EEND 681Z Artifact #1

The first artifact I chose is my ideal tech classroom design. I loved thinking about how I would redesign a classroom to be ideal for my students and their learning. It was a completely different way of thinking for me, to be able to design every aspect of a classroom rather than having to work with what I am given. I was most excited about the idea of a digital microscope, because I have my ELL students do a lot of work with describing and comparing. Seeing things up close is engaging enough that my students will be eager to use the digital microscope and discover things about the natural world. I even ordered a digital microscope for my classroom. 

With 1:1 rolling out in my district next year, this classroom design got me thinking about my shifting roles. No longer am I the giver of knowledge. Instead, I'm a facilitator who needs to be down in the trenches supporting my students as they learn. I started to get irritated with my small, crowded classroom this semester. Working on tech projects was difficult because I had to keep moving from my docking station at my desk (facing away from the students) to a kidney table in the middle of the room. There was no room to walk around, and the kids were tripping over one another. (Not particularly safe with ChromeBooks. So two weeks ago I moved all of the furniture around in my classroom and completely ditched my teacher desk. This served two purposes. First, I could move my docking station to the kidney table, allowing me to use the SmartBoard while my students are sitting next to and around me. Next, it cleared a ton of space in the room, allowing for an extra narrow table where two students can sit. Getting the deep teacher's desk out of my room also allowed me to move the big tables to the center of the room, giving me enough space to fully walk around all of the tables and conference with students. There's even room for them to sit in the front to get a good look at my SmartBoard! (Shown below with a leaf in my new digital microscope!)

I love the idea of flexible seating, and I've always had a few yoga balls in my classroom so that my wiggly students can bounce as they work. After doing this classroom redesign, however, I wanted to go further. Though I can't get the fancy furniture I chose for my "ideal" space, I put my name on a list my principal sent out for those who wanted flexible seating. I guess we got a grant and anyone can get some alternate seating choices. I'm excited to see what our options are!