Smart
Phones, Smart Boards, and computers are all an arm length away of many future
educators. The word technology has been uttered and always relates to
electronics. At first sight or thought of technology many people begin the
conversation with the new “gadget”. I noticed something during a recent
conversation I had with a 7th grade language arts teacher. Her room
had IPads, a smart board, and multiple computers. Aside from these advances she
drew our conversation to three specific areas of her room.
Among
these areas were three small carpets. Each carpet had a beanbag-chair and a
bookshelf. Each of these stations was designated for silent reading. Not a
sound was allowed to come from these stations. It was up to the students when
they wished to use these stations. This made my mind go off on a tangent.
As
I thought about the room I instantly thought about the age of the students.
They are figuring out who they are. Students in the middle school level are
willing to challenge any form of authority. They feel they are trapped in a panopticon
where they are monitored and restricted. The desks they sit in are where they
are expected to stay. Freedom from these desks introduces liberation and rebellion
to these students. Not all technology needs to have a battery. These stations
have beanbags. The beanbags are a form of technology associated with leisure and
comfort. They allow for relaxation to occur. Inside a classroom small efforts
and ideas can build the environment we as educators are attempting to create.
As
I stated in an earlier post, technology can be as simple as a pen. Technology
in the classroom can also be as comforting as a beanbag. Through these minor
changes to a classroom an educator can build that safe environment for the
student. A desk is a good way to keep peace within a classroom. Once that
respect is built the student can now feel the liberation of treating that classroom
as a shared place. Subtleties in technology allow for creativity to progress
these ideas.
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