My 21st Century Classroom

*Pictured above is my model of what I would like my 21st Century Classroom to look like. I used SmartDesks design tool to design the room and then transferred the design to Photoshop to add the arrows and labels. 

As the world continues to explore and create new forms of technology it is becoming extremely important that as teachers, and future teachers, that we have a knowledge of the ways and uses of the technology available to us, as well as ways to incorporate it into our classrooms. In my future 21st century classroom I want to make sure that the latest technology is readily available to my students and that it opens new doors for them in learning. Dr. Gilbert Valdez writes in his study, Critical Issue: Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom argues that while the use of technology in schools is a much debated still, that the incorporation of it in classrooms can help both teachers and students be more successful. While technology will continue to change and expand the fundamental basics should be and will be present in my ideal classroom. I believe that the students should have collaboration stations with MacBooks for each one of them to work on. These stations will allow the students to work together on projects collectively using media like iMovie, Garageband, Google Drive, ect. With access to laptops and the internet the students are able to collaborate and work together essentially at all times if need be.

The reason I choose MacBooks as the computer of choice for my future students to use is the user friendliness they have, which makes it easier for students of all technological skills, and has software that enables students with eyesight and hearing problems successfully use these computers.  Having laptops in the classroom ready for the students to use also helps them learn how to not only use the computers, but also how to use them to analyze problems, be creative, and explore all the other uses they can be used for; computers also aid in what is known as "real learning." According to a study conducted by "Macs vs PCs," schools that use Macs rather than PCs seem to score higher than the state average when it comes to ITBS Composite scores. In addition to the computer stations, I want to have HD TVs and a bluray player in classroom. While this may not seem as the most important piece of technology to have in a classroom I know from personal experience how difficult it is too see what is being shown on the TV when you have poor eyesight. That is why I want to have have enough TVs in places where each and every

student can clearly see what is happening.  If students cannot see clearly what is being shown without struggling they are more likely to not care and not pay attention, but by placing enough TVs in spots where no student will struggle to see you take that problem for the most part. In addition, I imagine my 21st century classroom having a projector mounted to the ceiling and a projection screen that comes down also from the ceiling so it is out of the way when not being used. While ideally I would like the projection screen also had the same capabilities as a the interactive whiteboard known as the SmartBoard, the technology for that is nonexistent at the time. SmartBoards and other interactive whiteboards are a great tool for the classroom, especially when teaching elementary students, however in high school classrooms they are not quite as necessary in my opinion. Still, they have their advantages and allow for new lessons and ways to teach things to better engage students actively in lessons. Interactive whiteboards, like the Promethean, place a new emphasis on both student and teacher expanding their proficiency in technology, a win for both the student and teacher, as stated in an article by Annie Teich. The Promethean website offers many videos to watch about case studies and research they have done on the benefits of these interactive whiteboards. All of this technology available in classrooms is important because it allows the students to become a part of collaborative groups and a connected learning community not just in the classroom and school but potentially anywhere in the world.
When incorporating technology greatly in a classroom its not only important to continuously teach students about it, but also to continuously keep yourself up to date with all the new technology available to educators and the new methods of incorporating it into lessons in the classroom . In order to be effective as a teacher your entire career its important to be willing to adopt or alter your pedagogical beliefs and methods, especially when it comes to technology. With technology changing rapidly its I feel that I as a future teacher need to make sure that I continue to grow as both an educator and as a learner. Ways that I can continue to expand my personal learning network could be through communicating with other educators through Twitter, Skype  or education forums. Teacher Created Resources talks about a conference called "CUE: Compute Using Educators" that is known for discussing the latest technology that can be incorporated in the classroom, the CUE conference is full of workshops and speakers that are there to help teachers become more knowledgeable in the technology that can be used in their lessons.


All in all it is becoming more and more important that teachers and schools be open to the 21st century classroom, learner, and teacher because these are the things that will make a difference in the future. Without embracing technology your are hindering the potential success a student can reach  and its our job as teachers to be willing to learn new ways to use technology so we can better prepare our students to reach their full potential in a society that runs off of technology.