Classroom in 5 Years...

I want a lot to be different in 5 years. At least I hope so... I know that with working in inner city schools I am limitted as to how much technology I can use in the classroom. However, I would like to take advantage of both grants and the support that my school gives me.

I want my class to be technologicly supportive to my students. I want the students I have to be able to come in and use the computers in my class. Also I went to a "Technology with Special Needs" conference lately, and I found out a lot about how technology helps people with special needs. It gives visual support, hearing aid, a way to communicate to others, and a way to express oneself when it is hard to vocally. I really want to use this within my classroom. I would like to talk with more people with disabilities and find ways to enhance learning in the classroom by using technology.

I would also like to come up with a reference and free reading library within my class and technology wise. I want students to be able to come to my class and use references for reports, presentations, papers, and even free reads. Yet I know this will take a while to create. So I would like to create a Delicious account with a wide variety of subjects and genres so the students can find reads easily and find a place to start with reports, presentations, and papers. I am hoping this could help them.

I would also like to be more organized in five years. I would like to use technology to organize grades and weights for those grades. I believe technology can be a huge assessment asset that many teachers do not take advantage of. Also I would like to begin a Delicious account for beneficial teaching sites that have helped me in my work. Lastly, I would like to get creative with my lesson plans as far as technology goes. I want to use powerpoint, music, videos, SmartBoards, video cameras, document projectors, and even games. I want the lesson plans to be intriguing and something the students can easily participate in.

I know there are many things I will change within 5 years, but I want to grow with technology as well. I do not want to stay with only what I know now, but also use what I will know then. So I guess I will not know fully what will be different in 5 years or 10 or 15, because there will be technology out there that is not here today, but I will make sure to listen to my students and what they are using.