My 21st Century Classroom

Welcome to class everyone! Lets make it a great year!

Hello,

            My name is Kevin Guardino and I am a student from Edinboro University. I am studying Early Childhood and Special Education and this is the middle of my second year in college. Since my major requires so many qualifications that we must pass, becoming a certified teacher may take me a little longer than I have expected. When coming to Edinboro, it was hard for me to get used to the area right away because I am originally from the city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. However, I do have plans to move up closer to school this upcoming summer.

The school I went to was called Fox Chapel Area School district. It was a wealthy area and the district has been given the Blue Ribbon award. When I was going through my schooling, I have always wanted to become a teacher and I strived to understand how a teacher did their job so well. When volunteering to be a camp counselor, I realized working with younger children was something that appealed to me the most. When entering into college, I was not sure what to expect when going through my education courses. However, since being here I have learned to juggle different tasks and how to become the best professional I could be.

When leaving Edinboro University, I would like to find myself working in a school district just like my old one or even within that same district. At this point in my education, I understand the policies and daily routines, realizing we did this for a purpose. I now know the reason for that award was because the teachers are highly qualified and skilled within their subjects. I understand through my journey to becoming a fully certified teacher that I will always have to be a learner. Because of how fast the educational system is developing and changing, teachers will have to become the literal definition of being a life long learner. We will be ever changing in how we think, act, and how our classrooms will be run. Eventually I would like to reach my ultimate dream in becoming a superintendent of a school district.

Through this post of My 21^st Century classroom, you will get the chance to hear and see the way I feel about different aspects of education. There are a lot of things a person does not get to see from another and I hope through the “This I Believe” video that is posted below, you will get a chance to understand why I am the person I am today. I also hope you get a chance to see part of the reason why I want to become an educator.

At the end of this post, there will be a survey. Please take a moment to complete it for me and let me know your thoughts.

Thank you,

Kevin Guardino

This I Believe:

My Classroom:

Setting

As I have mentioned, I would eventually like to work in a suburban school district like the one I have attended in Pittsburgh. When entering these schools within the district, it felt like walking into a different world. The buildings were built many years ago but there have been many updates within. There has been a lot of technology and new tools incorporated to help with the education of students. Not only is there new technology and tools to help teachers and students, based off of Public Schools K12 for the elementary school named Kerr within the Fox Chapel area, the student-to-teacher ratio is about 9 students to 1 teacher. Based off the county ratio, which is 13 students to 1 teacher, I would like my classroom to be close to a size like these ratios. My main goal when becoming a teacher is to help every student grow and develop to their full potential and by having a small classroom, it makes it easier to manage and it also allows me to work in depth with the students. Based off the information for this school, each grade level has about 70-85 students enrolled per grade level and there are roughly 50 teachers within the building. This school is in a district where there is a lot of wealth but at this specific building there are close to 200 students (about 40%) that are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

 

The demographics of the school are fairly diverse. About 85% are White, 10% are Black, 3% are Asian, 2% are Hispanic, and -1% is other. Here is a graphical display that shows how the school population is made up. When I have my classroom, I would like to work with all students. For example, I would like to have students with disabilities, different races/ethnicities, and different cultures so every one has the ability to learn.

Within this school, there is a special needs aid that I know personally. On a professional level, she has explained to me how some of the resource rooms are run. Some of the things she explained were some some of the activities they did, how her schedule worked with a specific student, and what they have to do with students that have a sever disability. With certain children, they still follow the pullout method. However, many of the teachers are trying to push towards keeping special needs children within their general education classroom with their peers. With the rise of students with special needs, there have been many accommodations that have been made to make these children feel comfortable, to have a prepared environment, and to be pushed to have the chance at a good education. I have completed an observation at this school before and it seems that most students have been taught to become independent. It was hard to tell if there were any special needs children in the classroom but after hearing what my personal contact said, I understood that they were trying to follow the push in method if it was possible.

In this rough representation of my future classroom, it is based off of classrooms I have seen, rooms I have worked in, and what I believe is required to keep control of the class. The reason it is set up this way is because a teacher always must know what is happening within the room. I have the teacher's desk placed perfectly so that if I or any other professional were to be sitting there, I or the other person could watch the students all around the room from that one spot. It allows for students to know that even if the teacher is not directing the class, they will always be watching. Another reason why I have it set up this way is for easy accessibility. There are students that have mobility problems and I believe this is a very spaced out room to accommodate everyone. I also like this set up because it allows for children to have a space of their own when it is needed. Working with peers is an important thing and this environment allows for that. However, the two carpet areas can be used for group discussions/readings, group projects, or it could be used as a place for a child to hangout and relax for a moment. For as much as I have seen when doing observations, it is important to young children to have the ability to sit and relax for a moment when they need it. Sometimes just feeling uncomfortable could be a reason why a child may not pay attention or cooperate. Another reason I like this setup is because of how spacious it is. I would like to keep my students' parents involved and inviting them for a small party or a get together to see their child's work throughout the year would be a good way to get parents support. This could not be possible if the room is cluttered and disorganized.

Integrations

There are many things incorporated into a classroom. Types of books, activities, tools, and even modern technology. In this modern day, humans are connected practically 100% of the time. Something that is very important is communication from school to home. However, there are also other important parts that many people do not see. Some include, but are not limited to, keeping students and teachers connected, support for publishing student work, connections between students and teachers outside of school, keeping in contact with other experts around the world, and how to collaborate and share knowledge. There are all types of ways to stay connected, but through all of these, technology can utilized to create better networks. From Edudemic there is a plethora amount of links to tools that can be used daily within the classroom.




First, keeping a good connection between a student and an adult is hard. A teacher is a person these students should look up to and having good contact between the two will strengthen the bond. One way that I believe students and teachers can stay connected in the classroom is the use of computers. As stated from a scholarly article, students and teachers can use a database accessed through the computer to share material, "where it is available to be retrieved, linked, commented on, rated, and so forth." Through this media, teachers have the ability to see where their students are academically.



Another thing that technology can help with is the publishing of student and teacher work. As we all may know, the internet is a useful tool for sharing ideas, projects, and assignments. However, there are several ways to use technology for this within a classroom. One that instantly comes to mind is the use of a smart-board. Schools are beginning to make more use of this piece of technology and it seems to be growing in use every day. From Mrs. Blossom's Learning resource page, it provides ways to engage students in activities and it also provides links to help with any questions a user may have. This tool would be good to use during open house to display everyones' work, and who knows, parents may want to get in on the action as well!

Connecting students and teachers outside the classroom is also very important. It allows for the community to be more involved, parents are more involved, and so is the school. A way that students and teachers could stay connected could be through the display of movies, presentations, or even live shows played at the school or another local area. Using these technologies such as sound effects and lighting could help convey a message to the students and neighborhood. Not only does this give a chance to educate families from all around, but it also allows the families to walk around to see their child's work or talk to the teachers if need be. Being a community philanthropist could always help better a neighborhoods thoughts and ideals. Technology, such as a public message board, email and text messaging systems to inform others of vital information can play a big role in the community. Having a display of the children's work publicly, such as a coffee shop, an ice cream store, or a local super market, can also allow for a good connection between students and a teacher out side of the classroom.

In the past, connecting your own classroom to other experts was practically impossible. However, with the use of new technologies such as Skype and different video conferencing tools, it makes it easier to show experts what is being done within the classroom. Without the use of video cameras and microphones, sharing ideas and showing that a certain method works, couldn't be any easier. Showing how a class is run or providing online lessons to other countries is a great way to utilize these pieces of technology. As I stated before from Edudemic, many websites could be used to get assignments handed in/received to be graded. Another use of this technology to connect to experts would help the state make it easier to watch it from a far distance instead of walking into the school itself.

Finally, as we have learned in SEDU 183, there are many forms of sharing and collaborating with others. It seems that the most popular way to share ideas is through the internet. There are many different media websites that allows teachers and students to do this. Some include, but aren't limited to, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging. As we went through this class, I was not sure how well it would work with using this media of sharing information, but it actually worked out better than expected. I can see now why there are so many social sites that educators use to get ideas and to share ideas. 

Assistive technology:

Jaxson is one of my students that is in my classroom. As you can see based off this illustration that he is bound to a wheelchair and requires a lot of help throughout the day. When I came to college and started my special education classes, I did not understand how important things are such as width of walkways, the height of tables, and performing simple tasks were. After learning about many of the assistive technology within this classroom, I've realized that people who don't have a disability take it for granted. To have a classroom accessible for all students is difficult to have, but there are several technologies that can help a student that is bound to a wheelchair. According to Children Ministry, a wheel chair is a piece of equipment that allows children to feel less dependent on others. With Jaxson, he is bound to his chair so he is unable to move around without this equipment. Another piece of technology that is used often, in Jaxson's situation, is a lapboard. This allows him to have a "table top" that he can reach and not have to worry about hunching which allows his arms to rest on the table properly. There are many other technologies that are needed for him to go through his life just a little bit easier outside of the classroom. When heading home for the day, there are doors that are automatic, vehicles have special equipment that allows for him to sit safely inside and stay secure. Ramps, as simple and small as they may be, are very important as well. Even though people state that a ramp is not as important as other technologies, there are many establishments that do not have a ramp, making it even more difficult for a wheelchair bound person. With these technologies, Jaxson has the ability to play an active role in society.

Self Reflection:

When I first entered this course and saw what we needed to start doing, I was not thrilled. At first, I was not a huge fan of technology and wanted nothing to do with it. Blogs, Twitter, and any other social forum was not my forte. However, now that it is the end of the semester and I have learned how to utilize these different pieces of technology and incorporate them within my classroom. With something we have talked about in class, it is truly apparent that technology is growing faster and faster and pretty soon there will be something new out that is revolutionary to the classroom. However, for the time being, I am content with the amount of technology we have worked with in class. From learning all of this, it has taught me how to create beautiful presentations, how to communicate and share ideas, and how to keep my kids actively involved with the lessons. Missing my classes this year really took a toll on my grades, but there is still room for improvement. This is probably one of the best semesters I have ever had academically and I am proud to say how I am doing grade wise.

When becoming a teacher, I understand that I will always be learning something new. The saying, "You learn something new every day" is what I hold true to. It seems that no matter what happens on the federal or state level within education, I will need to stay a life long learner and gain as much as I can from my mistakes. I believe this is what will make me the best mentor and facilitator of education. I hope through my experiences with working with children, I have a better appreciation for life and what I do. I know that education is a very hard profession because it is ever changing and faces many challeneges, but I am up for dedicating my life to this. These education courses I took, SPED 210, ECED 120, and SEDU 183 definitely gave me a taste of what I will be doing and I have gained so much. I now know how much of a difference a properly trained teacher could be in a child's life.

One of the things that I have done this year that was very risky was working two jobs, a fraternity, and my school work. For a while I was doing great, but a couple months in, things didn't work out. I worked as a "teachers aid"at the YMCA in Girard, PA and it was the best learning experience I could have asked for. I took a pretty big risk when I decided to take on this second job. It required me to be there at 6:30AM. However, because of this experience, I learned and appreciated a lot more in my education courses. This experience of working two jobs just to keep affloat with my finances and wanting to do so well in school taught me how to really discipline myself and be responsible.

Google Form:

Works Cited

"50 Education Technology Tools Every Teacher Should Know About - Edudemic." Edudemic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://edudemic.com/2012/08/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/>. 

"Baywood Home - Main." Baywood Home - Main. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://baywood.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent>. 

"Classroom Architect." Classroom Architect. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://classroom.4teachers.org/>. 

"Kerr Elementary School." , Pittsburgh, PA. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://publicschoolsk12.com/elementary-schools/pa/allegheny-county/421007000153.html>. 

"Mrs. Blossom's Resource Area | Blossom Learning Online SMART Board Training." Mrs. Blossom's Resource Area | Blossom Learning Online SMART Board Training. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <https://www.blossomlearning.com/Resources.aspx>. 

"Special Needs: Children in Wheelchairs." Children's Ministry. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. <http://childrensministry.com/articles/special-needs-children-in-wheelchairs>.