As a technology integration specialist at a STEM elementary school, my teaching space is flexible, and it goes wherever I go. I love to collaborate, and I spend pretty much all of my days in other teachers' classrooms. But I also love to embrace teachable moments (I love being a learner through them as well), and so am completely comfortable with the idea that any place could become a teaching/learning space.
Here are two photos that represent my teaching space. The top one shows our school's engineering lab, which is a shared space where I facilitate many lessons when not in teachers' classrooms. The bottom photo shows one of our school courtyards. This photo represents the flexibility of my teaching space - I'm often on location with students as they're learning to help guide and support their use of technology to document, research, share, or collaborate around their growing understanding of a concept.
If I could write a wish list of things I'd like to include in my teaching space, I think my top (philosophical) request would be inquisitive students who are willing to be risk takers in their learning. Speaking more tangibly, I'd also love an Apple TV or Chromecast for the engineering lab, along with some posters about inquiry, the importance of failure in learning, and our school's maker manifesto (currently a work in progress). I'd also love to have another monitor in the e-lab to showcase students' digital work and maybe even to facilitate collaborative conversations within small groups of students (to display screens, etc), or with outside experts (G Hangouts), or even other students around the world. While I'm at it, I'd also like all students to have access to an iPad or Chromebook whenever they need one or the other...
How about you? What's on your wish list for your classroom or teaching space?
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