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.