Sarah Sell

BED 309- Supervised Study in Technology

August 9, 2012

Technology for Classroom Management: Research and Application Tech4CM or Technology for Classroom management was created for teachers looking to improve their classroom management plans with the assistance of technology. Created from an interest in technology and a desire to learn more about classroom management, Tech4CM is designed as a wikispace composed of countless technological applications based on nine important elements of classroom management. Classroom management is one of the most significant elements in the classroom, establishing the effectiveness of a teachers instruction and students performance. Likewise, the use of technology is being strongly encouraged and embraced by schools so as to cultivate twenty-first century learners prepared to be successful in the digital age. Therefore, technology should be seriously considered by teachers when creating and enforcing their classroom management plans to assure highly productive, engaging and meaningful classes. Tech4CM is to be used as inspirational guide for teacher wishing to embrace more technology and/ or looking to better manage their classroom. They will find a variety of media tools that can function for specific purposes in classroom management or for cross curricular activities. Educators will also understand the importance or technology and classroom management and will be surprised how the two can complement one another effectively. However teachers wish to use Tech4CM, the possibilities of how you can use its contents are endless and meaningful for cultivating a love of learning among students. Tech4CM is the unique blend of multimedia tools enhancing classroom management techniques in primarily elementary classrooms. Initially challenged with a former idea that classroom management was usually directed by the teacher in whole class meetings, the introduction of twenty-first century applications to this matter changed all that. Through research, reading and a wealth of knowledge from my technology courses thus far, I was able to craft a classroom management plan based entirely around technology. The design for the classroom management plan was based off of Elementary Classroom Management, Lessons from Research and Practice by Carol Simon Weinstein, Molly Romano, and Andrew Mignano Jr. This read was critical in outlining my plan because each chapter focused on a different element of classroom management, from building a caring community to managing individual and group work. It was from the content in these chapters I based the pages of my wiki and conducted my research around it. After reading each chapter and learning more about how to implement these management systems, I sought the best technology applications relevant to the content by contacting colleagues, peers, and teachers. What I uncovered was web based resources that can be used for any variety of purposes in classroom management and even core curricular subjects. For this project however, I focused on what application would best compliment each classroom management area. Many times I asked myself, how would I use this to implement classroom management in my classroom? From there I would assign a tool to the most appropriate area of classroom management, and thus the wikispace grew to a collection of interactive websites and pages. The tools that I selected range from those that organize classrooms to those that can run them. All are engaging to students and teachers and most are free as they are accessible through the World Wide Web. Many if not all of these applications are also educationally certified and are well known among teachers and administration for

enhancing students twenty-first century skills. Overall, Technology for Classroom Management is an educationally sound and innovative web resource for educators and pre-service teacher looking to reinvent the way they implement their classroom management plans. Technology for classroom management has been an enlightening project that has enhanced my knowledge of classroom management and technology profoundly. I feel much more prepared for my teaching career because of the resources I have built for classroom management and core subjects. I now understand the elements of classroom management, and how to implement it with and without technology. I now realize that classroom management is much more than about building healthy relationships within your classroom and keeping everyone and everything organized. It is about assuring the success and well being for every one of your students by constructing an environment of care, respect, and safety for them every day that they walk into school. In turn, I have learned technological applications to foster respect and caring and to manage effectively parents, students, staff, and tasks. What I am going to take away from this project most is an understanding of technology and how to implement it into an element of my classroom that is essential for best practices. From classroom management to core curricular subjects, Tech4CM has taught me the versatility of technology and in the proper settings to use it in. Similarly, I will take away countless classroom management techniques and personal accounts by the teachers and students profiled in the text and app. I have read and seen these practiced models and have evaluated what elements of classroom management are most important to me in developing my classroom. Also significant in my classroom is the use and understanding of technology and how my students are going to use it to change the future. From it they will come to be learners who respect and care for one another, work well collaboratively and individually, and are motivated all in a well organized and classroom where parent support is present and students of all learning styles are assisted and encouraged by peers. Technology for Classroom Management is my future classrooms classroom management plan in which I have no doubt will cultivate twenty-first century learners who are prepared to successful and respectful citizens in the digital age.