Session+1

I am too neurotic to make a Session 2 page and not a Session 1 page, so here it is!

Here are my forum posts from Session 1:

[|1.2 Forum Post: Vision of a 21st Century Classroom]
I agree largely with what many others have posted so far; unlimited access to laptops, seamless integration of technology in the classroom, teachers acting as "facilitators," etc.

In addition, laboratory technology is particularly important to me as a Chemistry teacher. The ideal 21st century classroom would be equipped with a state of the art laboratory space with all of the standard equipment. In addition, each student would have access to digital probes connected remotely to individual laptops on which students could collect, record, and analyze data. Students would also use technology daily to research scientific findings and to communicate their own conclusions. Keeping virtual lab notebooks is the new frontier in academia and industry, and must infiltrate the high school classroom as well if our students are to compete in the 21st century workforce. In terms of modern laboratory equipment, technology in the high school science classroom is limitless (constrained by budget, of course), so I can't even imagine what might be possible. What used to be done at only the college and graduate levels may soon be a reality in high school classrooms as equipment becomes more affordable and accessible.

This may sound trite, but another necessity for the 21st century classroom is laboratory safety. The current class size recommendation for high school laboratory courses is 24 students, and this is how lab spaces are currently equipped. It is simply not reasonable to manage more students in the laboratory safely at once. Thus, I think my vision of the 21st century classroom would have to include support from administrators and legislators to provide the best possible learning environment for all students.

[|1.5 Forum Post]: Revisiting Vision of a 21st Century Classroom
In the article, "Tapscott on Changing Pedagogy for the Net Generation," the author notes that "They’re the first generation "bathed in bits," and they’re lapping their parents in digital acquisition." While my initial vision discussed the influx of technology in the 21st century classroom, I failed to mention the necessity of training students how to expertly use this technology. While our students may be "bathed in bits," I do not necessarily agree that they are "lapping their parents" in terms of effective use of technology. Over the past few years I have learned that my students are certainly proficient in texting, Facebooking, gaming, and other social networking applications of technology. However, in terms of most other technological applications, I think many students still lag their elders. For example, many of my students are unable to recover a lost password, save files in alternative formats, or even navigate new websites, tasks that should be simple for so-called net "natives." Many of the skills that we think should be intuitive to them are not.

To revise my initial vision, in addition to providing students with the opportunities to access technology in the classroom, we also must incorporate technological instruction into our curriculum. As Tapscott notes, "we can’t just throw technology in a classroom" and expect that students will learn how to use it effectively on their own. To reach the full potential of technology in the classroom, extensive training for both teachers AND students is a necessary component.

[|1.7 Forum Post - Think/Write/Pair/Share]: Using Virtual Notebooks
Using a virtual notebook has the potential to address the NETS Standards 1: Creativity and Innovation and 2: Communication and Collaboration. Students are able to take ownership over the material and present the material in new and original ways. Not only can students complete this work independently, but they are also able to interact with other students and evaluate others' ideas virtually. A virtual notebook allows classroom conversations to continue outside of the classroom as well.

I could see virtual notebooks fitting into my vision of a 21st Century classroom, particularly as lab notebooks. Students could pose questions, design experiments, record and analyze data all within their virtual notebooks. Not only would they be able to draw conclusions on their own findings, but they could easily access the experimental data of their classmates and add their own comments and questions as well. Frequently in science classes, students are asked to follow the steps of the scientific method, but the communication portion often feels artificially fabricated since students are only communicating their results to their teacher through formal lab reports. The use of virtual notebooks would allow for more authentic communication and collaboration on laboratory work.