My 21st Century Classroom

1.Welcome:

*Helllo my name is Alana McGrath. I am a student at Edinboro University. I have set high standards for myself in all that I do in life, and the top one has to be setting high standards for myself in school. Someday i want to become a teacher, more towards the special education end of the teaching spectrum. Without my parents and my special education teachers that pushed me and supported me to strive to the best that i can while in school, i wouldn't be where I am today. Below is my this i believe video. I hope you enjoy. 
* video: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qqRc3SIV1w 
*its not the best, but still enjoy* 

* Since wanting to become a teacher, I know that Early Childhood/Special Education degree is tough. So i know that it may take me longer to get all of my credits completed. However my plans after school are eventually finding a job in a public school, close to home within the school district that I went to: Pine-Richland School District or another school district close by. There may be difficulties though because the field is so competitive, so looking for a teaching job in other states are my back up plan. 
2.My Classroom: 
*As i stated before I would like to someday teaching in the Pine-Richland School district. Either at Hance Elementary or Richland Elementary. I believe that either of these schools would be ideal for me. 
*There is some diversity in ethnicity in these schools but not a lot. However, since i want to do the special education end of the teaching spectrum, this school district is well known for its special education program. I had some of the best special education teachers that really pushed me to succeed to the best of my ability while attending school in the Pine-Richland School District.  
*The classrooms as a whole, are full of inclusion for the special needs students. Most students are mainstreamed in the classroom, so they are with their peers for almost the whole day, until they are pulled out of the classroom to work one on one with the special education teachers. It is probably the most effective way of teaching for students with special needs so they can still have peer interactions. Both Hance and Richland Elementary Schools go above and beyond to accommodate all students. 
Classroom Setting: 

* here is a picture of what my classroom would look like. I would have 4 students per table. I have seen similar classrooms set up like the classroom set up i have shown you. 
*my graphic classroom representation justifies classroom organization for both students and parents because it is set up in a manner, where both the students and parents can maneuver around the classroom. The space is wide enough so that children in wheelchairs can easily be accepted in the classroom. Also the students and parents will be able to find everything, because i will label everything in the classroom to make a better organized classroom. 
Integration with technology in the classroom: 
The first technology that I would integrate into my classroom would be the smart board. This form of technology will help with connecting the students and teacher inside the classroom.  Another form of technology that can and will definitely be integrated in the classroom that publishes the works of the students and myself,is Google documents. One useful technology that would help connect the students and teacher outside the classroom is the use of email so families and students can get in touch me after the school hours are done. another integration of technology i would use that connects the classroom and the students with experts from around the world is Youtube. students can get many ideas from Youtube tutorials, and share what they learned with their peers and myself as a teacher. The last form of technology i would integrate in the classroom is Google Drive. This allows collaboration with others to create and share knowledge. 

here are a few links to support my ideas: 
* http://www.joetech.com/smart-boards-could-revolutionize-the-classroom/

* http://edudemic.com/2011/09/youtube-in-classroom/

* http://www.thethinkingstick.com/the-classroom-newspaper-google-docs-style/

3. Assisted Technology: 

This is Amanda. She is your normal every day average student. However she has a low tone hearing loss and a learning disability. I as Amanda's 3rd grade teacher, will let Amanda use books on audio format, reword her math problems for her, as well as use a audio amplifier microphone system in the classroom so that she can hear well, students are presenting to their peers or whenever i am teaching the students myself. I will monitor her progress and make sure i let her special education students know how she is doing. Check out this article that can help you learn more about how audio books help students with hearing disabilities. 

4. Feedback Form: 

5. Works Cited: 
* http://www.joetech.com/smart-boards-could-revolutionize-the-classroom/
* http://edudemic.com/2011/09/youtube-in-classroom/
* author not listed.  http://www.thethinkingstick.com/the-classroom-newspaper-google-docs-style/
* Johnson, Denise. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/64/
6. Self Reflection: 

From day one of this class, we were told to be a risk taker. I believe that i did that so much this semester, not only in this technology class but in my other classes as well. I am now learning to advocate for myself. When needing help with outside resources, outside the learning experience this semester such as going to tutoring for an example i went and got the help i needed to. This is a huge risk for being a future teacher, I need to learn how to advocate for myself each and every day until i teach and then until i retire from teaching. Not everyone is going to be around for me, so i have to learn to become independent as well. My learning experience so far has taught me to become more independent on myself. I will take everything i learned from this class and my other classes this semester and apply them to next few years of my education as well as when i start teaching.