Todays Classroom

Today's typical classroom might include students whose first language is not English, students who are not reading at grade level, students with behaviorally , motivationally, or attentional problems,and students from various culture backgrounds. Because of all this diversity you have to be prepared for everything.

Teaching gifted students

Working with behaviorally and emotionally challenged students

Teaching cross culturally

XO Laptop

What would the laptop "give" and what would it "take away" to this world?

As far as I could tell from the laptops they looked very kid friendly. They just had the features on there that you would need as a child. There were games and a program where you could write and a connection to google where you could search the web. I can see where people would jump all over this idea as a great way to bring technology and education to all the illiterate children of the world. It would give them access to learn so much more than they know already. It would teach them how to use a computer which is something we consider such a necessity in our culture today. It would also open their eyes to all that they have been missing. This could be good, they could make up for lost time, who knows what brilliant minds are there just waiting for the chance to explore. This could also be bad because they are so far behind. They would have a long way to go before even coming close to knowing all that we have here with technology. It would take away their innocence. It could take away family time. It could drive people apart. It would put a rift between generations.















Do you think the idea of one laptop per child is a good idea? What assumptions does it hold?

I am really torn about this issue. As an aspiring teacher I can see where something like this would be so useful in teaching in a classroom. Children would be learning essential computer skills; it would be easier to teach them a new language with pictures or words. They can explore and express themselves through pictures or drawings. It sounds so good and loose so good on paper but you also have to take into consideration what it will do to those countries. Just look at what technology has done to our country. It has made us all greedy and now we can never have enough. We think that they will all just be overjoyed to have this one little piece but who are we to say that they have to stop at that. What is they want newer and better technology when it comes out. We will be turning the whole world into the selfish and demanding country that we find ourselves in today.

5 ways technology is used in the classroom

A cognitive tool
It is used to help teach the students whatever content area you are currently covering. This could be power point slides, a research paper where you need the internet, interactive learning games, etc.





Communication.
In high school and college it can be used for communication with your students or other teachers and staff. In elementary school it can be very useful to contact the parents.







management tools
Teachers use computers for grades and report cards. They submit grades to the principle and board all through the computer. It is a very important part of the way that classrooms work.






An evaluation tool
It is used for almost all standardized tests these days from reading to writing to math. Even in a kindergarten classroom children take the federally mandated tests on computers.






A motivational tool.
It can be used as a reward for students. The reward is 10 minutes of choice time on the computer or with your favorite game. Interaction with this type of technology is what children want these days and so it works as a great motivator.

My Class

There are 24 students in my class. There are a range of different cultural backgrounds. I would say that there are probably more white students than any other ethnicity but there are many other races and cultures represented. The first day I was there I was wondering how I was ever going to survive. These first graders were worse than I imagined first graders would be. They had zero attention span and got nothing accomplished and it was just crazy. The next day I went to school they were going o a field trip so once again the kids were a little anxious to be getting out of there and it wasn’t a normal day. Now that I have been going for a few weeks things have gotten much much better. They do such a great job of listening to their teacher. Sure there are those kids that don’t but my teacher does a very good job of handling those situations. However first graders are first graders, they get distracted easily and like to get up and walk around while they are supposed to be doing other things. This is just part of bring a first grader, you are very explorative and inquisitive.

Personal Reflection

My first time in the classroom




My first time in the classroom was when there was a sub there. That changed the feel of the classroom a lot. The kids knew that they could get away with more and so they did. The actual classroom was really nice. The desks are set up in rows facing each other. They switch them around maybe once a moth or so. There are all sorts of things you can do. Cabinets and shelves filled with the typical “teacher supplies”. There are multiple bulletin boards. One is for the star student of the week, one is for their centers. There are about 5 different color coded groups, each day the different groups all have a different center. Another bulletin board is for lunch count and attendance. Another is for artwork that the class does. Right now there are a whole bunch of Rainbow fish up there that the kids made. One up by the front of the class is for calendar time.
There is a table over by the teacher’s desk where she does center time with the kids. There is a table in the back corner where I work with them o crafts of play games. Then there is another table where parents will sit and work with the kids if they come in to help. Along one whole wall there are baskets of books labeled A through Z. Each kid is at a different letter or level and that is the basket they are supposed to read out of.

Startling Statistics

Technology in the home has increased exponentially in the past few decades. This effects not only home lift relationships, education, work, religion and every are of life. With children's minds being stimulated in this way at home, it determines what their minds are going to be expecting in the classroom and what will actually be enough to grab their attention. Here are some statistics I found on this topic.


Playstation or Playground?



parents choice foundation

Children, TV, Computers and More Media: New Research Shows Pluses, Minuses

"Children use computers at very young ages – 21 percent of children 2 years and younger, 58 percent of 3- to 4-year-olds, and 77 percent of 5- to 6-year-olds, in a study led by Calvert and funded by NSF and the Kaiser Foundation. According to their parents, children began to use computers on their parents’ laps at about 2-and-a-half years and independently at about 3-and-a-half years."

national science foundation

Smart Boards

Smart Boards are interactive white boards. The first of its kind was created in 1991 but did not gain popularity or stability until recently. It is now used in may classrooms from kindergarten to collegiate level.





Here is a link to the SMART technology website where you can find a short tutorial on the smart board.






The Smart board can be hung from the wall or kept on a stand, ready to wheel to where ever it is needed. It is all controlled by touch, this makes is easy for use even at the lower elementary level. It comes with many special programs and software to make it really east to do projects and assignments that work well with the smart board.





The use of the smart board as well as an other technological device in a classroom changes the dynamics greatly. It teaches children to relay more greatly on technology and has them get accustomed to it as part of daily life. It also provides benefits by having many more options and opportunities for teaching.

Multiple Intelegences

I took a test at this link to find out what intelligence I display. I thought it was really interesting so I wanted to post it on my blog.

test

In my test I came out very close in a lot of different answers. My highest score was Interpersonal, followed closely by intrapersonal and visual/spatial. The visual score I was expecting to receive. I learn much better when I can see a picture or think about it in my head. I like to lay things out in front of me so I can visually see them and arrange them. I love to do crafts and to scrapbook. It is a way for me to create something with my hands. I also think that I do have tendencies towards intra and interpersonal relations. These are areas that I would never have really thought about as intelligences let alone intelligences that I possess. I think that I got my sense of awareness for both myself and others from my mother. She is a counselor and was always very keen on making sure that my sister and I knew who we were and where we stood and to make sure that we would not let others sway us. I grew up probably being the bossy kid because of this but in recent years it has taken a different turn. Because I know who I am as a person I am then able to step back and look at others and see where they are coming from and try to understand their emotions and thoughts. This is really a gift. It is an intelligence. It is not something that everyone has. I probably would have thought everyone has the same intelligences as I, up until recently.

more on multiple intellegences

Here is a clip from Howard Gardner himself explaining how he came up with the idea of multiple intelligences and why it was so revolutionary.

Multiple Intelegences

Howard Gardner is a man who has had a great impact in many fields, one of which is education. he is the man who came up with the idea of multiple intelligences. These are different ways that people learn better. He started off with seven but now there are nine.

The image below gives an illustration of eight of the nine types of intelligences described by Gardner. They are all very important to understand and consider when working in a classroom. You need to remember that children have different learning styles and may need to be taught in different ways. It is important to include many teaching styles when working with children.






1. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”)


2. Musical Intelligence (“Musical Smart”)


3. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Number/Reasoning Smart)


4. Existential Intelligence


5. Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart”)


6. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”)


7. Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)


8. Intra-personal Intelligence (Self Smart”)


9. Spatial Intelligence (“Picture Smart”)

Computers in the Classroom

I thought our discussion this week would fit very well in with my blog. We were discussing the use of computers and technology in the early childhood classroom. All the assumptions that we make that is is all just dandy and all for the betterment of the students when really we have to be careful and take a step back and look at the risks as well.

The article we looked at from Alliance for Childhood gave this list of risks.

Physical Hazards
• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Visual strain and myopia
• Obesity and other complications of a sedentary lifestyle
• Possible side effects from toxic emissions and electromagnetic radiation
Emotional and Social Hazards
• Social isolation
• Weakened bonds with teachers
• Lack of self-discipline and self-motivation
• Emotional detachment from community
• Commercial exploitation
Intellectual Hazards
• Lack of creativity
• Stunted imaginations
• Impoverished language and literacy skills
• Poor concentration, attention deficits
• Too little patience for the hard work of learning
• Plagiarism
• Distraction from meaning
Moral Hazards
• Exposure to online violence, pornography, bigotry, and other inappropriate material
• Emphasis on information devoid of ethical and moral context
• Lack of purpose and irresponsibility in seeking and applying knowledge

Standards

In Minnesota there are 10 Standards for teaching.

Standard 1, Subject Matter.

Standard 2, Student Learning.

Standard 3, Diverse Learners.

Standard 4, Instructional Strategies.

Standard 5, Learning Environment.

Standard 6, Communication.

Standard 7, Planning Instruction.

Standard 8, Assessment.

Standard 9, Reflection and Professional Development.

Standard 10, Collaboration, Ethics, and Relationships.



























To lean more about these standards you can go to the following links.

Educational Diversity

Being in a class of all first graders does not mean that you are going to be in a classroom of students who are all at the same level academically. Even if you are in a classroom with no children who are special education or with English language learners there would still be a huge spread of learning capabilities. Then if you throw into the picture that there are students with learning disabilities or with the handicap of not speaking English as their first language you can see how quickly you get a classroom with a huge range of understanding. This gap between students can sometimes be hard to deal with. You have to chose if you teach towards the higher end or towards the lower end. If you teach in the middle some will be bored while others will fall behind. If you split the class into "groups" you run the risk of the children realizing who the "smart people" are and who the "less smart people" are. This is not what kids want to be feeling in elementary school.

This movie is one found on You Tube that shows a new resource available for teaching students with autism. It talks about how those types of students learn very well visually and this provides pictures to learn from.






The website Reach Every Child has resources for teaching children with ADD or teaching English language learners or teaching students with learning disabilities. Whether you are a regular elementary education teacher or a special education teach you will most likely come across cases such as these so it is good to be prepared.

Racial diversity in the classroom

While teaching you have to remember that not all children are the same or come from the same backgrounds. In Minnesota the five largest minority groups that you would come across are:


African American











Hmong

















Somali





















Hispanic

















Native American



















Here are some organizations out there trying to help with education in diverse settings.

Educational Diversity Project

Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence

No Child Left Behind

No child left behind (NCLB)is a number of federal programs aimed at improving the progress in our elementary and secondary schools. It has to be updated every few years and usually gets changed slightly with whoever is in power at the time. The goal right now is to meet adequate yearly progress or (AYP). The expectations for tis goes up every year until schools are eventually expected to meet 100%.These are the requirements for the state of Minnesota.




NCLB Making a Difference in Minnesota




Recently we were asked to talk to a teacher about what their thoughts were on no child left behind. Here is what my teacher had to say.

“It is good in some ways. It is good to have standards. It is good to keep track of students. It is good to have a goal and no child left behind does this. The only thins is that the goal is unattainable. You will never be able to reach 100%. Right now it is fine when you are expected to reach 60% or 75% but once they are expecting you to have 100% in however many years, that is just simply impossible. I just hope that they don’t follow through with all the punishments that they had originally proposed when t comes time to not meeting that percentile. Schools have their own standards too. These help with keeping track of students progress too. In the end these things kind of come and go with every new politician so I never worry about them too much myself.”

What makes a good classroom

A good classroom set up should be educational and fun at the same time. Make sure there are colorful posters and boards around the room to engage students attention but not so much that it is distracting.




A good classroom should also contain many resources. Recourses for the students and the teacher. There are also many different ways you can lay out your room. Different layouts may work for different classes depending on the personalities you have. You just have to make sure that the children can all focus easily without being distracted by others.



My first time in the classroom I felt very comfortable. The classroom was really nice. It was fairly large, larger than any classrooms I had in elementary school. The desks are set up in rows facing each other. They switch them around maybe once a moth or so. There are all sorts of things you can do. Cabinets and shelves filled with the typical “teacher supplies”. There are multiple bulletin boards. One is for the star student of the week, one is for their centers. There are about 5 different color coded groups, each day the different groups all have a different center. Another bulletin board is for lunch count and attendance. Another is for artwork that the class does. Right now there are a whole bunch of Rainbow fish up there that the kids made. One up by the front of the class is for calendar time. There is a table over by the teacher’s desk where she does center time with the kids. There is a table in the back corner where I work with them o crafts of play games. Then there is another table where parents will sit and work with the kids if they come in to help. Along one whole wall there are baskets of books labeled A through Z. Each kid is at a different letter or level and that is the basket they are supposed to read out of. I really liked the spaciousness and the colorful decorations all around the room. It made it very inviting and it wasn’t too overly crowded so you couldn’t concentrate.


here is a helpful link to go to when you are trying to set up your classroom to teach to all types of learners.

My new blog

This is my new blog! I will be blogging on education. Things I learn in class things I experience in school new news articles and anything else that has to do with education today.