Final Blog Post: Looking Back on My First Blog Post

I believe that my overall viewpoint about technology has not changed. I still see technology as a key "tool" in education as well as in the rest of the world. However, I do see how technology can be implemented within the classroom setting in a different light. I can see now that not all technology serves a purpose in the classroom, and that teachers need to filter what technological tools are implemented in their lessons.

In terms of how I personally feel about my technology skills, I will say that I do feel more comfortable when using programs like the ones we used. I would have never thought I would be able to make my own website, and display different projects that I created on there! I believe that this class eased some of my worry about implementing technology in a classroom. This class has opened my eyes into the technological world, and has made me want to explore more programs.

In the beginning of the summer I had taken a class about parents and families, and my biggest concern was learning how to communicate effectively and consistently with them. I feel that this class has shown me alternative and creative ways like creating a website, blog, or even a podcast to reach out to families and let them know any upcoming events or any assignments that need to be done/handed in. By using these programs effectively in class, I have been able to put to rest some of my concerns not only with communicating with families of students, but also about technology in general.

The Computer Delusion

In the beginning of this article discussed important stepping stones in technology advancement. As I was reading them, some aren't what we think of when we think of technology in the classroom. For example, B.F. Skinner and the pigeon and rat box, which is of course an important discovery, but it's not what I think of when I think of technology. Just like in our classroom discussion about technological advances...the book is a technological advance just like the Skinner Box. Both of these advances add importance to the field of technology in their own way, and many other advancements were build upon these ideas. It's important to see original ideas, which allowed other things to blossom from them.

I have to agree with what the article stated about "history repeating itself". I think that constantly bringing in new technological equipment in the classroom, and not having the proper knowledge/skills to implement it within the classroom, then what's the point of using it? It does become a viscous cycle because schools are buying the latest tools for classrooms, and they are not being used effectively. So yes, money does become an issue because money is going down the drain when these tools aren't being used or used properly in classes. The intentions of these technological tools are for academics and to enhance learning/lesson, however, they are not being used to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, many schools are cutting programs from their budget because of this.

One thing that I liked was the perspectives of different teachers within the section called "artificial experience". Yes technology is an added tool for teachers, but not every teacher is going to have a wonderful positive experience with technology. It didn't surprise me that some teachers had negative experiences with technology, because everyone at some point or another has a bad experience with technology. However, teachers need to be openminded about technology and new tools because they can help us rather than hinder.

Personal Reflections About Class

I can't believe we have already reached our half way point. Various assignments and programs were useful, it's hard to pick just one. I felt everything we did had a purpose, either to make us more comfortable with a program, apply it to a potential lesson/unit, or to research about issues behind the scenes of technology (copyright, udl, etc). I think every program that I learned about, I could potentially see myself using when I become a teacher in one way or another. This class has opened doors to new ideas within the classroom, such as: communication through blogging and websites, creating a digital story to open/close a unit, using inspiration to organize students' thoughts about a book or subject. Every single one of these things can be potentially applicable for a classroom teacher.

For me, two things stand out as being most useful for me. The copyright article and class discussion were not only useful but vitally important for me as a teacher because so many of teachers' lessons come from others (videos, workbooks, etc), and it's critical to reference the owners/creators of the material. Another thing that has been useful for me was creating our own website. As a teacher, this will be beneficial because it's another way of communicating with students and their families outside of the classroom. Parents can see what their child is learning about, and students can see what assignments they need to complete. Before classroom websites, it was either students just forgot their assignment and didn't do their work or they would call up their friend and ask. Now, students have the classroom at their fingertips, and be able to see what was due in class and what needs to be done for homework.

One thing that I found to be challenging and I stated this on one of my blog postings as well was understanding Photo Shop. To this day I am still having problems because it's such a complicated program. I had my cousin give me a quick intro lesson again, and I was just overwhelmed at the various things one can do to a picture.

As a special education teacher some things that I would like to learn more about are devices that students with disabilities may use within the classroom setting. I realize that not everyone in the class is a special education teacher, however, this may also be beneficial to them as well because they may have a student with a technological device and to know what it is and how it works can be beneficial for everyone.

Copyright Implications

I think as educators, copyright and "fair use" issues is something that should always be kept in mind. Unfortunately, it's the last thing on most educators mind, and many are unaware of copyright issues/laws. I believe that this is something that should be acknowledged to teachers and in classrooms because teachers often handout or display work (like a video, poem, song, etc) to enhance a lesson/unit without knowing the consequences. Students especially in middle and high school, are constantly being asked to reference their work and to give credit where credit is due. There are whole lessons just on referencing and using the proper MLA/APA format. If teachers are teaching this to students, they should be doing the same.

As scary as this may sound, I never really thought about copyright laws. That worries me because as future educators we are taught about curriculums, how to build a unit, and even how to communicate with parents, but copyright issues are barely touched upon. I have to be honest, not only have I not thought about copyright laws, but I really never learned about them. I feel like once you complete high school, and are given the lesson on how to site sources; it's almost expected out of you in undergrad and graduate schools.

Breaking copyright laws obviously implies consequences. I know that in college, if someone were to do that, s/he was "expelled" from that school. I would think for educators breaking copyright laws a hefty fine maybe in order as well as jail time (?). Breaking copyright laws often involves various shades of grey, and I'm almost unsure of what the exact consequences are for a person. I also think it depends on the severity, but again I am unsure. However, something this serious should not be taken lightly by anyone, especially educators.

UDL Article Content Mapping

As I began reading this article, I appreciated the fact that the article didn't just jump into learning within the classroom. Often times, it is beneficial for the reader to have something to relate to the subject at hand. By relating the "universal design of learning", which is an academic aspect, to the "universal design" of a physical building allows the reader to see the similarities of both. It's something that everyone can relate to, which is important so that the reader can understand.

Due to technology, learning has changed as well as the classroom curriculum. The more technological advances we have, the more adaptable we can make the curriculum suit each student. There were many aspects in this article that are critical for designing learning methods for all students. One thing that really stood out to me were the three basic principles of UDL. All three of the principles incorporated flexible and multiple methods. As teachers, we need to keep that in mind. Learning isn't just a one way, straight street. There are different paths that students take in order to "learn". Teachers need to be flexible and use various strategies for the individual students.

Content Standard

I believe that being a future special education teacher is beneficial because we are not tied to certain content areas/subjects of expertise. As a special educator, I need to be familiar and an expert in all subject areas. The subject that has always been most appealing to me would have to be English, and I would like to work with elementary school children.

Reading and Responding

Content Standard 1: Students will read and respond in individual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary, informational and persuasive texts (http://www.ctcurriculum.org/list_standards.asp?taskid=&dis=LA&grade=4&disname=English%2FLanguage+Arts&gradename=Grades+K-4).

Using Inspiration: I can implement this standard through technology by using Inspiration. For example, my favorite book in elementary school was Charlotte's Web. Through out the course of the book, the students can use content mapping with the main characters and how they are linked with one another. I believe that this is a helpful exercise/assignment for students especially when there are multiple characters in a story. Through content mapping, students will be able to organize the characters in Charlotte's Web into order (by appearance). Along with an important explanation of each character, and if any of the characters have anything in common with one another. NOt only exercise will this help the students understand the characters better, but it will also help the students understand the story and the impact each character plays in the storyline.

Using Digital Imagery: The book Charlotte's Web touches upon important main events. What I would do with the students would be to have the students act out 3 important scenes from the book, and capture it as a picture. The group of students will then have to explain why they chose those 3 scenes/pictures and why were they so significant in the story.

With that being said, I will be working with children with special needs, so I would need to modify these assignments to the students' abilities. I do believe these two things would be beneficial, especially if a child can't write or speak, he/she is still able to understand it and communicate his/her knowledge in a different way. This ideally is what we want from special education students.

E-Tips Article Inspiration Mapping

I re-did my inspiration mapping for the E-Tips article. During class I felt comfortable using this program, and actually really enjoyed it. I can see myself using this for various purposes outside of the this class, and even my future classroom. The inspiration mapping is a great tool for organizing and sorting things. I really just wanted to be somewhat creative and fun with this map. Since the article had to do with technology I thought I'd incorporate some "technology" graphics. When the user of the program begins content mapping it is important to start off with the main idea. In this case, it was the title of the article. From there the user can go into sub-headings and supporting examples/points for those headings. I didn't want my content mapping to be confusing for someone who was to look at it for the first time. So for the headings I put computer graphics and for the points/examples I put them into a standard rectangle box. I also wanted to make sure that each point, sub heading, and heading was situated so it was easy for a readers eye to move through the mapping without getting confused. To make the users life a little easier, this content mapping program provides the users with various fonts, colors, and shapes, for each point/heading to organize them into categories. Also, the inspiration mapping allows the user/viewer to see their thoughts/points organized in various ways, not just through this mapping; it also has the option of being an outline.