Floorplanner is an online tool that educators can use to plan what they want their classroom space to look like. To start planning your classroom, you will first want to draw you walls. Once you have your walls build, you can add a door, some windows, and even pick the kind of floor you want. After this, you can begin adding furniture to the room. I wanted to design my classroom for a high school math class. A majority of my classroom is dedicated to the desks area. I have the desks paired, so that students can work with their desk buddy when instructed. All the desks are facing the board, so that none of the students have to turn to see what is on the board. Towards the front of the room, I also have an area for the teacher's desk. Beside this there are some bookshelves that can be used to store curriculum, supplies, and other resources. There is also additional storage under the windows. In the back of the room, I have two comfortable chairs with a table between them. I thought that I could use this area as a reward, or an area to do partner work. Beside this, the are some cubbies that students could put their backpacks or anything that they do not want taking up space on their desk. And beside this, there is a table with some chairs around it. This table could be used for a lot of different things. It could be used for tutoring, group work, or if a student is doing make-up work. I have also included some plants around the room to help it feel more inviting. Overall, I wanted this to be a space where students are comfortable and able to learn.
Floorplanner & the Danielson Framework: Floorplanner could be used to help achieve component 2.E of the Danielson Framework. This component concerns the organization of physical space, and emphasizes the importance of creating a classroom environment that is safe and supports different kinds of instruction. By using floorplanner, teachers can explore different ways to create a classroom that achieves this. In the classroom I created, there were different areas that could be used for individual and group work, and by pairing the desks, students could easily work with peers when the lesson calls for it.
What did you enjoy about creating the artifact?
I liked using floorplanner to design my future classroom. The program provided a variety of choices for furniture, flooring, and doors and windows. This tool encouraged me to think about how a classroom would best operate, and what I would need to include. It was a lot easier to try different classroom designs on floorplanner, than trying to move furniture around in a physical classroom.
How does this experience relate to ISTE NETS?
Floorplanner encourages teachers to be designers and learners, two of the ISTE educator standards. Teachers will be designers while trying to find the best way to arrange their classroom. I feel that it also makes them learners, because it is unlikely that they will design a perfect classroom on the first try. They will likely discover that something does not work as it is, and they will have to learn how to continue improving the functionality of their physical space.
How does it relate to TPACK model?
The TPACK model shows the different types of knowledge that teachers' should have. It teaches us that having an effective classroom goes beyond just knowing a lot of information that you can teach, you also need to know how to teach it. Floorplanner and organizing physical space fits into the category of pedagogical knowledge. To optimize student learning, teachers need to know how to create a space where students are safe and comfortable enough to focus on learning.
I liked using floorplanner to design my future classroom. The program provided a variety of choices for furniture, flooring, and doors and windows. This tool encouraged me to think about how a classroom would best operate, and what I would need to include. It was a lot easier to try different classroom designs on floorplanner, than trying to move furniture around in a physical classroom.
How does this experience relate to ISTE NETS?
Floorplanner encourages teachers to be designers and learners, two of the ISTE educator standards. Teachers will be designers while trying to find the best way to arrange their classroom. I feel that it also makes them learners, because it is unlikely that they will design a perfect classroom on the first try. They will likely discover that something does not work as it is, and they will have to learn how to continue improving the functionality of their physical space.
How does it relate to TPACK model?
The TPACK model shows the different types of knowledge that teachers' should have. It teaches us that having an effective classroom goes beyond just knowing a lot of information that you can teach, you also need to know how to teach it. Floorplanner and organizing physical space fits into the category of pedagogical knowledge. To optimize student learning, teachers need to know how to create a space where students are safe and comfortable enough to focus on learning.