Technology-infused classroom

A technology-infused classroom looks like a 21^st century classroom.  It has technology that students and teachers can use whole group, in a small group or independently.  A projector or smart board is present at the front of the class, speakers that are connected to a wireless microphone and either a desktop, laptop, tablet or any electronic device for student use.  The desks are in groups since there will be a lot of collaboration and cooperative learning.  The laptops or desktops are spread out throughout the classroom so that students can easily access them and have their own privacy. 

This is how I picture a technology-infused classroom.  This also means that there is a lot of computer use by students and the teacher.  Most of the assignments or activities have some type of technology use in them.  The teacher facilitates student learning but most of the work is done by the students.  They learn how to use online resources to  gain knowledge and analyze the place where they are getting their information from. 

My current plan to have a technology-infused classroom

I teach in a 1to1 laptop classroom, which means we have laptops for every 4^th grader in my class.  They are stored on a desk in the back of the classroom where they can be charged and the wires are not in the way.  The students’ desks are aligned facing the front of the class in rows so that they could work together in threes.  The projector is at the front of the class and it is high enough for everyone in the classroom to see.  When laptops are in use, I can see what each student is doing and if they are off task because they are all facing the same way.  If they need to charge their laptop, then can plug their charger in to many of the outlets around the classroom, if there isn’t an outlet nearby, I have extensions for them to use.  We will also be getting wireless microphones for teachers to use that will go with the ceiling speakers that are already installed in our classrooms.  I don’t have enough room in my class to make sure that students have enough space between each group or row so I also decided to give them manila folders so that they could put them up in case they want some “private” space.  This enables my students to work independently or in groups in an easy way. 

Visual Literacy

Visual literacy is something that students in this generation are exposed to every single day in thousands of ways.  Teachers should be taking advantage of those things that students are familiar with and use them to teach them content.  The internet is filled with tons of visuals that are always persuading people to do something, buy a product or feel a certain way.  Visuals are more powerful than words and sometimes, as teachers we only focus on reading without visuals.  I know because in my classroom, we read different types of text, look at the pictures and read the captions but we don’t stop to think about what they mean. 

This video was amazing. It’s from 2012 but it had a great point on visual literacy in the classroom.

 

Visual literacy is being able to determine meaning from a given image or some type of visual. It is important to be able to read “visually” and derive meaning and show students how to do it inside the classroom and outside.  Most of the time, we ask them to determine the meaning from reading words and we forget that they are used to visuals.  If you think about it, kids know the yellow “m” stands for McDonald’s, which is food.  We forget how important visuals are even though we see them every single day.    

Some examples of visual literacy that I would like to incorporate into my classroom filled with 4^th graders is to ask themselves these questions:

and think about

I want the internet to be used as a tool that will enhance my teaching and the learning process in the classroom.  The internet is filled with many examples of visuals that can supplement any topic being discussed in class.  Sometimes, it’s better to see what we are learning about instead of reading about it.