Elements of a 21st Century Classroom

I currently teach third grade in a district where students are one-to-one with Chromebooks.  
Students K-2 in my district are one-to-one with Ipads. Because third grade is the first year students
begin using Chromebooks in school, there is a bit of a learning curve for them at the beginning of the
year to navigate the change between the touch screen capabilities of an Ipad to the somewhat more
challenging navigation of the laptops.  I use technology in many ways in my classroom already, but am
always looking for new ways to integrate its use in meaningful and engaging ways for my students.

In my opinion, the top three elements of a 21st Century Classroom are areas for collaborative learning,
opportunities for creativity, and technology.  I think having spaces that foster collaborative learning where students feel safe to share their ideas and to learn from each other creates an environment where kids can learn both academically from their peers as well as grow their communication and and critical thinking skills.  I love to see how the confidence in my students grows when they are able to teach another student something they previously struggled with.

Creativity in learning and in sharing their learning is also an important piece to a 21st century classroom.  I think student voice and choice is a great way to foster this creativity as students seek new ways to share their learning in ways that are unique and challenging to them as individuals.

Finally, technology, and the ability to determine when and how to use it in the classroom is a vital piece to a 21st century classroom.  While my students have their own Chromebooks, there are often times when working together on one of the 7 Ipads available in my room, or using different apps or sites fits more appropriately in certain lessons.  I have also found that sometimes lessons sound great, but the technology is not always working or does not quite meet the needs of my students. In this instance I would add a top 4th element of remaining flexible to the important elements of a 21st century classroom!

The learning environment I would like to create for my students is one in which students are free to use technology to guide and personalize their learning while allowing for them to seek help and instruction from their teacher, and which also provides information to the teacher to assess student learning and to guide instruction.  I want them to be provided with many opportunities to collaborate with their peers and to learn from other students.

While I have access to a great number of technological resources and professional development opportunities, my most valuable resource continues to be the knowledge and experience of other teachers.  I love hearing about how technology is being used in other classrooms, and how they are overcoming obstacles when using new strategies.