edld+5362+week+4+assignment

Today, the model classroom is more critical than ever to schools and districts. The changing technology landscape, coupled with emerging data, highlight the need for technology in the classroom more than ever before. This need begs us to consider how the model classroom should be designed. “There are many technologies that, if put into the hands of a dynamic teacher, will engage students in their learning experiences.” (www.esd112.org/edtech/sustainableclass.cfm) The trick is to determine which “unique” set of hardward and software capitabities should be in place for the classroom to successfully aid the teacher delivery of a content rich lesson plan. The physical structure of the classroom should be able to accomodiate multiple levels of connectivety. Currently, the Highland Park I.S.D. technology plans calls for each classroom to be outfitted with four hardwired data drops and a robust wifi network for in-class laptops. The teacher workstation is connected to a document camera, ceiling mounted projector, dvd player, and an interactive white board with active vote expression for the class. Currently 85% of the rooms are equipped with this system, and by the end of the year all classrooms will be fully integrated. The meaningful integration of technology into the classroom is a challenging one. The primary goal of the model classroom is to be a place were students can collaborate and learn thru social interactions. “Collaboration in an in-class setting presents teachers with the challenge of capturing and managing ideas that often come and go in student discussions at a fast pace.” (The Horizon Report) The students in the classroom should have access to Blogs and Wikis to capture this fast paced discussion. The Highland Park I.S.D. technology plan provides a safe avenue to discuss and review what is going on in class with programs such as Moodle and Blackboard providing a closed environment to allow a safe and controled interaction of ideas on a topic. Online communication tools are creating unique ways for a student and teacher to work anytime and anywhere. Online tools put students and teachers in touch with many different experts. “Online communication tools may be synchronous or asynchronous; based in text, or many-to-many communication. Many may be used either from a computer or an Internet-enabled mobile phone, and some can be used from almost any moble phone.” (The Horizon Report) Moore (1989) described student-student interaction as one of the three essential items needed to create effective instruction. The idea of learning “on the go” is common to most students. The ability to connect with peers at any time facilitates the learning process. Cloud Computing is the next logical step to secure student collaboration and communication is taken to the next level. The idea of cloud-based applications that do not have to run on a single computer, but instead spread the software programming and storage thru the web, allows the student and teacher of the model classroom to stay on a level playing field when working remotely from the classroom thru the intranet. Now you do not need to worry about a Mac machine talking with a PC or an Office 2003 interacting with a Office 2007 document. Cloud computing is also an integral part in developing a student and teacher personal web. “Students can create and work in online spaces that reflect their own interest and studies.”(The Horizon Report) This ability allows the teacher to incorporate the ultimate in student differentiation, including scaffolding for the struggling student to higher order thinking for the advanced learner, based on the targeted learning goal. Mobile devices and smart objects allow new ways to increase the student and teacher learning interaction. “Mobil devices have the ability to connect to the internet via wifi and 3G networks and can the capability for sensing motion and orientation and reacting according using built-in accelerometers.” (The Horizon Report) Using mobile devices as a smart object makes sense; they are common for young people to carry. More importantly, since students want to use their phones, allowing their use in the classroom as a learning tool creates a positive classroom environment. Smart objects allow the teacher to add another level of depth to the targeted learning goal. Students are typically fascinated with “new” or “unique” methods of discovery. The instructional design framework of a model classroom must be adapted to purposely integrate student interaction using technology tools. “It is the responsibility of instructional designers, administrators, and technology experts to investigate which tool offers the best solution for the task of providing interaction.”( Beldarrain, Y; Distance Education Trends) While there are many technologies and systems we currently consider state-of-the-art, many new ones will emerge in time as technologies evolve. As educators, we must continue to strieve to research, design, and implement engaging strategies in our model classroom to educate our 21st century learners. || [|www.esd112.org/edtech/sustainableclass.cfm] The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition; The New Media Consortium; [|www.nmc.org] The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition; The New Media Consortium; www.nmc.org Moore, M.G. (1989). Three types of interaction. American Journal of Distance Education, 2,1-7. The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition; The New Media Consortium; www.nmc.org The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition; The New Media Consortium; www.nmc.org Beldarrain, Y; Distance Education Trends; Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration; Aug 2006; Vol. 27, No. 2 ||
 * A Model Classroom for the 21st Century Learner
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