My 21st Century Classroom

WELCOME!!!!

Welcome to my 21st Century Classroom page.  Here I will show you what I want as a teacher in the 21st century. I go to Edinboro University to study Early Childhood and Special Education.  I plan on teaching second, third, or fourth grade, but I will take whatever I can get.  I know finding a teaching job can be difficult, especially around the area I live in, Franklin, Pennsylvania.  This is why I plan on moving to North Carolina.  They have better teaching jobs and the weather is warmer.

My Belief Video

 

MY CLASSROOM

I am teaching at a school called Edgewood Community Developmental Elementary School.  There are 143 students in PK through 12.  This is a really tiny school with about ten students per grade.  I like this because you can be sure to give enough one-on-one time to each student. The demographics of each classroom are roughly five African Americans, two Whites, two Hispanics, and one Pacific Islander in my classroom.  Out of the students that attend Edgewood, 61.7% of them are eligable for free or reduced lunches.  This means that about 6 out of every 10 children in my classroom will be on free or reduced lunches. There are also only 18 teachers in the school of Edgewood.

In my classroom I have always had at least one disabled student.  This has made me think about the different ways to make sure they feel most comfortable in the classroom.  This year I have a little girl named May.  You will see her on this page later.  She is legally vision impaired.  She needs to use a Braillewriter.  This I had specifically ordered a while ago because I knew there might be a time when I would have a visually imparied student.  Here is a website that tells about the daily life of a fourth grader who is visually impaired. 

 

I chose to set up my classroom with the children in rows because it's easier for them to see the board.  Sometimes when you put them in a circle, the board is not always visable.  I set them up in groups because according to eHow putting them in groups is more beneficial.  I didn't want to put them in a big group because then they would become distracted.  I figured with two, they can help each other out.  In the article, it also says how the teachers desk should be in the front or the back of the classroom.  I don't think children learn as well with the teacher in the back because sometimes the teacher won't pay attention.  I like how mine is where i put it at a diagonal.  This way it isn't blocking the board and it's not in the back away from the students.  Also, the website recommended a reading area with comfortable seats for the children.  That's why I created a reading area with bean bags all around.  There also is a bookcase with tons of books for the students to read.

I know that technologies are improving as time goes on, so I must keep up with them.  I no longer have a chalk board in my classroom.  I have a SmartBoard. This is in my opinion, two steps up from a chalk board.  There was the chalkboard, then the white board, and now a SmartBoard.  This is an interactive board that children can use to show the whole classroom instructions.  I can also use it to show my lesson plans. I also am going to try to use GoogleDrive. This is an easy way for me to publish an assignment, and the children can go and edit the assignment right on the same page.  Then when the student is finished with the assignment, he can too publish it to the same forms. This keeps everything in one place.  It's a lot better than multiple worksheets. Students can also use it to work together with multiple students.  Another way to stay connected with one another is Skype.  With Skype I can use it to talk to whomever I'd like.  If I want to get in contact with someone overseas, all I need to know is his or her username, and make sure he or she is online, and then I can Skype him or her.  This way I could do an interactive language class.  I could teach my students a different language.  Students can also stick together in the classroom by using iPads.  IPads will only work if the school has wifi.  Most schools are going to have wifi because many schools are getting a lot of the new technologies. These iPads will help students in the classroom because they will be able to share and create knowledge.  There are so many apps that can help the students improve with their academics.  Now when we are not in the classroom I have the students use email to stay in contact with me.  Their parents also have my email and phone number if they have any questions.  They have no excuse to say that they couldn't get in contact with me.  I like how I have incorporated a lot of technology in my classroom.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

This is May as I had mentioned earlier, you are now getting to meet her.  She is legally blind, but still has her peripheral vision.  This means that May has tunnel vision and cannot see side to side.  She must turn her entire head to one side to see what is over there and vise versa.  This has made learning difficult for May, so a lot fo her teachers have just treated her like she is completely blind.  This hasn't been a problem for May because as time goes by, she will be able to know how to get work done by a blind person, and by someone who can see.  She kind of has the best of both worlds here. 

May uses a Braille writer to do all of her school work.  Now May can see, but this Braille makes things easier for her.  She has also decided it's easier to use an abacus for mathematics.  May has developed many traits of a blind person, but she isn't blind.  May also sits in the front of the classroom, so she can see the board better.  I try to do everything right in front of her that way she doesn't feel like she isn't understanding the material.  The SmartBoard is also really effective for May.  It's bright and the lettering is big enough for her to see it.  She also uses the iPad a lot because it's easier for her to see.  When things are closer to her, she can see them better than if they are far away.  Her tunnel vision impairs her from seeing so far away.  But with the help of the technologies in the classroom, May can do everything that everyone else is doing.

Here is a video that shows blind people can really do anything that a normal seeing person can do. :)

 

FEEDBACK

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Abacus | OC Watchdog." OC Watchdog. Orange County Register Communication, 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2009/04/24/color-of-money-is-it-racist-to-require-accountants-to-have-more-training/17117/abacus/.

"Braille Institute Teaches Nearly Blind, Visually Impaired People Photography." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Jan. 2011. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtE6VMWayRI.
 

"Business Partners / Partners in Education." Business Partners / Partners in Education. Schoolwires, 12 Nov. 2008. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://www.waynecountyschools.org/Page/2333.

 

Cheadle, Barbara. "A Typical School Day in the Life of a Blind Fourth Grader." A Typical School Day in the Life of a Blind Fourth Grader. N.p., Fall 2003. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

"Design Journal | Next Generation Perkins/APH Braille Writer by PDT Inc." Design Journal | Next Generation Perkins/APH Braille Writer by PDT Inc. Design Publications, 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://designjournalmag.com/products/detail/1597-product-design/316441-next-generation-perkinsaph-braille-writer.

 

"Edgewood Community Developmental." SchoolDigger. SchoolDigger, 2066-2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NC/schools/0488000413/school.aspx?t=tbStudents&st=tbLunch.

 

Ince, Sarah DeWitt. "Fourth Grade Classroom Set-Up Ideas." EHow. Demand Media, 05 Jan. 2011. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://www.ehow.com/list_7732408_fourth-grade-classroom-setup-ideas.html.

"Rochester Community Schools Early Childhood Special Education." Rochester Community Schools-ECSE. N.p., 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://www.rochester.k12.mi.us/pages/5602/ecse-early-childhood-special-education-3-5.

"Technology Rocks Applique." Technology Rocks Applique. Embroidery Boutique, 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. http://www.embroidery-boutique.com/technology-rocks-applique.html.
 

 

SELF-REFLECTION

 

This project really opened my eyes as a learner and a prospective teacher.  I never really took into consideration that I may have to teach a student who is disabled.  Coming to Edinboro University, that started to open up my eyes.  Another way I started realizing was with this project.  With all the new technologies coming around, the disabled students are able to do a lot more than they ever could.  I know that I will be able to help the students who I have because of all these technologies.  I will also be able to give them everything they need to become the most successful student.

 

Within this class, I have been made to take a lot of risks.  I learned how to use a MacBook. Well when I say I learned how to use one, I really just attempted it.  But I did the assignments.  Also a risk for me is recording me voice. I hate it. So this was a big risk for me.

 

I have gained a lot from the class and this final project.  I really can't believe it's over.  I loved all the projects in the classroom, and I liked how the professor Marc Smith was also researching new ideas as the class went on.  I learned that you don't have to like technology, but you have to know how it works.  I myself did not like technology when I started this class.  I had just gotten a smart phone and that was hard enough to figure out, but since this class I feel better about technology than I ever have before.

 

I have grown as a learner and a prospective teacher in many ways.  This class and this final project have helped me a lot.  I never would have thought to include so much technology with elementary students, but it can be done.  The technology can actually help them get ready for the real world.  I just feel as if I have to make sure they do not become dependent on the resources.  Speaking of that, children and students still need to learn how to write (cursive).  I am a strong believer in this and I will be sure to teach my students how to write, and not just their names.  I really enjoyed having this class because it did teach me a lot, and I plan to use a lot of it whne I do become a teacher.