Post #12

The think that I really found most interesting from reading other peoples blogs was reading about the diffferent types of students they were going to teach and all of the different ideas that they had about using the technology that we just learned and bringing it into their own individual classrooms. I feel like I really picked up on a lot of new really cool ideas from the other students. I hope that I will be able to use some off their ideas in the future when I do get my own classroom.
I would really like to learn more about web 2.0 programs that can be used in the classroom, I always thought social networking sites should be kept out of the classroom because they would be a distraction to the students but i would like to see what other tools are out there that could possibly be useful!
My future technology related goals at this point would be to find a way to use computers to help my special needs students better connect with the world around them. I feel like using a computer to familurize students would help them further develope their social and communication skills. I am not really sure what I hope for besides that in the field of education because I have always considered myself rather illiterite when it come to anything more than a computer but I am willing to learn and grow and try new things!

Post #11

I had no previous experience with Twitter before this class. I honesty did not even know what it was or how to really use it. I was reluctant to create and account but I thought that it might be a useful tool to use in getting in contact with fellow classmates. I did not really ever end up using twitter but I feel like if I had to as an assignment I would have been more encouraged to use it. I think that it if had been more like blogger where we had to do weekly posts it would have been used more.
I do not plan on using twitter for pleasure purposes after this class. I feel like it is just another thing that I would have to keep up with and honestly I lost interest in it. As far as it being an educational tool, I feel like it would have to be a requirement. I would not really even know how to incorporate it into the curriculum. I do not plan on using it in my classroom but I will not be working with an age appropriate group of kids.

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Post #10

I have never really used web 2.0 tools in the classroom before. I really have no idea where to start in using them in my own classroom. I was looking through many different websites and i found one that is a free picture website for anyone to use for any project. This tool would be really usefull when having my students create presentations and even when i make my own presentations and need pictures to draw in my students attention. Here is the link from where i found my site: http://www.edutecher.net/links.php and the actual home page is: http://4freephotos.com/

I don't really think that many web 2.0 sites should be used in the classroom but i feel like I dont really have enough knowledge to just this fairly. I was never taught to use any of these sites for an education purpose although I am sure that they can be used in such a mannor. I would really have to learn more about a site and understand it before I had my students use it.

Post #9

There are many research sites that I could use in my classroom, especially when working in a classroom with the autistic. The one I chose for today deals with how to set up a productive classroom so that the students do not get distracted and can focus. The article was written by a principle and discusses many helpful techniques in not only the physical set up of the classroom but also a few tips as to how the teacher so instruct and teach the students.
For example, one of the tips that was given on setting up a classroom was keeping the classroom structured and how to set up a visual schedule with pictures so it was easier for them to ready and understand with out an overwhelming amount of words. Another tip dealt with how to teach the children, in the sense that it demonstrated how to reiterate questions so that the students to reciprocate the answers and better remember them.
http://kendrik2.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/12-tips-to-setting-up-an-autism-classroom/
I am not sure if i will use excel or not, I really will not know until I get into the classroom and settle in with the needs of my students. At the elementary level, the only uses of excel that I would use would be behind the scenes, I would not have them using this program yet. I might use it for tasks such as creating tables and chart on the progress of each child and the class as a whole, or I might use it for keeping track of grades. Overall the uses of excel would be for my purposes only to show parents the progress or even just monitoring for my own sake.

Post #8

For my powerpoint presentation, I decided to create a jeopardy game. I used a very basic layout and a solid background color. I only used graphics and sounds on the answer slides as to not give the answers away. In linking the text I was able to change the font color once the hyperlink had been selected so that the participator knew which questions had already been selected. The powerpoint in general is very basic and easy to use.

The yellow text shows where the items have already been selected.

In my classroom pictures will be the main way for students to relate to the information that I am presenting. I also feel that soft music playing during quiet work time will be very productive. I do plan on using slide shows and other graphic displays in my classroom when presenting and reviewing information. It is always a good idea to have some type of visual aid for those students who are more visual learners.

I have really enjoyed learning about all of the fun and interactive ways to use powerpoints in a classroom setting. In highschool I had to create a story with no words using just powerpoint graphis and animation, while it was a fun project that allowed me to learn a lot about powerpoint it was not something that was really applicable to the classroom, now I feel like I have really learned more information that I will be able to take to my own classroom.

post #7

I think that using presentation software is very important to my students. Autistic children relate a lot better with visual examples instead of an abundance of words either spoken or written. With presentations I can use graphics with smaller descriptions that will help them to better understand the material I am presenting to them.
As far as the knowledge dimensions are concerned I feel that remembering and understanding go hand in hand as mentioned above, my students will be able to better relate to the graphics then just a mass of words. If I was teaching an older group, I would have them create a presentation and then have them present them and analyze and evaluate the other presentations. This would include all of the remaining knowledge dimensions.
An issue in education technology that now interest me is how people are beginning to use computers to help improve social skills for the mentally handicapped. I always thought of computers as a way to reduce social skills but with the new interactive programs that are being developed there is improvement being shown in those with mental handicaps.

post #6

As I was reflecting on the first question I guess I was surprised at the thought of using web 2.o technologies in a k-12 classroom, but as I though about it more I realized that it could be useful in some situations. One of the situations that I thought about using this technology for would be if there was a long term group project I could have the different groups blog about their progress and compare their results to the other groups. I am sure that there are many other useful ways to use the Web 2.0 technologies this was just the one thought that I could really see myself using.

In all of my computer classes and by all of my teachers I was always told to never cite wikipedia as a source. However, as I look at wikipedia today I still do not cite it but I see it more as a starting place. When you have no where else to turn to start your research I feel like wikipedia can help you start by presenting ideas and concepts to look at and think about.

I really enjoyed using the wikis and learning how to create one but I honestly do not see myself using one in my own classroom. I might use it one day to compare ideas with other teachers or if I was working on organizing a field trip or activity with a group of other people then it may be very useful, I just don't see myself using it with my students.

Post #5

The internet is a very useful tool for student research. Today it seems like the internet has become the only tool that students use for research. The internet has coutnless sources on various topics. It can take you almost anywhere virtually. There are so many different sources out there today which can make picking the good sites from the bad very complicated. Students have to be very careful when looking at the facts that a site is presenting.
I do not think that Wikipedia is a very good site for factual research. However, if you have no where else to begin I feel like it can be a good starting place. It can give you realted topics and ideas that will help you in your search so that you can contiune. I would not ever site wikipedia in an actual bibliography though because the information can be altered so easily.
I am really not to concerned about monitoring my students in techology. I feel like the early elementary autistic class that I want will have a different focus than other classrooms. I feel like it will not be a frequent problem for me. I do hope that we will be able to use computers with the children but I do not think that they will be using the internet frequently.

Post #4

The information presented in chapter 7 was very interesting but I feel that it is really for an older age group then what I plan on teaching. If I was to use some of these techniques, I think that I would use the concept maps the most. With teaching the mentally disabled it is important to use visually stimulating pictures and charts and I feel like the concept maps would be a big help in that. I will use technology very frequently and I feel that it is important to have the kids use technology as well so that they can help adjust and be able to relate better to the environment around them.
I don't think at this point that I would require my students to create their own outlines, storyboards, and concept maps. I will not really know until I get in the classroom and am able to assess how functional the students are and how much they can handle. I may have higher functioning students who may be able to understand and complete the task fairly easily and then I would assign individual assignments.
Last week in class when we went through the search engine tools, I feel like I picked up a lot of useful tools that I will continue to use. I feel that they will help me more as a student more than they would as me as a teacher. I am sure that I will still be using these tools when I am a teacher but I feel like it will be for my behind the scenes work.

Post #3

If I was to create a lesson plan, it would be for special needs children at the elementary aged level. It would probably have the children work with word processor. I would have them tell me a story of a past experience. If the project worked and the children enjoyed working with word processor, I would consider doing a journal and allowing them to use them everyday. If I was working with an older group of children I would have them use PowerPoint to illustrate a story without words. This would be very good for them because it would be very visually stimulating.

For my website critique I chose a website at the end of the chapter. I used the web page mintmuseum.org/penland. The page is very stimulating with a balance of words and pictures. It is clearly marked and organized so that you know where you are navigating to when you click on anything. The web page was left justified. The style and color was consistent and not overstimulating and the color scheme that they used was consistent throughout the different pages. In looking at rules 8-13 dealing with style, structure, focus, I feel like this site was very well organized with an easy to use feel and it was not too busy, it has a good flow to it. Overall I feel like this is a very effective website. It is easy to follow and is not overcrowded or intimidating to use like so many other websites can be.

I have had several experiences with fair use laws in the classroom setting growing up. Where I went to school I feel like fair use was taught but it was not enforced as much as it should have been for us to really be able to follow the rules on our own. When I am teaching in my own classroom, depending on the age level, I want to do a project that would require students to work with these laws. If I have my autistic elementary aged class like I want then I would have them create a project using pictures and have them ask for permission to use this pictures or have them find a copyright free website that they can gather pictures from. All of this depends on the age group that I have and the severity of their disability.

Post #2

I have been using MS word since elementary school. It was mainly used to learn to type small papers and assignments that we were assigned. The times that my teachers used it was usually behind the scenes. They never really used it where we could see but I'm sure it was used for handouts and other material that they gave us.

There where several points made in chapter 9 that I had either used previously or have had teachers use in the classroom. One area that caught my attention in particular was the concept of decided when to get a new computer. This is not the easiest thing to decide but it will be easier when I figure out what I will be using my computer for!

I was just recently introduced to the new MS Word. I have always used the older version and that was the one that I was taught how to use. I was very unaware of how the new layout worked and I especially did not realize how many different neat things I could do with the new Word. This class has really exposed me to the many different ways that the program can help me just in my everyday life! I am really excited to see what else I get out of the class that can help me not only in my own classroom but also while I am here as a student.

Post #1

Technology has always been integrated into my classrooms in school. In elementary school my teachers would use power points to express information and to present new ideas to us. They would also use the technology for visual aids to help make their point and to help show us other topics that would have been only made possible to us through field trips. As I entered middle school the teachers began to use technology for review games and for projects. In my high school all of the teachers were becoming more and more dependent on all of the new technology. Throughout my schooling experience I have been surrounded with technology. It has been very helpful in creating projects or in communicating with teachers but it is not always reliable. For instance, even trying to write this blog, my internet was not working and I did know if I was going to be able to complete all of my work. Technology is a good teaching tool but it should not be the only tool used by teachers.

Even though technology is not always reliable, I do plan on using it on a daily basis in my classroom. I hope to be working with elementary aged Autistic children and I really feel like the more that I can help them relate to what I am showing them in the classroom where they feel safe, the more that they will be able to relate to the world around them. I know that my teaching experience will be much different than that of an elementary aged teacher because I will be working with those with special needs, but I still feel that I will be able to use technology, even if it is in its simplest form to help the kids learn more.

As I previously stated I am a special education major and I can not wait to start teaching. I have really been enjoying my other education classes as well. I do have to say that technology can be very frustrating. I seem to be a magnet for technological problems. This is why I hope that I do not have a classroom totally dependent on technology so that if something happens and the server is down or my computer stops working, I will still have other material to cover and that it will not be totally technilogical based.

post #0

Technology has always played an important role in my school work throughout high school and into college. I was always taught to use basic computer skills for projects and presentations, but there was never a great need for advanced computer skills. In high school we where trying to adjust to a one-to-one program, in which every student would receive their own laptop for their own personal use in the classroom. Although this was a very neat and helpful teaching technique, it did not take effect until my senior year and I was never able to participate. So far in college, I have only used technology for basic PowerPoint presentations and papers.
In this new semester, I would really love to learn how to use my computer to a great efficiency so that I may be able to use it as a greater teaching tool in the classroom. I really hope to be able to understand all of the different ways in which a computer can be used to help everyday life. I would really like to be able to use and understand excel more so that I can better use it when creating visual charts and diagrams. I also do not use the Internet for much else other than email, blackboard, and facebook, so it would be really nice to learn what tools are out there for my use when working on school work and eventually in the classroom.
The results of my learning strategies questionnaire where really not surprising at all. The questionnaire actually did help me understand my thought process and the way that I understand the material that I have been presented with. I found out that I am much more of an active learner than a reflective one. I like to get my hands dirty so to speak, I would much rather try something out instead of just mentally thinking the process out. I am a sensor instead of being more intuitive. I like to memorize facts instead of putting together abstract thoughts and relations. I am also more of a visual learner than a verbal one, although I can comprehend verbal thoughts I prefer to have something present that I can look at to help me further understand and remember what I learned. I am also a sequential learner. I learn things in steps, although I can have a moment when material will "click" I normally have a strong basis of information that I can work with before that moment.

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