Here I am, writing my first blog. It has not been an easy process. Everything I read online said the domain name was the most important aspect of a blog. After struggling to come up with something all day, I enlisted the help of my friends! I finally settled on a suggestion and went with SamDesMath.com. I hope I chose wisely! Now, on to the real reason I started all this…
If you know me, then you know I am a bit obsessed with Desmos and technology. I decided to try something new in my classroom this year. I have attempted to turn my classroom into an Active Learning Classroom. My students have always worked in teams, but this year will be a bit different.
I spent my Sunday before the first day of school setting up 5 groups, each one complete with their own 40″ TV’s and hdmi cables. Students will now be able to see everything projected right in their teams, without having to break their necks trying to see the front of the room!
I have traditionally projected onto the whiteboard so students and I can write work on the board. Think of it as a low budget smart board, where you have to take a picture of it when you’re done to save it!
The biggest downfall to this new classroom setup? Only having 5 teams! Our curriculum recommends teams with four members. Depending on my class sizes, I may have teams with six members. I am going to try it out, see how it goes, and maybe try to squeeze in one more table/tv if things aren’t working out.
With up to six members, I had to come up with a couple more team roles. I already have Facilitator, Resource Manager, Task Manager, and Recorder/Reporter. I have decided to add a Technology Manager and a Floater. The Floater will be a flexible team member that will join a different team in need, one that has fewer than five members, and take on the missing role at that table.
In addition to being able to project what is on my computer to each team, I can also use a switch to project my iPad and display through my AppleTV.
Tomorrow is my first day back. Freshman only, so it won’t be a normal school day. We only have students for a few minutes as they learn how to navigate the building and their schedules. Here’s hoping all goes well!
Nice set up Samantha! I look forward to reading about how this goes. Very exciting!
Thanks Karen! I really hope it works out with the teams! That is probably my biggest fear. On the plus side, the teams are pretty far apart so hopefully I won’t have too much talking between students in different teams.
Wow! What a cool setup. Keep us posted on how it works out.
I am really hoping it works like the vision in my head!
Looks cool, Sam!! Will be interested to hear what you and your students have to say about your new classroom.
Thanks! I can set yours up too, if you want!! 🙂
Looks nice. Like the set-up. Have a great year!
Thanks! I hope you have a great year too!
Innovative! I am wondering about your funding sources and approximate cost.
It was primarily self funded but I did have a few donations. If I had to pay for everything it would have cost approximately $800 for the TVs, cables, and switch (all of the TVs were used). I already had the AppleTV, Apple Pencil, and iPad (approximately $1200 for those items).
Awesome Sam! Look forward to hearing how your new set up works out. I am also doing golf pencils this year!
So awesome! I can’t wait to follow your progress! You are doing amazing things <3