Technology
Infused Classroom
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Today’s 21st Century
classroom looks quite a bit different from classrooms of the past or even
classrooms of 15 to 20 years ago. When I first began teaching a teacher was
lucky to have even one desktop computer in her classroom. If students were to
use a computer we went to the computer lab and loaded drill and practice games
for the students to practice their math facts or brought a short paragraph to
type into a word processing program. When a student walks into my independent
study room today they see four desktop computers in the center of the room and
a box of 10 chrome books mounted to the wall. There is an Elmo available for
use when teaching whole group lessons, two printers, and a copier.
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This next school year our site will be
launching its first online education program. That classroom will contain 15
desktop computers located around the periphery of the room. The center of the
room will contain six to eight tables with a rolling cart that will contain
another 15 laptops for students to use during instruction or group work. There
will be an Elmo in the room for use during direct instruction or student
presentations and a printer available for student and teacher use. The room
will also contain a teacher desk with a desktop computer and a storage cabinet
for supplies.
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The majority of student learning will
occur through online lessons and student instruction will occur most often in
small flexible groups based on need. Students will need to become proficient at
searching the Internet for information on topics of study. They will need to
develop skills that will allow them to evaluate and analyze information for
reliability and accuracy. For all intent and purposes they need to become
actively involved in constructing their learning, no longer can they passively
sit and listen to a teacher lecture. Students themselves will only need to come
to school once or twice a week for direct instruction and participation in PE
and extracurricular activities. Every year more of our students are turning to
online only learning academies they can access strictly from home. This blended
approach offers students an opportunity that combines the best of classroom and
online learning.
Each year we progress into the 21st
century computers and technology are playing an even bigger role in the classroom and how
instruction is delivered. No longer do we see a stack of student books on each
individual desk within a classroom. The classroom environment has changed and
will need to continue to change to meet the demands of a rapidly advancing
technological society.