My Future Classroom

Hey Kara,

To compute or not to compute, that is the question? Well, chapter 13 proved my theory in that everything about teaching has it's complications. My first response to the ideal classroom (technologically) was to have a one to one ratio of computers. I could see us in the middle of an exciting scientific experiment with our goggles on, hair on end, computer wires looking like a freak show of snakes winding around the room, and then, we took out the schools transformer. Oops! Okay, I am convinced that most school districts are not set up for the one to one (technically or financially). Thankfully, group work is a big part of science and adheres to my idea that learning in groups solidifies concepts. My classroom would have one computer for each group of four students. I could tame the cord mess easily enough and still provide fair access to the computers. Here at UIS we operate with one laptop per group and I don't think it unreasonable to have the same at the high school level. As far as technicians, when I get through your class my employer is going to have to pay me double for my expertise in technology. Seriously, I have talked with the science teachers at my sons high school and they tell me most days go smoothly and there are more and more tech savvy people now than ever who are willing to help. I think my mad little scientists and I are going to be fine. Laura Lee