Blog Assignment #16

Part 1: Final Reflection

After reviewing my first blog post of this semester, I have developed a better view of what my future classroom will look like. In my first post, I was uncertain as to what my future classroom would hold. I noted that I want my students to know that they are valued and that their thoughts, opinions, and experiences matter. In addition, I want to be able to instill self-esteem and confidence in my students. These things remain the same; however, there are additional things that I would assure my future Secondary Literature class will include.

In my classroom, I now know that self-learning, self-exploring, and self-reflection are all important aspects to learning that need to be included in any classroom. With these things in mind, I will utilize tools that the students are interested in, and I will use tools that are valid to their everyday lives. My students will be allowed the freedom to utilize tools of their choosing to explore and research topics being learned in the classroom. If I were to begin teaching today, some of those tools would include; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google tools, Prezi, Skype, and a wide range of Apple applications. This list of tools is not conclusive, as our world is ever changing.

My classroom would be setup in a collaborative manner, instead of desks; I would assure there were accommodations for round table settings. I would assure there was appropriate access to the internet and tools needed to explore the subject matter in a personal way.

The activities in my classroom would include presentations by students showing what they have learned. The students would show how they were interacting with each other and students they have met through online collaboration. The activities would be a product of project-based learning, and each student would be able to display their learning in their own unique way.

My classroom would be ever changing based on the students’ needs and the changing environment we live in. The view of my future classroom has changed this semester in that I understand now that project-based learning is necessary to allow students to grow more fully and explore their passions in a unique way.

Part 2: Video Reflection

Blog Assignment #15

What Assistive Technologies Are Available To Us As Teachers?
Authored by: Secoria Burks, Jo Davis, and Lindsay Stewart

This blog post encourages us to find assistive technologies that are available for our use as teachers. There are many tools which can be utilized in the classroom that can assist us in providing enhanced curriculum to our students with disabilities. These tools will enhance participation and encourage interaction with our students’ peers and environment.

The Assistive Technology Blog
Authored by: Lindsay Stewart

This blog is a publication from the Virginia Commonwealth University. There are many links on the left side-bar that offer specific posts regarding Assistive Technologies (AT) in different areas. There are links for AT for Math, AT for Organizing, AT for Reading, AT for Writing, etc… I have chosen to focus on AT for Writing as I will be teaching Secondary English.

Panther Writer from Panther Technology on Vimeo.

One post in the blog highlights “Panther Technology.” Panther Technology creates Apps for use by students with disabilities. There are apps for math, reading, and other subjects; the app I found would be most useful in my future classroom is the “Panther Writer." This app has made it possible to have different layouts to the basic keyboard we are all so used to seeing/using. The Panther Writer has four keyboards; the basic plus, Tom’s keyboard, the vertical fall keyboard, and the high contrast keyboards. Each keyboard is enhanced by one-touch edit functions, accessible file management, and the ability to email and post to Facebook. Tom’s keyboard has a two layer keyboard; the first layer consists of keys that make up 95% of all keystrokes, and the second layer contains the infrequently used letters. This keyboard has the word prediction as well, making it an efficient alternative to the basic keyboard. The vertical fall keyboard features vertically stacked letters and function keys which can be chosen by running your finger along the base of the iPad and letting the letters come to you. This keyboard is great for individuals with very limited motor control. The high contrast keyboards assist individuals with diverse motor and cognitive needs with mild visual impairment. Each keyboard offered by Panther Technologies can be used in the high contrast mode.

Although there are numerous AT available to teachers to use in their classroom, I really love the Panther Writer as it can be used in combination with other applications. Its use on the iPad allows for more efficient use of technology, better note taking, and an opportunity for students with disabilities to interact more easily with their environment.

The Cook Special Education Blog
Authored by: Jo Davis

When you hear “assistive technologies” I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind isn’t gardening. I sure didn’t think so! But after reading an article on the Cooke Center’s website in which they used a gardening project as a teaching method for kids with learning disabilities I became very interested in it.

Food is very near and dear to my heart and I also like hands on projects so this drew my attention immediately. Although gardening isn’t “high-tech” it is still a high beneficial method of education that can be used to teach about health and science. Upon further research on the subject I found a page on farmtoschool that stated “Children with learning disabilities, who participated in gardening activities, had enhanced nonverbal communication skills, developed awareness of the advantages of order, learned how to participate in a cooperative effort, and formed relationships with adults.” I know this is a technology class but I really see this implementation of a class gardening project is really thinking out of the box and has proved to be very assistive! This project could also be greatly benefited by the supplementation of technology. Kids could research gardening techniques and important tips on their class iPads and even look up visuals of garden bugs and pests for quick recognition. I think it would also work out greatly if students could document their progress with the garden on a class blog. It is an extensive project that lends to documentation and plenty of visuals. This kind of project that is constant and requires diligence and patience could really prove to be a great assistive education method for special needs learners.

Again I know gardening itself isn’t a technology but I think it is a great project that calls on the use of many various technologies and really thinks outside of the box to assist the teaching/learning process.

ADDitude Blog for Teachers with ADD/ ADHD Students
Authored by: Secoria Burks

This site consist of blogs for and by people with ADD and ADHD, it is for adults and students in both professional and personal aspects of life. After scrolling through the tabs at the top of the page I found a page devoted to teachers. On this tab I found the blog “Teacher I Need Your Help”, it addressed some issues and concerns of students with ADD and ADHD. One thing that I noticed a lot of was the need for repeated instruction and to be reminded of the classroom structure. To me this equates to the need for assistance with organization and memory.

I found a site with tools for students and teachers with disabilities or challenges of any kind. In the category for organization, I found an app for Apple called iCommunicate, it offers visual schedules, choice boards, text to speech,and audio recordings. In a classroom setting this could be used to keep students focused on the assignments they have to do and keep them engaged. The only downside would be that it requires an iTunes account and there would be no way for students to interact with it on their own. However, a teacher could make an account for each class and students could participate in class assignments; this would keep students focused. It could be a daily reminder of weekly events and double as a visual calendar.