My 21st Classroom

  Welcome

      My name is Jessica Betts. I am a student at Edinboro University, and I am currently seeking a degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. With this degree I am hoping to get a job as a Special Education Teacher for elementary grade levels. I would like to help students, who have learning disabilities, rise to their full potential and succeed in school no matter what obstacles may stand in their way.

      This video is one that I created in order to help me share my beliefs about education, my personal experiences, and my future plans as an educator. I hope you enjoy.

My Classroom

            Introduction: The school that I hope to teach at is Kirtland Elementary School. The students that will be in my classroom will range from the ages of five to ten years of age, or Kindergarten through fifth grade. Because I will most likely be working in a Special Education classroom, I will have a small number of students in my class, which is why there are so few desks in the room. Because Kirtland is a predominantly white community about 98% of my class will be white. The next three highest percentages of race include: Black or African American at 0.27%, American Indian and Alaska Native at 0.15%, and Asian at 0.39% (MDNH Inc. 2012) My class will consist of a variety of students with special needs. They will include: 1 with dyslexia and trouble crossing her midpoint, 2 with Autistic Disorder, 2 with Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder (ADHD), 1 with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and 2 with slow cognitive functioning.

Setting: This is the setup of my future 21st century classroom.

Door: The door is found at the back of the classroom so that when I am teaching the students will not get distracted by people passing, going in, or going out of the door (Levin and Nolan 134).

Computer Stations: On the right wall by the door I will have three computer working stations. These are here so that students may use them to complete homework, check up on grades and connect with the world around them.

Privacy Area: This area will be used for students who need a break from the traditional atmosphere. Many children, who have Autistic Disorder, have an overactive receptor of sensory stimuli. Because of this, it is very common for one of these children to become overwhelmed. In this case the child needs an area in which he or she has the ability of removing themselves from the situation to gain focus sans composure (Byrne 35).

Shelving: The one shelve surrounding the Privacy Area will hold supplies, such as art supplies, scissors, a stapler, a pencil sharpener, a three hole punch, paper, and activities. It is important to have student supplies out in the open so that students are able to walk up and grab the items that they need, instead of depending on the teacher to supply everything (Everston 2012).  The other shelf will hold each child’s books and individual supplies. It is important to have a place for students to place their personal belongings because it makes them feel a sense of ownership or inclusion in the classroom (Levin and Nolan 134). Along with that, it avoids creating hazards. When children leave their belongings on the floor, it could run the risk of creating a fire hazard (Storing Student Belongings 2012). The shelf across the room by my desk will have another set of supplies. This is so that the children on the other side of the room do not have to cause a distraction by walking across the room to get supplies (Levin and Nolan 134).

Beanbag Chair: I will have a beanbag chair available in the area for a student to either use when he or she is using the area, or if a student would like to pull it out to use. A beanbag chair can be used often by students with ADHD. Sometimes alternate seating arrangements help the child to stay more focused on their work because it allows a different atmosphere and feel (Schilling 2012).

Smart Board: Further along the wall, there will be a smart board. I will use it for student interaction, to explain the daily routine, and presenting short lessons.

Desks: I will have the student desks together in groups of four. This placement of the desks allows for a chance to do group work. This is important inside a classroom because it teaches children how to collaborate, which can also change the traditional classroom setting into a community (Levin and Nolan 134).

Storage: One storage cabinet will be used for extra supplies. The other cabinet will be used to store iPads, available for student use.

Integrations:

            Smart Board: The smart board is a very helpful tool to allow teachers to interact with students while giving lessons. I will use this tool to allow my students to do math problems, and reading and writing activities on the board. This will turn my classroom into a student-guided approach rather than a teacher guided one.

            A Blog: I will have a classroom blog. On this blog I will post student daily activities. In order to include parents in the classroom. I will post new updates every week. They will include: what we worked on, upcoming events, contact information, helpful websites and plans for the next week.

            Computers: I will have at least three computer stations at the back of the classroom. They will be available for students to use in order to complete homework assignments. Also it will be used for the students to go onto my blog and complete some of daily activities

            Student Page: I will also have a student page connected to my blog. This page will allow my students to post about understandings, concerns, and activities outside of the school environment. This will not only help me connect with me students, but it will also give the students a chance to connect with me.

            iPads: In my ideal classroom I hope to have iPads available for student use. These devices are great for student use because of the large variety of downloadable apps for them. In order to help my students strengthen their weaker skills, connect with each other, and connect with the world around them these will be very useful tools.

Assistive Technology

I have a student named Lucia. She has Dyslexia, which is a disorder that prevents her from telling the difference between some letters and numbers. This makes it very difficult for her to read and write, which causes her a great deal of frustration. Because of this she often times chooses not to do the reading or writing assignments, and because they take so much effort and concentration just to get a small portion of them done. As well as not completing tests and quizzes because of the long time it takes her to get through the test.

Lucia needs Assistive technologies in order to help her complete these tasks. 

In order for Lucia to succeed in my class these are several technologies to help her with the different aspects she is struggling in.

·         Dragonfly Naturally Speaking= A program on the computer that allows the student to say what he/ she wants to type, and the program types it out for him/her into a word document.

·         A program on the iPad that reads along with her.(VoiceOver on the iPad repeats every word or letter that she clicks back to her)

o   Dragon Dictation= allows the student to speak and the program writes down what the child is saying.

o   Note2Self Audio Recorder= it allows the child to make notes to him or herself by speaking into the device. After the child is done he or she has the ability to save her note or email it to her.

o   Audiobooks is a program that is available for free or for 0.99 cents. It is basically the same thing as the books on CD it offers 3,535 different recorded books for the child

o   OCR is a program that is free and allows the student to take a picture of something and then the program will read the words on the picture out loud. This avoids making the student download or finding everything that needs to be read on the iPad.

o   Type-O is a program that allows the child to practice her typing and uses a large amount of word recognition technology to decipher what the child is trying to say even though she might have a very difficult time with spelling (Hubbortz 2012).

Self-Reflection

 Since I began my education at Edinboro University, I have grown both in my education about teaching, and my philosophies. Before I began studying Early Childhood and Special Education, I thought that there was only one way to teach children inside the classroom. However, as I have discovered, there are many ways to differentiate instruction so that every child is learning and succeeding in school. In my Tech for Teach and Learning My instructor has taught me that there are a variety of different technologies that can be used in order to promote success and understanding.   Some include: Flipped Learning, Professional Blogs, Prezi.com, iPads, and so much more. When I become a teacher I hope to incorporate many of the technologies discussed and continue researching and discovering new ways to assist my students in working to their full potentials. 

Annotated Bibliography

Area Connect. MDNH Inc., 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://kirtland.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm>.

Byrne. Philosophical and Ethical Problems in Mental Handicap. New York: St. Martins Press, LCC, 2000. Print.

Classroom for Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://classroom.4teachers.org/FloorPlanR.swf>.

Evertson, Carolyn, Edmund Emmer, and Murray Worsham. "Organizing Your Classroom and Supplies." Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc., 2006. N. pag. University of Northearn Colorado. Greeley, CO, 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://www.unco.edu/teach/crm.html#I. Organizing your Classroom and Supplies>.

Hupportz, Karen. "Assistive Technology for Dyslexic Students & Adults." The International Dyslexia Association. The International Dyslexia Association, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.idaga.org/Downloads/AssistiveTechnologyForDyslexicStudents.pdf>.

Levin, James, and James Nolan. "Structuring the Environment." Principles of Classroom Managment A Professional Decision-Making Model. Ed. Lauren Carlson. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc., 2010. 132-35. Print.

Schilling, Denise. "Alternative Seating Devices for Children With ADHD: Effects on Classroom Behavior." Pediatric Physical Therapy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., 2006. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://journals.lww.com/pedpt/Fulltext/2006/01810/Alternative_Seating_Devices_for_Children_With.23.aspx>.

"STORING STUDENT BELONGINGS: classroom Management Series." Clutter Free Classroom Saving Teachers Time and Money. N.p., 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/08/storing-student-belongings-classroom.html>.