Welcome to the world of tomorrow!!!!
Yes, I will admit this is a bit silly, but when teaching I believe that you must be a little silly to get the students to look at you as a person, and less as an automaton of "THE MAN".
I BELIEVE WITH A PASSION
Currently as I finish my field placement, I am looking dead ahead to finishing my Student teaching and then get a job. With some very good advice, have planned to become a substitute in the area. This will allow me to get my foot in the door, for not only the place I am currently looking at but across all the schools in the area. Currently I plan to work in as many as the schools in the area to get my name out there.
While doing this, I continue to further my education in several areas. I am currently one semester away from my teaching cert, three classes from a sociology degree, and two classes from a history degree. Suffice it to say I feel a bit of a drive to get an extra degree or two to make myself more marketable and for just plain good ole bragging rights.
My classroom
The perfect utopia classroom would be a traveling one. Going from historical place to historical place. Think along the lines of the Magic School Bus but for history. Sense this is not possible, I will be focusing my interests on a more available option. I would like to work with disadvantaged and hard knock kids. Much like my experience in Perseus House, I feel this would be a very rewarding and enjoyable, though to be honest, at times very frustrating.
Demographic information
With the wish to have a classroom much like the one that I had field training in, demographic wise I look to Erie's and Perseus House's demograhpics to be my key stone for information. I think my perfect class room would have a healthy mix of minorities and financially disadvantaged.
Minority enrollment: 60%
Financially disadvantaged: 70%
Reading proficient: 50%
Math proficient: 50%
These numbers are slightly better then the actual numbers, but I feel that even though I want to work in that area, I would not mind having a the students be a bit more advanced.
Classroom breakdown:
20 Students
14 of them minorities
10 males
10 females
4 have some form of emotional disturbance (including Meridith)
2 have disabilities
Meridith is a female student of mine who likes to sit in the back of the class. She often wears dark clothing and has been diagnosed as ODD or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. She is very bright and does work well, but she does not get along well with certain people, including myself, due to the nature of how the instructions and requests are given. She does well in class and likes to contribute, which at times can cause problems because I need others to contribute in class so I can assess their understanding.
My classroom is set up in such a way as to help students be able to work together in groups and to also be able to access the computers. This is done for several reasons and keeps things simple. No muss no fuss. The room, with the comfortable area and the set up of the rugs that will be picked out by the students, will help provide ownership of the room for the students. This is mentioned in First Year Teachers: A Guide to Setting Up Your Classroom and I completely agree with these motives. With those thoughts in mind, the tables are set up not as desks but as 4 group tables so the students, when necessary, can work with each other. I will have enough tables so the students can split apart and work on their own. There is room set up between each table so the students and I have room to move about the room. Sense the board is set up behind my desk, I will have to keep it clean and uncluttered which will be a good model for the students. The chairs will be moved as necessary for table or computer work, and as always, I can adjust this layout on the fly for what ever is needed in the lesson. I will be using my own laptop/tablet computer so having the board behind me wont be a problem as I will have the board and laptop connected (finally). The layout is set up this way so that I may monitor what is done on all of the computers, and all of the students can easily see the board and each other as well as myself. I have a bean bag and sofa for relaxing, or, as with the extra table, I can use it as a space for a problem student to get away for a few minutes. The beanbag and sofa will be a safe space. Meridith will be a regular visitor here. This set up will facilitate my students' learning and meet needs readily. I will be able to have open and wide discussion while being able to keep them all on task.
Technology in my classroom
1) Connecting inside the classroom: Smartboard, inter-connectivity of computers
2) Publishing student and teacher work locally and globally: website
3) Connect students and teachers outside the classroom: skype, website, texting
4) Connect with experts around the world: blogging, website, skype, texting
5) Collaborate with others to create and share knowledge: texting, twitter, website
Most of the technology I would and will implement in my classroom will be able to go over more then one of the categories that were required for us to us in our integration part of this assignment. Sense this is the case I will be addressing each of the things I have listed above and describing how they work with each other and accomplish the integration goal.
First is the smartboard and inter-connectivity of the computers in the classroom. These I feel are obvious to a point, but I feel they are somewhat simplified and overlooked. The smartboard has the ability to have devices that will hook up to it that will allow students to take quizzes based on questions on the smartboard. Also this will be the medium I teach the students with at times. The inter-connectivity of the computers is going to be carefully monitored but, with this, I can use it to give the students a site from my computer or a piece of information. Also, they can share their work with each other or me. This would be so much easier for those students who can not get up all the time or that cause disruptions when they get up. Also this will allow for some privacy for myself and the student.
Second will be publishing the work. I have created a website before, and though it was basic, I could do so again or allow the students to learn the skills to create and add on to it. This is simple enough to use to publish work. This will also be connected to twitter and blogs to accomplish some of the other integration. Certain places like HERE also give great support for this.
Third is the connection between the students and me outside the classroom. Skype is a great tool for this, I can type messages and have conversations with more then one student, or if needed have a video conference with the student or the parents. The link above has a video showing implementation and other uses for Skype in the classroom. Also the website already mentioned will help support this with a forum, as well as just plain texting or calling each other. I will have an extra number for my students that is just for them.
Fourth is the connection to the experts around the world. Skype again will be a great tool in this for all for all of the reasons mentioned before as well as adding other aspects like the forums on the website, or blogging, and twitter. Texting again can be used in this though I would want it very carefully monitored.
Fifth is the collaboration with others. I feel that Twitter and blogging, just like our class experience, would be great tools for this. Though I think one of the most effective technologies we can use is the website I have mentioned in almost each category. With it being so versatile and so visible, it would be great for the use of collaboration.
Technology MVP: The Website. I see so much potential and usefulness out of creating one of these for my classroom that it astounds me that I am just now starting to think of it. I will have to continue to ponder how this piece of technology will impact my classroom and how exactly I will implement it.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Meridith will benefit greatly from these technologies. With her penchant for face to face confrontation and not being able to back down in front of others, the ability to send her a silent request will go a long way with getting her to settle down and cooperate. Also with her defiance will be time spent out of the classroom whether it be to be removed from a situation with another student, or to just plain calm down, I can still have contact with her or have her be able to join into the class from a remote spot, at home or in the building elsewhere. Also since a lot of the directions and discussion will be done through an online format, there will be no one for her to get oppositional with, this will greatly facilitate less fights and more work done.
Annotated Bibliography
A great tool for desinging a classroom.
Parks, Jacqueline. "First Year Teachers: A Guide to Setting Up Your Classroom." Web log post. Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
A very well done blog that follows very closely to my own views and what has been taught to me in the classroom.
Board, A.D.A.M. Editorial. "Oppositional Defiant Disorder." Oppositional Defiant Disorder. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Nov. 0000. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
Gives the clinical definition of ODD.
"Perseus House Charter School of Excellence Overview." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
Demographic information.
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