Blog Post #16

As i re-read what I wrote in my first blog post I found that there isn't much that I would change, if any. As a second grade teacher I would challenge my students to go above and beyond when it comes to learning. Teaching is never about the instructor, but always about the students. I would encourage all of my students to be independent learners and critical thinkers. Every lesson would be engaging, in some way or form, for my students. If any of my students have a hard time learning I would take my time to makes sure they understand. All of my students would be happy to learn.
I would still use group work, class discussion, and individual students as methods for my students to learn. Group work has been very helpful to me so I would emphasis that in my classroom as one of my primary ways of teaching. This would be a great way for all of my students to not only get to know each other, but express their own ideas and thoughts to others. Learning would be

very easy when doing group work/projects. Students would also gain a sense of being independent while working in group. How? Well each student would be expressing their own thoughts and implementing them into the assignments. Class discussions would take place daily to let students share thoughts or concerns that they have about the material that we are learning. Each student would also have their own turn to express to the class that they learned the assignment and can help others if needed.
The iPad, SmartBoard, and Macs/ Computers would be a major supplement to my teaching and my students learning. All of these tools are great ways to keep students engaged in the learning process. Every student would most likely be familiar with these tools, but I would show them that there are more ways to use them then they already know. Using this technology in my classroom would be very exciting to my students because they are familiar with it. The most exciting part of using this technology is that I would show them more ways to use it. Every student would be happy to know that they can learn while using technology that they use regularly.
My classroom would be a very calm and open learning environment. Every student would be familiar with each other so no one would be shy when it comes to presenting. My students would use technology to find new ways to learn or assignments that think would be interesting to do. I would challenge my students mentally to be critical thinkers. As a teacher I know that there are more things to be learned and my students can play a part in teaching me new things.
The methods and tools that I said I would use at the start of the semester has not changed. However, since writing that post I have learned more ways to use those tools previously stated. There are always new things to learn and these tools would be the best way to show it. The SmartBoard is capable of doing things that I has never heard of. I still think this is a good way to engage my students.
EDM310 has shown me many new ways to use technology. Blogging, iCurio, Prezi, iBook, iMovie and much more would be implemented into my classroom. All of these tools are very useful for student learning. Just about every tool used in EDM310 would be used in my classroom. Why? All of these things I found interesting/useful and I am pretty sure that students would feel the same.

Blog Post #15

Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Tools for Students with Sight and Reading Disabilities- My Post
Teaching students will always be a challenge. One of the more difficult things to do is teach students with learning disabilities. Learning disabilities can affect every aspect of learning, like writing, reading and math. There are many assistive tools that can help make these disorders a little easier to manage. Braille embossers convert text into Braille output. This tool allows teachers to convert things into Braille for better assistance with blind students. There is also software tools designed to make text-based materials more accessible to assist students with reading disabilities. Options can include scanning, reformatting, navigating, or speaking text out loud; this is a very good tool for students who have problems seeing or maneuvering print material. Prufrock Press is a word prediction program that requires a few keystrokes to generate word lists. This can help

students with dyslexia or dysgraphia that has severe spelling problems, which do not benefit from spell-checkers.
Dyslexia
Microsoft

Touch Screens for Students with Autism- Michelle's Post
To know what assistive technology is available to you as a teacher, you must first know what it is. Assistive technology is any piece of technology that helps students learn with a disability. As elementary teachers, we will come into contact with students with disabilities that are just learning how to learn with that said disability. One newer form of technology is the touch screen on many computers and tablets. This is an extremely useful assistive technology for students with autism. Students with autism may struggle to grasp the concept between the mouse and the actions on the screen. When they are able to use their finger on the screen as a guide, they learn more easily. A great website with a few tips on how to use assistive technology for autism is specialed.us

Tools for English Language Learners- Miriah's Post
There are several ways to accommodate children with disabilities in your classroom. A great form of Assistive technology would be a program called “Read and Write Gold”. This program allows students to do several things to help them with their education. One feature this program allows you to do is convert speech to text. This program also allows you to translate foreign languages to English, if your student happens to be an English language learner. This can be easily downloaded to a Mac, PC, iPad, or tablet, so it can usually be easily accessed in your classroom. I would use this program for any student that could benefit from it and I believe it would be rather useful. For more information and uses of Read and Write Gold, visit texthelp.com