My 21st Century Classroom

WELCOME!

Hello, and welcome to Ms. Dubik's 21st Century Classroom! A wonderful place to get excited about learning! And when it comes to learning, there is no better time than the present, so let's get started! Please take a few moments to find out a little more about me by watching the video below...

 

This coming spring will be my last semester of classes before I start field and student teaching. I am really looking forward to being in the classroom next year and have even started to consider doing my student teaching abroad. But for now, let's focus on the classroom, and what my 21st Century Classroom might look like...


My Classroom 

I am really open-minded about where life will take me after graduation. I consider myself to be quite adventurous, and look forward the variety of opportunities that await me. Ideally, I would like to stay in the Great Lakes Area. I enjoy being close to family, and I wouldn't mind at all if I were to get a teaching position here in Erie, at Fairview Middle School. 

Fairview Middle School is located less than 20 miles from where I grew up in Erie. The building itself features an industrial technology suite, a high-tech lab, and an automated media center, amongst many other educational resources, including an outdoor learning trail as part of the science department! Students at Fairview Middle School also have plenty of opportunities to participate in extracurricular athletics and activities, academic competitions, and enrichment programs. 

As you can see, Fairview Middle School has a lot to offer not only it's students, but it's faculty, staff, and community as well. Personally, the only drawback I see with Fairview Middle School is the lack of diversity. The student body is made up of roughly 580 adolescents, and is 95% caucasian. The school itself has a very skilled Learning Support staff, but I was unable to find what percentage of the student body is made up of learners with special needs. My classroom, in and of itself, would consist of about 15 students, most likely all caucasian, from economically stable families, with the possibility of a small percentage having special needs.

If you would like to learn more about Fairview Middle School, or the Fairview School District, please click on the links provided.

After gathering some needed information, and using my own imagination, I created a graphic representation of what my classroom might look like at Fairview Middle School.

My classroom will be very welcoming, open, and organized. It is of the utmost importance to me that each and every one of my students feels comfortable in the learning environment I have created for them. It is also imperative that all of the resources within my classroom are easily accessible to each and every student. I know it may seem unnatural, but for all intents and purposes, let's look at the classroom from right to left. First, we will enter through the door (represented by the slim gray rectangle on the far right). 

Ahh, now we have entered the wondrous learning environment that is Ms. Dubik's classroom! Pause, take a deep breath, look around, isn't it fantastic! I bet you're so excited to learn you can't contain yourself! Moving on, to your left and right (pink rectangles) are the classroom computers, four iMac's to be exact, full of a variety of current, academically stimulating programs, that connect my students and I to a world of learning outside of the classroom. The students also have Internet access through these computers, which brings a wealth of knowledge from experts around the world directly into my classroom! 

Okay, now let's step in a bit further, towards the round tables where my students exercise their brains. There are five tables, four chairs at each table, enough room for 20 students. Take a seat if you'd like, enjoy the view. On either of the side walls is a SmartBoard (faintly represented in a lighter gray). Having a SmartBoard on either side of the classroom really helps me deliver my lessons to each and every student, regardless of where they are sitting. This technological aspect ensures that my students and I have a strong connection within the classroom, and that my lessons are active and engaging. 

Have you noticed my art collection? I don't know how you could have missed it! I bet you are looking now. These pieces are very rare, made by only the most talented young minds Fairview has to offer. I have used magnets to hang student work on the white boards that surround the room. From posters to poetry, my students certainly are creative. And I have hung some work of my own too, if you count the word wall, and the map behind my desk. Oh, and maybe a few photos from my personal adventures that I made in to inspirational posters!

And that brings us to the left side of the graphic, where you will find my desk in the center, a window on either side, and a bookshelf below each window. I have gathered quite a collection of books over the years. They are something I could never bring myself to get rid of despite my travel, and now they have found a perfect place to call home. A wide array of diverse texts spanning an assortment of topics at various reading levels, I hope to encourage my students to read in and out of the classroom. I have a personal computer at my desk that I use to keep our class blog up to date, which is a great way to create and share knowledge with others.

I hope you have enjoyed your time here in my classroom. Feel free to stay awhile. Sit and read a book by the window. Walk around and admire the art. Explore our class blog on one of the computers. Or kindly push in your seat and quietly shuffle out the door. Thank you so much for coming! Have a wonderful day!

Assistive Technology

Today, many students have special needs in the classroom. There is a wide variety of reasons for using assistive technology in the classroom. Some students may have physical limitations, others may be struggling because of a learning disability. But having a special need doesn't necessarily mean that a student is deficient in a cognitive, physical, or emotional area. It could mean that a student has exceptional cognitive abilities and is more than capable of performing at a higher level. These students are often referred to as gifted, and it is entirely possibly for a student to be gifted and have a learning disability. Such students are known as twice exceptional. 

Eric Springsteen is a very gifted student. He performs at a high level in all of his classes, especially math and science. His parents are very supportive of his abilities, and he is provided with a wealth of resources at home. At school Eric needs constant stimulation because he is often bored by the material being taught. Despite any boredom, Eric is always participating, and has no trouble getting his classmates actively involved in any lesson or discussion. He is incredibly helpful, and an all around joy to have in class. But some teachers worry that Eric is not being challenged enough, that his abilities aren't being utilized to their full potential, and that he is not benefiting from what the school has to offer. Please take a moment to learn a little more about Eric in his own words...

In order to better meet Eric's high level academic needs, the school can use a variety of assistive technologies. If Eric were to be attending Fairview, he could participate in various academic competitions and extracurricular activities, possibly even at a higher grade level. Within the classroom it would be most advantageous for Eric's teachers to provide higher level reading material for him to access in his free time. Eric would also benefit from having a classroom with a computer and Internet access, or even one that could provide him with his own laptop or iPad. With access to either or both of these technologies, Eric would have the ability to further investigate the topics being covered in class. A final aspect that could be considered, but may not necessarily be assistive technology, is having Eric test into a higher grade. However, although Eric is highly capable and very intellectual, physically and emotionally he may not be prepared to be around older students. Ultimately, there are many options to meet Eric's academic needs, and if the school maintains thorough communication with both Eric and his parents about those options, Eric will thrive as a student.

Feedback

Self-Reflection

I am always surprised to see how fast the semesters go by. I cannot believe that fall has ended already. It has definitely been somewhat of a journey. I have learned a lot, not only about technology in the classroom, but about myself. I have come a long way in a short amount of time, but I still feel that I have so much more to learn. So much more that I want to learn! I feel that this class has really helped change my perspective on the use of technology in the classroom. What once seemed so daunting and unnecessary, is now incredibly interesting and ABSOLUTELY necessary. I feel as though I have truly grown as a learner and developed skills that I will continue to fine tune well into the future. Once I get in the classroom, I hope that I can use technology in an active way that engages the minds of all my students. I'm sure even by then, they will have a thing or two to show me about technology. But how wonderful is that! To provide my students with opportunities to teach me! I'm already more than excited. I am proud of the risks I've taken this semester. I never in my life thought that I would create and publish a video on YouTube. But I actually, really, truly enjoyed it. I was pretty proud of the end results. And I am slightly inspired to create more videos. Maybe I will start documenting my travels on video instead of just with photos, or maybe I will make videos WITH the photos! (And some really good music). Oh! And I really want to use some of my own photos to make posters I can hang in my classroom; it would mean a lot to me to be able to add some personal touches. That will help keep my mind occupied over winter break. I am happy to have had the opportunity to take this course, and I hope to have many more opportunities to technologically educate myself in the future. I have definitely grown as a student and will continue to grow as an educator. 
Keep Loving. Keep Learning.
- Maegan 

Bibliography

1) "Fairview Middle School." - Fairview School District. Web. 13 Dec. 2012

2) "Fairview School District." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

3) "Fairview Middle School." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

4) "Fairview School District." - Erie County. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

5) "Creating a "Comfortable" Classroom Environment." Teaching Channel. Web. 13  Dec. 2012.

6) "Apple - Education - Using Mac inside and outside the Classroom." Apple - Education - Using Mac inside and outside the Classroom. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

7) BUYER, OPINION By LISE. "SmartBoard Changes Classroom." ABC News. ABC News Network, 11 Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

8) "The Importance of a Classroom Library." Edutopia. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

9) "Teaching in Room 6: Displaying Student Work." Teaching in Room 6: Displaying Student Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

10) "Giftedness Defined - What Is Gifted & Talented?" Giftedness Defined - What Is Gifted & Talented? N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

11) "Adaptations and Modifications for Students with Special Needs." Adaptations & Modifications for Students with Special Needs (K-12). Web. 13 Dec. 2012.