My definition for assistive technology is technology that helps students in a classroom and in life. I think a teacher would use assistive technology to reach a student's learning ability. After playing with some materials in the Kalikow center and researching online, I have realized that assistive technology is used to reach a student's learning ability, but also to help them accommodate for everyday needs. A lot of assistive technology available is to help people, so they can get through a day with a voice or so they can have the same resources everybody has. A school needs to have a variety of assistive technology tools available, so all of a student's learning and daily needs are met.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is is a blueprint for teachers to accommodate the variety of learners in one classroom using a wide range of technology offered today. Teachers have to teach a variety of learners in one classroom and cannot use one lesson, assessment, method, or goal to teach every student found inside one one classroom. New research shows that the brain organizes information in three networks: the recognition network gathers facts; the strategic network is how we plan and/or perform asks; and the affective network is where students are engaged and excited. Using these categories UDL created a universal curriculum that has a multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. Using an UDL based curriculum teachers will be able to reach more students at once.
Section 508 is a federal law that states that agencies must provide their electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, which includes employees and people of the public. States and schools that receive federal money from the Technology Related Assistance Related Assistance for Individuals are required to follow the Section 508 law. This law relates to me because I need to make sure that the technology I use will be available for all my students. For example, when we type a word document, I would need to a LOMAC so my student who has no use with his/her hands will be able to also type a word document. So, before I decide to do a class activity or lesson I need to make sure some students will not be excluded because they are unable to use the technology in the lesson. I need to make sure my students with disabilities have the same technological resources available to them that my students without disabilities have.
I found some really great technologies at the Kalikow center. The LOMAC would be great for students who do not have use of their hands. A students where a headset that has a laser on it, so when the student moves his/her head so the laser points to a letter the student can type just from pointing to a letter then enter. I would need to offer more time for my student using the LOMAC because when I tried using it I found it to be very time consuming but useful.
I really enjoyed the Start to Finish books that look like chapter books so a student would not be embarrassed at having a lower level book. I like how the student has the actual book in his/her hands while the computer reads and highlights the words of the short versions of classic books. The program also offers worksheets and activity to take the book beyond just the reading. Students can read along while hearing the correct pronunciation, fluency, and what word the reader is on. This tool is so helpful in a classroom.
The Tango in the Kalikow center was amazing. This tool would be amazing for my students who have speech problems from autism to being completely mute. What a cool way for them to have a voice! I like how it had a digital camera so students can have pictures of people they know doing everyday activities. All an adult has to do it program a saying into the little machine, the size is another advantage, and the child will have their own voice for asking if he/she can have a drink. A teacher could have the student make a project on the Tango by taking pictures of how to tie one's shows, then another student, teacher, or adult can program the voice into the machine. Although the Tango costs $7,000, it is worth it to give a child a voice.
I found information about the miniMerc, which is a little computer that students can take anywhere. From the description given on the website I looked at, I thought the miniMerc would be great for students who were mute because the touch screen could let them just push a picture to show what he/she wanted. The miniMerc could have pre-made schedules on it by using boardmaker, so the student could have a certain screen during snack time that might have pictures of the snack, food, or bathroom on it to ask for what he/she wants. I mainly liked this piece of technology so students can have a voice. It must be so irritating to not be able to express what one wants, and with this small device students can tell me what they need to be comfortable.
Overall, I see the use of assistive technology for all my students whether they have a physical or mental handicap or not. I brought home letters that have a magnet ball in them to drag as you write for my three year old nephew, and he played with them forever, but he doesn't have any known handicaps. I understand how important it is for schools to have access to a variety of assistive technology so I can teach all my students and allow them to feel involved in the classroom. The more materials I have access to, the better my students education will be.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Science Unit Ideas
1. My first idea for a science unit, and the one I plan on actually designing. I will be planning on doing an ABC wikibook about animals with second graders. My students will either draw a picture on pixie, a picture we scan they drew, or one off from the web to have more ideas. It just so happens that I have 26 students this year in my classroom so each student will be assigned a letter, and we will brainstorm different animals with that letter. My students will do research on the internet and in books, and create a web on kidspiration to organize their research. Then I will hand out two different guidelines for writing their piece, one will only be ten sentences along, but students cannot just get an image off from the web, or the writing can be twenty sentences long, and the students can get an image from the web.
2. My fourth grade students are doing a project on the forces of Earth, such as a volcano, earthquake, or hurricane. I would have my students, in groups, design an experiment or example of how their force works, such as a model of a volcano or have a model with houses and have water come rushing in to show a flood. It would take a lot of time to build these models in class, and I would ask parents to help in anyway they can whether it be providing materials or helping their children build their model. This needs to be built in class though because I will be video taping the students, unless parents will videotape the group together at their own home. With the videotapes we will make an imovie with the group saying how the model and actual Earth force works. My only concern with this idea is the two week limit, I think it would take a lot longer to actually build, videotape, and produce an imovie with fourth graders.
3. It is almost Earth Day, and my fifth graders are going to make a comic about the environment on comic life. Each student will research a certain topic about saving the environment, such as how to recycle, then students will make a comic about their research. Students will need to create characters and dialog that will fit the comic. In this project students will be researching how to save the environment, such as studying global warming, but instead of a research paper, they will make a comic. Students will need to find images and pictures for their comic, but the challenge is to make it, so anybody could understand the dialog. In other words I want students to use their own language not scientific language while making these comics, such as, "Dude, pick up or trash!" Students will be studying the environment and how to better their own community from this project.
4. My third graders need to study plants and how a plant grows. Students will pick their own flower or plant to study how it grows, such as a daisy. They will learn how it starts as a seed and the stages it goes through to become a flower. My students will make illustrations on pixie of the different stages a flower goes through. Then students will put the pixie images onto frames to make an audio book on how a plant grows. The students will be adding text for a general headline of the stage the plant is in for the picture, then they will be adding audio that they wrote previously. When students are done we will put their projects on our class website for the community to enjoy.
5. My sixth graders are studying inventors, and will pick one inventor to study. Instead of writing a research paper, students will write a script of their inventor being interviewed. I will be the interviewer for the students unless a parent or friend would like to be the interviewer. The students will be making a podcast about famous inventors, and the different episodes will be the students individual inventor. So students will have their script and make a podcast, but must find ten different images to add to the podcast of the inventor and the invention/s. Students will also hand in a bibliography to me to show where they got their research from.
2. My fourth grade students are doing a project on the forces of Earth, such as a volcano, earthquake, or hurricane. I would have my students, in groups, design an experiment or example of how their force works, such as a model of a volcano or have a model with houses and have water come rushing in to show a flood. It would take a lot of time to build these models in class, and I would ask parents to help in anyway they can whether it be providing materials or helping their children build their model. This needs to be built in class though because I will be video taping the students, unless parents will videotape the group together at their own home. With the videotapes we will make an imovie with the group saying how the model and actual Earth force works. My only concern with this idea is the two week limit, I think it would take a lot longer to actually build, videotape, and produce an imovie with fourth graders.
3. It is almost Earth Day, and my fifth graders are going to make a comic about the environment on comic life. Each student will research a certain topic about saving the environment, such as how to recycle, then students will make a comic about their research. Students will need to create characters and dialog that will fit the comic. In this project students will be researching how to save the environment, such as studying global warming, but instead of a research paper, they will make a comic. Students will need to find images and pictures for their comic, but the challenge is to make it, so anybody could understand the dialog. In other words I want students to use their own language not scientific language while making these comics, such as, "Dude, pick up or trash!" Students will be studying the environment and how to better their own community from this project.
4. My third graders need to study plants and how a plant grows. Students will pick their own flower or plant to study how it grows, such as a daisy. They will learn how it starts as a seed and the stages it goes through to become a flower. My students will make illustrations on pixie of the different stages a flower goes through. Then students will put the pixie images onto frames to make an audio book on how a plant grows. The students will be adding text for a general headline of the stage the plant is in for the picture, then they will be adding audio that they wrote previously. When students are done we will put their projects on our class website for the community to enjoy.
5. My sixth graders are studying inventors, and will pick one inventor to study. Instead of writing a research paper, students will write a script of their inventor being interviewed. I will be the interviewer for the students unless a parent or friend would like to be the interviewer. The students will be making a podcast about famous inventors, and the different episodes will be the students individual inventor. So students will have their script and make a podcast, but must find ten different images to add to the podcast of the inventor and the invention/s. Students will also hand in a bibliography to me to show where they got their research from.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Podcasts
New School Year's Resolution
The podcast I listened to was about twenty-three minutes long, and was a KidCast: Learning and Teaching with Podcasts. Dan Schmit was the man speaking during the podcast. The podcast was from August 24, 2006, so it was the time that school would be starting. Schmit asked teachers to make a New School Year's Resolution to include podcasts in the curriculum. Schmit suggested just trying short, three to ten minute, podcasts in the classroom to see how students react, and to see if the podcasts are beneficial to the curriculum. Schmit also talked about using cell phone effectively in the classroom, so that the students can use something they love in the classroom. He suggested looking at http://odeo.com to look at how cell phones and other technology can be used in the classroom. He said that the man who helped make blogger.com was looking at how cell phones could be used in the classroom. At the end of the podcast Schmit answered a question about writing a grant to get ipods for the classroom. He told the woman how to write a grant, but also told her of other ways to get podcasts into the classroom that would be cheaper.
I think that podcasts could be used in classroom at the right time to be an effective tool to teach students. I think that if there was a podcast of a speech or about a topic the class was discussing then finding a podcast for the students to listen to would be beneficial. I think that podcasts would be more appropriate for older grades who would have more of an attention span to sit and listen to a podcast. When I was listening to the podcast I felt like I was listening to a lecture, so I think that would be hard for younger grades to sit through. If I could find a podcast in funny voices that was dialogue or something, then the younger grades might have fun listening to the podcast. I think the biggest problem with podcasts in the classroom is students getting bored while listening to them. I think having students make their own podcasts is a fun project for students to do. Students would have fun making a podcast then listening to themselves after and getting to have other people listen to the podcast. Podcasts could help instruct literacy instruction by listening to podcasts about a topic of literacy. It could be another reinforcement for the students, and anything that helps a teacher reinforce a lesson is helpful. Students could also create their own podcasts on a literacy topic that way the students have more experience with the literacy piece. Basically, podcasts are a great tool for reinforcement in the classroom that students could find a new and refreshing aspect in the classroom.
Podcasts in my Practicum Classroom:
1) I would have my students listen to a podcast about poetry or a podcast in which poems are read to help reinforce the poetry unit they are doing. Students could hear other examples, and could even publish their own works to be on a podcast or create a podcast of their poetry.
2) I would have my students create a podcast about preparing for their MEAs for the grades coming in that have to go through the standardize tests. The podcast can be fun and silly or serious as the students give advice and practice writing a podcast.
3) I would have my students make a podcast about the state of Maine as an advertisement to attract newcomers to the state. The podcast would cover what we have been talking about in class about the resources and places in Maine that are attractive.
4) I could have my students make a podcast in the Spanish they have learned. They could write a basic conversation or tell the public how to say basic phrases in Spanish.
5) I could have my students listen to a podcast about new children's books to check out. This way they are learning new books and how to talk about literature.
The podcast I listened to was about twenty-three minutes long, and was a KidCast: Learning and Teaching with Podcasts. Dan Schmit was the man speaking during the podcast. The podcast was from August 24, 2006, so it was the time that school would be starting. Schmit asked teachers to make a New School Year's Resolution to include podcasts in the curriculum. Schmit suggested just trying short, three to ten minute, podcasts in the classroom to see how students react, and to see if the podcasts are beneficial to the curriculum. Schmit also talked about using cell phone effectively in the classroom, so that the students can use something they love in the classroom. He suggested looking at http://odeo.com to look at how cell phones and other technology can be used in the classroom. He said that the man who helped make blogger.com was looking at how cell phones could be used in the classroom. At the end of the podcast Schmit answered a question about writing a grant to get ipods for the classroom. He told the woman how to write a grant, but also told her of other ways to get podcasts into the classroom that would be cheaper.
I think that podcasts could be used in classroom at the right time to be an effective tool to teach students. I think that if there was a podcast of a speech or about a topic the class was discussing then finding a podcast for the students to listen to would be beneficial. I think that podcasts would be more appropriate for older grades who would have more of an attention span to sit and listen to a podcast. When I was listening to the podcast I felt like I was listening to a lecture, so I think that would be hard for younger grades to sit through. If I could find a podcast in funny voices that was dialogue or something, then the younger grades might have fun listening to the podcast. I think the biggest problem with podcasts in the classroom is students getting bored while listening to them. I think having students make their own podcasts is a fun project for students to do. Students would have fun making a podcast then listening to themselves after and getting to have other people listen to the podcast. Podcasts could help instruct literacy instruction by listening to podcasts about a topic of literacy. It could be another reinforcement for the students, and anything that helps a teacher reinforce a lesson is helpful. Students could also create their own podcasts on a literacy topic that way the students have more experience with the literacy piece. Basically, podcasts are a great tool for reinforcement in the classroom that students could find a new and refreshing aspect in the classroom.
Podcasts in my Practicum Classroom:
1) I would have my students listen to a podcast about poetry or a podcast in which poems are read to help reinforce the poetry unit they are doing. Students could hear other examples, and could even publish their own works to be on a podcast or create a podcast of their poetry.
2) I would have my students create a podcast about preparing for their MEAs for the grades coming in that have to go through the standardize tests. The podcast can be fun and silly or serious as the students give advice and practice writing a podcast.
3) I would have my students make a podcast about the state of Maine as an advertisement to attract newcomers to the state. The podcast would cover what we have been talking about in class about the resources and places in Maine that are attractive.
4) I could have my students make a podcast in the Spanish they have learned. They could write a basic conversation or tell the public how to say basic phrases in Spanish.
5) I could have my students listen to a podcast about new children's books to check out. This way they are learning new books and how to talk about literature.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Options for language arts unit
Option 1: I will have students read Pinocchio, a play version, and we will perform the play. Students will be assigned parts and will have to try to remember as much as possible for the play. We will make cue cards just in case students have trouble memorizing their lines. Students will borrow costumes from the local theater program and we will perform the play on the school stage. Instead of performing for a large audience, we will be making an imovie of our version of the play. This way parents can view the play online, and students will be able to see their own masterpiece!
Option 2: Students will do a book report for a book they have previously read in class, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. To help students learn the format of a report we will be using inspiration. They will be brainstorming three ideas each out of the book to write about, then will use the program to branch more ideas off of their three main points. Students will then be able to create an outline to write their paper by. If they get lost while writing their paper or have more ideas, they can return to inspiration to add more ideas to their diagram. Then when they hit outline they can see how the ideas can fit into their report.
Option 3: I will put my students in groups of four and will give each group a picture book to read. The picture book will be at the group's reading level, but I will make sure the book will be a challenging picture book they can work through together. The students will then make their own illustrations of the book with NO words. We will take digital pictures of the students drawings to post a youtube video using frames. The groups will read the story so while frames is playing the story is being read with the students own illustrations. The groups will share their frames production with the class so we will all learn a new picture book.
Option 4: Students will read Out of the Dust to introduce the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression and it will show them free verse poem. Students will have the choice of 10 poems from the book to translate into how we would write a journal today. Students do not have to be formal in the journal; the point of the unit is to show them how poems are translated so we can understand them. Students will keep a blog with their versions of the poems. At the end of the unit I will look at the blogs and put them in order of how they appear in the book. This way the class can read their own version of Out of the Dust.
Option 5: Students will learn to write dialogue in this unit. In groups of four they will write a short dialogue about being respectful to one another. I will give them different scenarios such as what to do when someone if being a bully, helping each other, having a polite conversation, and making sure everyone is included. They will be asked to make up a story where those scenarios would be happening or need to happen. The students will then create a podcast of their dialogue. The podcast will be played for the younger grades so they learn the school rules of being respectful.
Option 2: Students will do a book report for a book they have previously read in class, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. To help students learn the format of a report we will be using inspiration. They will be brainstorming three ideas each out of the book to write about, then will use the program to branch more ideas off of their three main points. Students will then be able to create an outline to write their paper by. If they get lost while writing their paper or have more ideas, they can return to inspiration to add more ideas to their diagram. Then when they hit outline they can see how the ideas can fit into their report.
Option 3: I will put my students in groups of four and will give each group a picture book to read. The picture book will be at the group's reading level, but I will make sure the book will be a challenging picture book they can work through together. The students will then make their own illustrations of the book with NO words. We will take digital pictures of the students drawings to post a youtube video using frames. The groups will read the story so while frames is playing the story is being read with the students own illustrations. The groups will share their frames production with the class so we will all learn a new picture book.
Option 4: Students will read Out of the Dust to introduce the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression and it will show them free verse poem. Students will have the choice of 10 poems from the book to translate into how we would write a journal today. Students do not have to be formal in the journal; the point of the unit is to show them how poems are translated so we can understand them. Students will keep a blog with their versions of the poems. At the end of the unit I will look at the blogs and put them in order of how they appear in the book. This way the class can read their own version of Out of the Dust.
Option 5: Students will learn to write dialogue in this unit. In groups of four they will write a short dialogue about being respectful to one another. I will give them different scenarios such as what to do when someone if being a bully, helping each other, having a polite conversation, and making sure everyone is included. They will be asked to make up a story where those scenarios would be happening or need to happen. The students will then create a podcast of their dialogue. The podcast will be played for the younger grades so they learn the school rules of being respectful.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I believe that technology can play a powerful role in education, but that it cannot replace some traditional teaching strategies. I believe that children shouldn't type everything for instance because how are they to learn to write if all they do is type. There is a fine line would technology should not be allowed in education because not everyone can afford the technology in their homes and some technology should be left in one's personal lives. The other fear with computers, for instance, is to make sure students are on task and not looking up inappropriate sites instead of researching a project. Yet, we can use technology to connect students to the rest of world so they understand that there are other people who live different then them. We can use technology to enhance an education but not replace it.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Reaction to Online Viewings
I found the first viewing, A Vision of Students Today, very interesting especially since it seemed to pertain to college. I thought the way the video was shot made it very dramatic especially with music in the background. The students holding up the signs with solemn faces made it seem even more real. It was shocking that 18% of student's professors don't even know his or her name or that 49% didn't even read his or her textbook. Even though I go to a small college campus I could relate to feeling of not having enough time in the day to finish all my work. The statistic that I had 26.5 hours of work in a day was shocking but true.
I agree with the film when it mentioned that technology could help, but I do not think technology should not be used for every aspect of teaching. I thought that The Machine is Us/ing Us Final Version showed the concept of technology in our lives better when it said computer text leaves us with more options. The computer can be a tool for humans, but there is a point where the machine becomes us which I believe should not happen. I don't want technology to conform us to a mold such as the text does when people all write differently normally. Yet times are changing as Pay Attention stated and in order to reach this generation teachers must use technology to engage them as learners. Children are growing with the ever changing computers and love to us these new machines. Educators could use student's love for technology to make them love their schoolwork that would use the new systems.
And the Walls cam Tumbling Down offered an approach to how technology is changing teaching with blackboard and google. This allows people to share ideas and that is what learning is all about. Students can create a blog that shares their ideas and then others can respond to the blogs. This makes learning active and gets the students thinking so they develop life skills. Do Something Disruptive showed how there are two ways to use technology which is Type I and Type II. Type I will just replace what teachers already do, but Type II will introduce new ideas in the classroom to activate the students. I thought Type II was important to keep learning fun and new because a big problem is students getting bored from year to year with the same types of assignments. I think all the readings and viewings showed how technology can be used positively in a classroom. I don't think the point is to completely change the teaching methods of the past but to develop them as our society develops.
I agree with the film when it mentioned that technology could help, but I do not think technology should not be used for every aspect of teaching. I thought that The Machine is Us/ing Us Final Version showed the concept of technology in our lives better when it said computer text leaves us with more options. The computer can be a tool for humans, but there is a point where the machine becomes us which I believe should not happen. I don't want technology to conform us to a mold such as the text does when people all write differently normally. Yet times are changing as Pay Attention stated and in order to reach this generation teachers must use technology to engage them as learners. Children are growing with the ever changing computers and love to us these new machines. Educators could use student's love for technology to make them love their schoolwork that would use the new systems.
And the Walls cam Tumbling Down offered an approach to how technology is changing teaching with blackboard and google. This allows people to share ideas and that is what learning is all about. Students can create a blog that shares their ideas and then others can respond to the blogs. This makes learning active and gets the students thinking so they develop life skills. Do Something Disruptive showed how there are two ways to use technology which is Type I and Type II. Type I will just replace what teachers already do, but Type II will introduce new ideas in the classroom to activate the students. I thought Type II was important to keep learning fun and new because a big problem is students getting bored from year to year with the same types of assignments. I think all the readings and viewings showed how technology can be used positively in a classroom. I don't think the point is to completely change the teaching methods of the past but to develop them as our society develops.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
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