Assistive Technology

Everyone learns a different way. With kids who have multiple intelligence and have multiple ways of learning. Some learn better hands on and others do well listening. It’s important for a teacher to be flexible in how they teach. When I have my first classroom I’m going to have to adopt a bunch of different strategies in my lessons so everyone is learning the same information.

Although we as teachers will have a specific style of teaching, we will need to create a “universal design” for our classrooms. A universal design is a way of adapting our material for all students and their diverse styles of learning. We need to be flexible on how they learn, express and use technology.

It’s important to include technology in the classroom because it’s a great way to tap into our students learning abilities. Some students we will have in our classrooms are disabled and will not be able to use all the technology. The Disabilities’ Act set up Section 508 that says that there must be different tools and ways to access the use of technology. It’s essential to follow this law because every student deserves the same opportunities so the more tools that they have, the easier it will be to use it.

Some of the tools that were in the Kalikow Center helped students that had physical disabilities. I used a modified mouse that students could use that had a hard time griping smaller items such as a mouse. The track ball was a huge ball that had buttons on the side. It was very easy to grasp and would allow them to perform the same operations a mouse would use. I also played with fraction blocks. These blocks would be great for students who needed concrete objects when they were learning about fractions. The blocks were meant to compare to other blocks. For instance, three blocks that were showing one fifth fractions would be the same size as six blocks that were one tenth fractions. Another instrument that I used was the LOMAC. It had a headband that had a laser on it. It also had a keypad that you would use the laser with. It would allow the student to still type without actually touching a normal keypad. Voice recognition software is also very useful for students who have a hard time typing or writing. The software recognizes their voice and will record what they are saying. This is helpful when students are better at speaking and know exactly what they are trying to communicate but are stumbling through writing it. All of these tools are good to use when creating an inclusive environment. Have resources that help make technology more accessible is very important because it gives students access to strategies in making learning easier.

The resources at the Kalikow Center are vast and very useful. It’s important in being flexible and having resources available. Creating a method to making lessons more open and easy to follow along for every student takes practice. I look forward to the day when everyone will be able to learn the way that they are capable of and to use the tools necessary in accomplishing this.

Podcast- Interview with Judy Sierra

http://www.justonemorebook.com/#

This podcast was about writer Judy Sierra who just published the book Monster Goose. She was first exposed to writing and making up stories. She used to have a printing press and she would make advertisements to puppet shows she created. She also baby sat a lot so she would make up stories to keep her charges entertained. She became a librarian so she could incorporate her love of puppets. She’s now rewriting folk tales to be scarier. She loves the process of rewriting folk tales. She picks apart different fairy tales and finds similar themes and combines them to make a new fairy tale. She feels that read out-louds makes children more engaged. She gives some good advice for teachers. She suggests that teachers should give students a certain freedom, and if they expose them to other’s creativity they will be able to experiment.

Podcasts are an excellent tool that can be used in the classroom. Interview podcasts, like the one I listened to, can give students a look into how an author’s writing process. They can gain some pointers for making their writing better. There are also podcasts where grammar lessons are taught. These podcasts would be good to use in the class to teach a mini lesson if certain students were struggling with a skill. Reader’s theater podcast would also be good to incorporate when doing a novel or other story. Exposing students to podcasts made by other students would show them that they can create the same thing.

Teaching grammar in a classroom needs to be thought out and planned thoroughly. Grammar podcasts can assist in literacy instruction by providing a simple mini lesson. In order for students to write properly, grammar is essential. Podcasts can help by giving students a quick glimpse into how to improve their skills. Read-out-loud podcasts also support literacy instruction because it engages students in the reading. Most podcasts have different voices and are very entertaining.

Ways to incorporate this podcast in a classroom:

1. 1. I could split students up and they analyze different fairy tales and find similar themes and piece them together.

2. 2. I could have students read fairy tales and rewrite a fairy tale in contemporary times.

3. 3. I could have students pick a fairy tale and have the rewrite in different genres. This would incorporate the term “literary quilter”.

4.I 4. I would have students create puppets that go along with their fairy tales and present a presentation for the class.

5. 5. Students would create a script for a reader’s theater and present it for the class.

Language Arts Integrated Ideas

1. For my language arts unit, my topic is Shakespeare. One final product that the students will create is a podcast. Their podcast will be of a reader's theater of a Shakespearian play. There will be at least four students in a group and all their voices will be heard. They will also have to incorporate music into their podcast. They will also add pictures of them acting out scenes of the play they are reading. A reader's theater will get them involved in the lanugage and creating a podcast will let them share their presentation.

2. Connecting students to other students in another part of the world will help them learn about that area in a personable manner. The class will choice an area they would like to research. They will then use search engines to find a classroom in that area. They will create a blog that will ask questions about what they want to know about that area. They will be able to correspond with the other class via blog posts. This will help them to communicate with another area and find out information through personal contact. They will also be practicing their writing by posting blogs.

3. Students will choose a "how to" book. They will chose the book based on their interests. After reading it, they will create an iMovie. Their iMovie will be a lesson on what they learned to do. They will use the movie to teach the class a lesson. They will use partners to film each other and edit the footage on iMovie. We will then have a movie share where we will practice what the students have taught. This activity will get students to use what they have read and to become a teacher themselves.

4. Students will choice a historical or popular figure. They will do some online research and work in the library to find the history of their person. They will then create a multimedia project to present what they have learned. Some tools that students can use are Media Blender, Inspiration, Power Point, Frames, iMovie, and iTunes. This project will get students to be creative and to present information in a non-traditional way.

5. Student will make an online portfolio on books that they are reading. In their portfolio they must include a summery, an evaluation, and provide links to other books that the author has written and other related books. They will be able to share their sites with other kids in the class. Students will be able to get other kids involved in what they are reading and will help other students choice other books.

Beliefs about Technology

I believe that technology in the classroom will help students gain skills that they will need in the future. Our world is full of technology and as our students grow up and enter the real world they will need an understanding of what technology can do for them. We need to make sure that we are positive about technology but also aware of what is out there.

The videos that I watched told a very powerful message: We need to take control of our voice and use it in a way that will benefit ourselves and others. We have so many tools at our fingertips. Technology is becoming advanced every day. With all these resources we need to use it for some good.

In the video “A Vision of Student’s Today”, students are using technology in a passive way when they should be learning and getting something out of their education. Instead they are browsing such sites as Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and similar sites. These sites are building communities but they have a time and a place and view them in a classroom is a little inappropriate.

As up and coming teachers, we should be on the prowl for websites that can enhance our lessons. There are a variety of helpful websites that have been made to be used as resources. We in turn can create websites to help others. Many teachers are putting their lesson plans online to help new teachers find their style. When I’m a teacher I want to create a community for my students and since a lot of them are online I want to create a place to go where they can find resources, tips, share their thoughts and connect to other students in their class or school.

I agree with the article, “Do Something Disruptive”. I think that there are certain tools that we can use to be more effective teachers and there are some tools that we can challenge ourselves and our students. One such tool that I have been exposed to is the SMARTboard. It acts like a regular white board but it’s capable of so much more. It allows students and teachers to hook it up to the internet and interact with websites. I would love to have this tool in my classroom and use it for math, spelling, and art as well as countless other topics. I feel like the more resources teachers have the more we have to reach out to students.

There are many ways that we can reach out to students using technology. There are countless lessons in the science department that deals with technology. We can explore new life with high powered microscopes. We can also create labs that incorporate technology. The more options we have, the more we expand a child’s mind.

By taking Computers in the Classroom, I will be exposed to different ideas that I may use at some later point. I need to open minded and even if I’m unfamiliar with an approach, I should keep in mind that I am a student as well and challenges need to be present in order to grow.

References “A Vision of Student’s Today” Michael Wesch i : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o . October 12, 2007.

“Do Something Disruptive” Mike Muir: http://everyonelearns.blogspot.com/2006/04/do-something-disruptive.html . April 6, 2006.

This is my first post in my EDU 302 Computers in the Classroom class. Stay tuned for upcoming posts!