Blog Post #16 Part 1-What Would I Change

How I See My Future Classroom
By Secoria Burks 

How I See My Future Classroom By Secoria Burks This class makes me think of The Magic School Bus, a children's show I enjoyed thoroughly in my earlier youth. It featured an unorthodox teacher named Ms. Frizzle, her magical school bus, her class of 7th graders(not really sure what their grade was), and her personified pet Iguana named Liz. Granted in this class we didn't go explore in a magical bus, but we were encouraged to have a different way of thinking. An attribute of Ms. Frizzle I always found very fascinating and admirable.

My goal is to teach secondary in a high school setting, grades nine through twelve. I remember in high school only going to class when it was necessary. Mainly because my classes were very simple and I had no real incentive to go. This has made me determined to make my classes worth the attendance. I want my classroom to feel how I imagine Ms. Frizz's classroom would feel. Everyday would be something different, and my students would never really know what to expect. I would make projects a regular part of my lesson plans ideally that would be how I end each section. Class would be based on open discussion accompanied by notes and a few lecture points. Another aspect I want to incorporate into my class would be field trips. I can't remember one meaningful field trip after the 5th grade. I feel like high school is a perfect time to go and see things in person. A lot of the things I want in my class are things I feel I was gypped in my high school experience. My dream is to teach at title one or at risk schools. They do not have as many of the resources other schools might have, but I want to teach there because of the students it possesses. The students would hunger for the knowledge of something new. At the very least they would appreciate how different my class is. If I have a class of young adults engaged in any to my subject matter I would feel successful. I understand that for a lot of students History can be boring, but my goal is to make my students see its relevance. There are two tools I would use for sure GoogleDocs and iCurio. Both tools could be shared by my students and myself. I would encourage collaboration amongst classmates through the use of Edmodo, OpenStudy, and in-class debates/discussions. My projects would involve a host of sites such as Timetoast, Capzles, Prezi, and Creaza. While I recognize how convenient online tools are, I also understand the toll that looking at a screen for hours can have on a student. I would like to use podcasts for lectures and post them on our class site, that way they will be there for the students to listen to at their own pace and time. Now when I imagine my classroom I see so much more than what I imagined in my first blog post. This semester has given me the sense to know my ideas are attainable in some aspects. While I still would like to have an interactive dome to simulate historical events, I do realize that it is a bit far fetched. That however wont deter me from making my class interactive, and giving my students some say so in their education.