After reading Heidi Siwak’s (@heidisiwak) blog post the other night on Collaborative Learning Spaces, I was inspired to videotape my own classroom. I really believe in the benefit of open spaces and lots of areas for group work and partner work as well as independent work too. I tried to achieve this when setting up the room this year!
I also have a large bulletin board along the back of the room that is completely empty. Together as a class, we’ll work at filling this bulletin board with different examples of reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and art activities that really help show you what the students are learning and what we’re continuing to work on too.
As you set up your classroom, what are some important things that you keep in mind? I hope that you’ll add a comment here with any links to different pictures or videos that you have of your classroom. Sharing ideas helps inspire others too!
Aviva
this looks amazing! great job. I love the blogger cafe! I think I might do the same thing. Still waiting on our livescribes? Is it compatible with kidblog.org?
Test comment for avatar purposes. Also a comment about how great your classroom looks. A twofold comment. The great classroom thing first though.
Thanks Jared! Your two-fold comment made me chuckle!:)
Aviva
Thanks so much Aviva. I am certain that there are many, many teachers who’ve been curious about your room set up. Loved the tour.
Thanks Heidi! I’ve always done pictures before, but never a video! Thanks for the inspiration to try something new. Did you finish your video? I’d love to see it too!
Aviva
Hi, I am so glad I have come across your beautiful blog. Love the idea of bulletin board. I will try to do the same, this looks fun, but it can be a great reminder of what has been learned so far.
You mention parental permissions. I have to write one in Croatian too for my highschool students as I have started a penpal project. Could you send me some ideas on my email or twitter what does one have to include! Thank you, Bye from Croatia!
Thanks for the comment! Glad you liked the bulletin board idea.
I’ll email you shortly with some permission form ideas.
Aviva
Aviva, as I try to figure out (for the 20th time in my career) where to put everything in my room it was great to see this video link of your classroom set up. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for your comment! I go through this same thing each year too. I love being inspired by what others do. I’d love to see some photographs of your classroom too!
Aviva
Aviva,
What a great idea! You just made every parent and child comfortable about the first day of school! I would love to be a student in your class 🙂 Have a wonderful year.
JoAnnJ68
Thank you so much, JoAnn! I hope that this does make the students and parents feel more comfortable about the first day of school.
Have a great year too!
Aviva
Wow Aviva! Thanks so much for sharing. Very impressive use of technology in your room. I don’t have a quarter of your technology but I’m looking forward to one day having more. Still working on getting 4 working computers in my room. He! He! Also love the central location of your mini carpets. Do you have a desk area for yourself? Where do you keep all your teaching resources and supplies?
Tammy
Thanks for the comment, Tammy! I feel very fortunate to have as many tools at my disposal as I do. I have a lot of my own resources in the room too though. The two iPads, two iPod Touches, both Livescribe Pens, one laptop computer, and all three Nintendo DS’ are my own. Students love using all of these tools for learning, not to mention the computers in the pod and the SMART Board too.
As for me, I don’t have a desk. I use a filing cabinet to organize my paper resources, and all of my books are contained in baskets in the large cupboard right by my painting easels. I find that having more room in the classroom for students is really helpful, and I never got a chance to sit at a desk in the past anyway.
Hope this helps!
Aviva