Blog Post #1

Dream School
Krissy Venosdale's blog post If I Built a School gives every future educator something to think about. If we got to build our own school and design it exactly how we wanted it, what would it be like? I have given a lot of thought about my future classroom but not so much my entire school. Venosdale creates her dream school how almost exactly like I would want my school to be. Venosdale mentions "colorful walls, comfy seating, nooks, and crannies where kids could collaborate, discuss, dream, and learn, a tree house in the library with fake trees that contains lights. An art room that looks more like a studio. A cafeteria that looks like a seating area at a cozy, modern coffee house and could be used throughout the day as another comfy gathering space" She created a cozy, FUN place for students to come learn. My dream school would be a place students were eager to get to every morning and sad to leave every afternoon. Not only does the environmental aspect take a huge toll, the educational system is just as important. I imagine my fellow teachers to technologically literate and for the teachers to go above and beyond expectations to meet their students needs.

Sugata Mitra
Sugata Mitra is a Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, England. In his video Sugata Mitra TED 2013 Talk, Mitra illustrates the difference between education now and the way it was. Technology has become such a great resource and way of life in education, it's becoming impossible to avoid it. I strongly believe every teacher should learn everything they can about how to incorporate technology into classrooms.

What do you want your students to know (in general terms)? Other than the basic subjects mathematics, social studies, science, and reading, I want my students to know the importance of writing because it's so often being taken out of the classroom lessons, and also the importance of technology.

What do you want your students to be able to do (in general terms) I would love to learn more about Project Based Learning during my last year at South and would want my students to be successful in this type of learning. I love the idea of working in groups and holding students accountable for their work and participation so I would like for my students to be able to work in groups throughout majority of the year. I will also obviously have a SmartBoard in my classroom. I would like to teach second or third grade so I would need to make sure my students can work the board efficiently.

What will be your primary way of teaching your students what you want them to know and to do? Like I stated before, I would like to learn more about the Project Based Learning and hope to incorporate that type of learning into my classroom. Like every new teacher my philosophy or teaching methods is still something I am learning about and exploring.

What tools will you use in your classroom? I can NOT wait to get my classroom with a SmartBoard in it. The things it can do is endless and I know my students will love it. I would also like to have iPads and laptops. I love how Dr. Strange sets us up with other classrooms to share experiences and see how things are done all over the country and even world.

What role will students play in your classroom, i.e. how will they participate in the learning process? I want my students to be hands-on and ready to learn. Of course I don't live in a dream world and know that every student will not be eager, so as a teacher I need to make them. Having the student held responsible for some of the teaching will make them participate more. I think that's the way Project Based Learning works in a way and I like that idea.