Blog Assignment 3

Technology in Special Educationn

iPads work great with children with Autism

I want to give a shout out to Ms. Cook for her desire to want to work with the special needs students.  I know for observing, that it is very challenging, but it can be very rewarding.  She uses a great amount of technology in her special education classroom.  Most of her students are non-verbal and if they don't have a computer it takes a long time for the teachers to be able to know what they are saying.  With the uses of a computer, those students are able to talk more efficiently.  It is easy for the teacher and most importantly it's easier for the students.

For the special needs students that I will have in my classroom one day, I hope to fully incorporate technology in my teaching.  I want the students to be able to fully understand the lessons and I want them to be able to communicate with me and the other students.  With their computers and gadgets, they will be able to be in the classroom and feel like they are a true part of the class.  Not only will it will allow them to communicate with me, but it will allow them to work in groups with the other students in the classroom.  Working with your peers is a huge part of the learning experience and before the age of computers and other technologies it was not very often that those special needs kids were able to work with their school aged peers.

Apps For Special Education
Since I am going to be a math teacher, I searched around on iTunes for awhile trying to find a neat math app for the iPad.  I came across an app called Math Easy HD.  This app teaches kids how to count from 0 to 20 and how to identify even and odd numbers.  There are animations that help them engage in the material and it helps them to have fun at the same time.  I think that using iPads for students with autism or any special needs is a great idea.

I really feel like this would help with learning.  Being able to have something hands on to use really helps students learn the material.  Like in the video we watched with the child with autism, his father said that he had never been more interested to learn.  When kids have fun while learning, they don't even realize they are actually learning! What a great way to get those students with special needs involved by using a technology that they will have fun with while still learning math at the same time!

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
This absolutely blew my mind that I had to share it on my Facebook right away!  It is vital for us who want to be educators to be aware of how much technology is used every second of every day.  Seeing this makes me want to stay in the "loop" of technology.  I want to be up to date on the latest and greatest that is out there.  There is so much out there that I don't want to miss one minute of it.

For my professional career as a teacher, I want to be able to use these technologies in my classroom.  Just from looking over my kid's blog for our assignments in this class, I think it's a great idea for students to blog.  The sooner they become familiar with technology, the better.  It's scary to think that some of my students one day will be more skilled in these technologies than I am.  This shows me that I need to stay connected and updated!

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
In this video, Michael Wesch makes it clear that students today are more engaged in technology than they are sitting in a lecture hall.  They took a survey of the students about their uses of technology, their time spent doing homework and studying, and they surveyed on money issues as well.  Students lives are filled up so much that it adds up to more than a days time, but when you look at what it's filled with it's mostly things that can be classified as distractions.

Schools today need to look at the needs of the students and what will keep their attention.  When classrooms are averaging 115 students it is hard for the teachers to know the students and to teach in a hands on way.  Students are not engaging in lectures because they are bored and most likely not paying attention.  The chalkboard style of teaching is becoming a thing of the past.  Discussions need to be happening in the classroom to employ the students interactions.  Keeping discussions open and free will make the students feel more comfortable.

More technology needs to be added to the experience as well.  Hundreds of dollars are spent by each student on books that are rarely used, according to their research in the video, A Vision of Students Today.  Textbooks are becoming more readily available online and with the world of Google sharing documents throughout the world wide web is easy.  Incorporating just a few hints of technology will automatically catch the eyes of the students.