Nira Dale's youTube video about classroom design is such a great reminder that using new technology is not always a student's first choice.
Creating with and without technology
In my first year of teaching K-8 computers, I also found that students needed art supplies for the creative process. The markers and colored pencils on the right shelf were used often.
Initially I stocked these supplies for my K-2 students as I did not want them on the computer for the whole period. However I quickly noticed that older students were drawn to anything on the shelf - straws, construction paper, big dice, funny pointers, etc. In my focus on teaching tech skills, I can forget that creative play is fun and necessary for any age, and even the newest technology can't compete with a jar of Playdoh.
Low tech decor
I wanted the lab to feel like any other classroom with seasonal decor, student work displayed, and fun posters so students would feel at ease. I captioned the retro VW poster, "Be an original..." to remind students to always cite online sources and also to create, not copy. Colorful, older mismatched chairs were a fun way to brighten up the room.
This room had some great windows. I brought in live plants to make the classroom feel more like a house, less like a lab. (During class, these were spread around the room.) As you can imagine, it was quite crowded so unless it was raining, I left windows open as much as possible to "air out" the room.
These were simple ways I tried to make the computer lab less daunting and more comfortable for students. If I had a choice, I would have preferred a different room layout but this one was already in place and did fit 33 workstations into a very small room, complete with an ethernet connection for each station and a ceiling projector/whiteboard for the teacher.
What do you think? Too cluttered? What does your classroom look like?
