AT & T Classroom

Yaser abuhmaid

Advanced technology class

Instructor: Marian Maxfield

20 / February / 2009

AT & T Classroom Is a model which symbolizes: the top of technology integration in learning process, the dream of every teacher who tries to improve students’ learning process and the future of constructivist teaching.

Firstly, technology is used as a facilitating tool helps teachers in explaining ideas using visual aids such as the magnifying camera, the plasma screen and overhead projector that show images, actions and movies etc.

Secondly, technology there helps to engage students in the learning process by using smart board or computers. That is to say, students are active elements in the learning process in the way they get knowledge by themselves so that they will learn better with maximum interest.

Thirdly, AT & T Classroom is supported by technology which records all activities in class such as students’ movements and actions. Above all, this technology enables the operator in the control room to produce a perfect recorded lesson allowing other teachers to make use of it.

Finally, the room is provided with access to the internet. Moreover the operator can provide teachers with a wide variety of interactive learning sites that are designed to help kids effectively in learning with fun.

In my point of view, I hope to use a classroom such as AT & T Classroom. I might use it to explain the relationship between population density and water resources. Firstly, I let a student find a certain river or lake by using the smart board to access to interactive atlas website (www.maps.google.com).

Then I let students to find certain places I selected them before the class such as a place in desert, near a river or near a lake. Then students find places by using their own computers accessing that site on their own. After that, students link these locations with population density using satellite images. Then I would discuss students’ conclusions about the relation between water sources and population density. Finally, I ask students to search for natural factors which affect population density using search engines.

- What are some Web 2.0 tools or concepts you could utilized apply in conjunction with the hardware in the AT & T Classroom? Explain how you would use the Web 2.0 and hardware to teach.

Web 2.0 is useful to provide students with different online activities that reinforce their learning. It makes it easy to discuss many ideas without being in classroom. For example, students who have difficulty in dealing with a project or a homework can post their questions and other students can post their comments. It is an easy effective way to keep in touch with your students and students with others outside the class. Activities might be more interesting if it is by an interactive online style.

- Is this classroom possible for all students in the future? Why or why not?

Yes it is, because many countries are heading to increase their dependency of technology especially information technology integration in the learning process. Jordan is an example for that; in a short time most schools have computer labs that connect to the internet moreover there are free internet access computer labs in all parts of the country for use by any person for free.

Almost all students know how to handle the computer and internet. Above all, technology is becoming more popular and cheaper with time and scientific developments or applied inventions.

Note: I asked the operator there about some interactive websites and he sent a nice collection of them for me … hope everybody to enjoy:

Grapher

www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/grapher.html

Tools for teachers

https://www.kbteachers.com/

Virtual body

http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp

English activities

http://www.syvum.com/online/english.html

Interactive websites

http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interactive.htm

Physics