Group 5: Pandas
Sarah, Yolanda, Kortnee, Randolph, Mary Rose
When we think of becoming a teacher we usually think about how to plan lesson plans, how to integrate technology, and how to have successful classroom management. However there is another important component that we as teachers should consider, and that is classroom layout. Classroom layout is very important in student learning. We as teachers should be cautious of traffic patterns, clusters, and not enough movable space in our classrooms. Teachers should be mindful of how the students are to be placed in the classroom that can have the greatest benefits for the students and less stress on the teacher. So this week, our current event resource is Classroom Layout.
This week in Pandnation, we have decided that classroom layout is important for the success of our classrooms. Thanks to our fellow Panda, Sarah Ramsey-Jardolin, our group became aware of the website 4teachers.org. On this website there is a lot of resources for teachers to use and incorporate into their classrooms from integrated lesson planning to articles that talk about recent happenings in education technology. One application in particular is Classroom Architect. You can access this webpage directly here, http://classroom.4teachers.org/ or head to www.4teachers.org, scroll down on your right hand side, and click Classroom Architect under 4teachers Family of Tools. Once there, the website provides you with simple instructions on how to get started on creating your classroom layout. While creating your classroom, us future teachers can see how our classroom has the potential to look, without actually having to move all the heavy furniture.
As teachers we do not have that much time to prepare for the beginning of the school year, so with this online application, it is very easy to create a classroom that not only benefits us as the teacher, but as well as maximizes the options for collaboration between students.
