use their skills to help them succeed in a future we don’t know what has in store for us. William Thomas Kelvin has been quoted for stating, “heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible" (1895). Look at our world now; it is always and forever changing? We need to prepare students with modern skills and not lecture them about information they can easily google. To be able to maximize what students can do best, technology must be involved as most of their interests lie in the technology field aka gaming. I believe game-based learning is going to be playing a major role in our future classrooms. Students need a personalized learning environment because the “old school” classroom is no longer relatable; I don’t know if it ever was. Students should be able to communicate and access information in their school instantly. KNEWTON will be able to help me personalize their learning environment.
The classroom would function with the instructor’s PC as the hub of all contained work. It would keep all curriculum course content, grades, marks, control the whiteboard and have access to Web 2.o tools etc. This would allow for immediate responses, feedback and additional resources to help the students excel in the classroom. In the classroom there would be “focused” work environments where every child has their own device at a large table. There would be a charging station in the middle of each table to help keep work constant as students are countlessly complaining about dead/dying devices. Included at these focused work environments would be headphones to allow students to work independently without missing out on the entire experience. Some students are better audio learners and need repeated instruction which the headphones will help with. The classroom will include wifi that can be used on independent devices at focused work environments and at collaborative/hands-on environments.
In addition to the “focused” work environment there would also be “collaborative” work environments; large tables where students share one device. This device can be used with the video conferencing system by using skype to globally contact experts in their fields. These collaborative work environments become hands-on when students bring their own devices (BYOD) and work together to share their learning by using web 2.0 tools such as Comic Life and iMovie. Web 2.0 tools will be included on the smartboard and on all iPads that belong to the class. Students will be able to download web 2.0 tools on their own devices as well; this will allow students to use the abundance of web 2.0 tools out there to differentiate their own learning, which does not always happen in a regular classroom. There will be a smartboard with a carpet in front, to encourage students to use the device in addition to the teacher. The smartboard will include enough clickers for students to be able to respond immediately and be involved in an active learning environment.
Before technology can be integrated into the classroom the proper procedure, protocol and use of the devices must be understood by all students and whenever the device is not used properly it will be taken away. If technology is integrated into the classroom at an early age students will learn the benefits of digital citizenship and the fear of technology hindering instead of helping will be dispelled. Teachers will be able to work collaboratively side by side with students as they use eBooks, iCloud, games and apps regularly to explore, generate collaborate and share their learning.