Blog Post 16

It's hard to believe that one day I will be in a classroom of my own where I can create an environment that invokes learning. I would love nothing more than to start my teaching career as a third grade teacher. Through my observations I realized that third grade is a very pivotal point in elementary students learning. I would be sure that my students succeed in every content area but mainly reading and math. I want to develop strong minds and confident students. Thankfully, EDM 310 has equipped me with new knowledge of technological tools that I plan to incorporate into my class.

In my first blog post I mentioned that I wanted my classroom to be technologically advanced and I still do. I'm just thankful that I now know how to utilize them effectively. I will definitely be incorporating blogging in to my classroom. I know for sure that I would like to have a class blog that my parents and students can follow and remain updated as well as supplying them with resources to help them study at home. For my students blogs, I think I will keep it very very structured. I want their posts to coincide with our reading units and to see how their thinking is developing. I will probably pose a question weekly and allow them time to answer not only in class but at home.

In addition, my students role in my classroom will definitely be increased. Initially, I only thought of my students role in the class as empty buckets that I had to fill up. Now, that is not the case what-so-ever. I to want my students to be their second teacher. Don't get me wrong, I will go above and beyond to teach my students but I want them to be fully engaged and knowledgeable and I plan to enforce this by implementing project based learning. While the activities we completed in EDM 310 were week long tasks, in reality, it is difficult to find that amount of time to devote to one assignment. Therefore, I will have to prepare very well to use my time wisely with my students.

Below is a video of my final reflection of EDM 310. Enjoy!

Project #12

Blog Post #11

I will be the first to say that I was skeptical about allowing children to use technology at such a young age. Not because I didn't think that they had to ability to, but because I would see it as more of a distraction to the students if it is not used properly. After viewing Ms.Cassidys video on how she incorporates technology into her first grade classroom, she proved me wrong. Her students were excited, engaged, and ultimately learning. I loved the fact that she allowed her students to comment on what they thought about their blogging experience and how it was helpful to them. In addition, I admire her internet safety with her students. Besides getting their parents permission, her students are aware of good internet behavior such as using only their first name.
One tool I want to use in my classroom is blogger. In my first year i'm sure i will be too busy getting into the groove of being a teacher but, I do intend to implement blogger along the way. I think it is so important for students to be conscious of submitting valuable work that they are proud of and that other can find helpful and useful. Moreover, as one of her students said, they can see the word they type, and see their thoughts in writing. I think that if you develop and nurture good writing qualities at a young age, students will not have as many difficulties with reading and writing.
Teachers like Ms.Cassidy give hesitant future educators like myself the encouragement to step outside of the box and reach every student. There is an app, program, tool, and technique for just about every content area and as teachers, we need to explore and not limit ourselves or our students to traditional learning.

Blog Post #10

TWO THUMBS UP & a round of applause for Randy Pausch. Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon. Pausch received the news that he had about 10 tumors in liver & was told that he has 3-6 months of healthy life to live. After receiving this news, he was able to participate in a series at Carnegie Mellon called the Last Lecture.
Naturally, when I looked at the length of the video I thought, great, just what I need, to sit in front of the computer listening to a someone speak for more than an hour. Now, I do not regret a single minute of this video. I laughed, I smiled, I questioned things I hadn't before, and yes, I even cried. How many of us can honestly say that they received some less than exciting news that could threaten their life and turned it into a positive journey? Pausch did exactly that. He took the time to rethink of all the things he dreamed of doing and revisiting his childhood and incorporating all of that into his last lecture. It was a ery empowering and motivating speech.
What did I learn about teaching and learning? Pausch made mention to the importance of parents, mentors, and students working together. If you create a tight knit unit between your parents, students, and faculty, your classroom will succeed. In my opinion, one component does not work well without the other.As a unit, we can all learn from one another through suggestion, and trial and error. Pausch also spoke on his experience with a pilot program he was a part of and at the end of their assignments he would ask them to complete a survey. I think it is important as a teacher to get feedback, positive and negative, to allow room to make changes and become more effective educators.

Sweet Sixteen

Blog Post #14

One assignment that could be used in EDM 310 is to have students use find an app using an iPad that would be useful in a classroom and give a review on them. It is beneficial to know how to use a device and use it to its full potential. For instance, I would choose an app that is conducive to elementary students since I'm an Elementary Education Major. Personally I would choose an app for reading. One app that I found very resourceful was High Frequency words. This app uses the dolch words which is a compilation of words that are frequently seen in text. The app is completely interactive. The students can tap on the words and see them being used in a sentence. In addition to becoming familiar to the words, they can get familiar with the letter in the word and identify them as tall and short letters. This is a great way to help your struggling readers and to give them something different besides flash cards. I would rate this app on the scale of 1-10, a 8 only because some of the features aren't unlocked.

Blog Post 15

The video I watched introduced a device called The Mountbatten that is being used at The Florida School of the Deaf and Blind. The Mountbatten is an extremely advanced device that allows blind students to be involved in classroom assignments and to receive feedback from their teacher. As the student brailles, the machine says what is being brailled.

I think this is an amazing tool for blind students to utilize in the classroom as opposed to not participating in class discussions and not communicating their thoughts. This device has the ability to save files and transfer files. They is also a way for teachers to receive a translation of the braille writing.

It is important to be in tune with the new technological advances so that we can better our students learning abilities and that we cater to each and every student regardless of their disability.

Author: Lauren Patterson Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child Is Learning On the iPad

This video was created by Denise Robinson to help parents understand how their children are using the iPad to learn. After watching this video, it really made me think about all the children, who cannot hear or see. It is very challenging, but having all these technologies that we can use is very helpful and touching.

The National Federation of the Blind, is the largest organization of the blind in America. It was founded in 1940, and has grown to include over 50,000 members. I was reading about it, and its amazing that these people are able to go to college, and become successful people. Sheila Koenig is a member of this organization. She teaches 9th grade English at Southview Middle School in Minnesota. She uses braille for seating charts or notes, and uses the computer for speech.

I think that it is extremely important for parents to learn what their children are doing in school. It will really help the parents get a clue of what they're learning in school, so that they can help them with there homework. or assignments. I will be using the computer as well as the ipad in my classroom.

This video by Denise Robinson was a very touching video. This gives you a great idea of why iPads are so important to have in your classroom. Children that are not able to do certain things in the classroom that most kids can, is now possible. Technology is making so many changes in our kids lives. Students are able to use these tools, to get the independent learning they need on their own.

I also found an amazing video on The National Federation for the Blind

Author: Claire Williams ----

This is a subject that is very dear to my heart. Children with special needs are so often discredited and not given the same opportunities as normal, healthy children and it simply isn’t fair. Although children with special needs may require special attention, they should still be treated the same, and given the same opportunities to learn and grow. It is important as future educators that we are well aware of the many different tools available to assist us in the classroom should we be fortunate enough to teach a special needs student.

Naturally I believe that teachers can make a huge impact on each student, but I believe there is even bigger potential to make a difference in the life of a special needs student. Not everyone is “cut out” to deal with special needs children, so before committing to the task, teachers should really evaluate themselves and determine if they are capable and ready for the challenge. It will take a lot of patience and compassion...but the reward is so much greater!

Technology has come a long way. Whether the student is deaf, blind or has a physical disability, scientist are constantly inventing devices to assist those students in the classrooms. For instance, in the video, Teaching Math to the Blind, Professor Art Karshmer discusses a device called the 3M Touchpad that was designed and created to teach math to students who are blind. Those who are blind are taught how to read by using braille. This presents the main obstacle when teaching math to the blind, since math is not only linear. With this new device, blind students are able to place “braille dice” on a large electronic pad, and the coordinates are read aloud which then allows them to visualize the math problem and therefore work and solve the problems. Inventions of such devices to assist those with sensory impairments are allowing barriers to be removed and learning to flourish.

While researching more on this topic, I came across this website that list several useful assistive technology tools for the classroom. The one I found most interesting was the FaceMouse. This device allows students who have limited mobility to use head movement and facial expressions to navigate and perform tasks on the computer. For most of us, using a computer is second nature. However for a special needs student it could be another milestone that devices such as this are making possible to be accomplished. Once again….breaking down barriers!

With hard work and effort, teaching a special needs student can be such a rewarding experience for both the teacher and the student. Who knows, you could be teaching the next Beethoven!

Author: Hilliary Sanders