Blog Assignment #1

Krissy Venosdale's school sounds like it would be so much fun! I feel like kids would be lining out the door just to go there. She seems very passionate about what she is doing and I feel like that is an important aspect in being a teacher. One thing that caught my attention is the big treehouse in the library, I would have loved that if I was a kid! All her ideas are unique and I could feel like I was there as I was reading. I love Krissy's idea about the "grade levels". I think it would be a wonderful idea to, instead of advancing through school by grade, advance by your knowledge and ability. That would make sure kids are actually ready to pass on to the next grade level and not just pass through because of how old they are. Her concept of "20% time", where kids use that time to sign up for classes in areas of their passion, is a wonderful theory. Kids would enjoy themselves more and have more opportunities to learn in areas that they are more passionate about. Krissy's dream school seems like an incredible place to go to and she did a great job at describing it!

Sugata Mitro's concept of his school is very different from Krissy Venodale's school. Sugata believes that we need no schools or teachers to learn, we simply learn it ourselves and then teach our peers what we learned. He traveled around the world to different countries that have never had technology before and placed computers in little holes in the walls. He then left the country for months at a time, came back and they were using the computer like they have their whole life. The first country he left the computer in, when he came back he thought that someone that knew how to use a computer had taught them because he couldn't believe that they could learn everything about a computer so fast without someone teaching them how. So he traveled to another country and did the same exact thing there, came back a few months later and they knew how to use it. He was flabbergasted with the fact that they could teach themselves how to use a computer without having any knowledge of one whatsoever. His theory is that we can learn things ourselves without schools and without teachers, just by simply studying it and teaching ourselves.

For my school, I will be teaching Kindergarten! My classroom will be filled with a lot of learning opportunities. There will be one corner of the room that will be a nook and be dedicated to reading. I think reading is a very important aspect for Kindergarteners to learn and grow. The back wall would have a table with iPads on it for the children to grab during a time that is appropriate and play learning games on it or read. I will bring music into my classroom and teach the children through music any opportunity that I can. I will emphasize following the rules because I believe it is very important for children to learn to follow the rules at a young age.

What I Want My Students to Know: I want my students to know that they can accomplish anything if they put their minds to it and try their hardest. I want them to understand that they aren't always going to succeed in everything they do every time and that they might have to try numerous times to accomplish their goals, but if they keep trying as hard as they can they will get.

What I Want My Students to Be Able to Do: I want my students to be able to accomplish what they want to accomplish. I want them to read as much as they can, but I don't want them to feel like I am forcing them to. I want them to want to read and want to learn.

What My Primary Way of Teaching My Students What I Want Them to Know and to Do Will Be: My method of teaching will be through stories and music. Music stimulates the brain and helps children remember things better. It will also make things more enjoyable for them and will help them understand. I will do a lot of hands on activities and games where everyone participates.

What Tools I Will Use In My Classroom: In my classroom, I want every child to have access to their own iPad so they can learn independently. We will do activities throughout the day that involve the iPad such as, learning games, reading, and other educational experiences. Another tool I could use for my classroom would be a blog that would promote the parents involvement in the child's education. I would post things on the blog that would keep the parents informed on what is going on in the classroom. I would use a smart board where I can teach them the basic kindergarten curriculum. I would call on each of them to come up and work through problems and do educational games so they can have hands on experience.

What Role The Students Will Play In My Classroom: My students will participate in all sorts of activities and learning opportunities each day. Like I said before, we will have iPads and a smart board for them to play educational games and read on. There will be a certain time in the day dedicated for them to go get their iPads and have quiet time to just learn on their own. I will start each morning off with activities on the smart board and they will come up one at a time and do their work or play academically based games.