In the beginning of this summer session, I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about and intimidated by technology. I barely knew what a Smartboard is, and I never thought I'd be blogging. As we have learned the benefit of collaboration in the school setting, it has corresponded well to the technology that allows for this (Web 2.0). I feel that the overview we received was comprehensive and easily applicable to the direction in which education is moving. As we move forward as future teachers and think about how education is changing in terms of globalization and collaboration, we can utilize technology to the fullest extent as long as we remain comfortable and knowledgable.
It is hard to predict what we, as special educators, will be utilizing in our work as teachers, but the class has given me a good foundation with which to work. I may not be able to use my Smartboard presentation in student teaching, but I am not going to be intimidated by it if/when I am presented with the opportunity.
I feel more inclined to incorporate technology in my teaching as I feel that it goes hand in hand with the type of education I would like my students to receive. I want my students to have a well-rounded experience, learn to think for themselves and to problem-solve, be able to cooperate and work well with their peers, and take initiative to develop and answer questions.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Blogs of my colleagues: My reflection
I have reviewed many of my colleague's blogs on Google Reader to reflect on our experience throughout this summer session. Google Reader uses an RSS feed to allow my viewing of colleague's blogs in one easy window.
I find that although we all had the same assignments, each blog incorporates their own specific point of view in the assignments and the diversity of thought is quite interesting. Anna finds passion to be an essential ingredient in teaching, which I think most people will agree is important, but not everyone included it in their "good teacher" post. To Ashley, differentiation was key throughout her posts. Kaitlyn's posts really focused on positivity and openness, which are extremely important in special education.
Barb's posts were really centered on teachers supporting their students and believing in them. I appreciate her saying in her blog post:
I just had a "debate" with a couple family members about how applicable math is and my uncle argued that a football player does pushups in training not because he will do pushups on the field but it "builds muscle," a foundation, for the player. It is important for teachers to give all work a meaning and a purpose so the students feel more connected to the material and more motivated to learn. Barb's quote reminds me that even though some kids feel like they may never use math, we can show them how it is applied in the world outside of the classroom.
I also really enjoyed a comment from TJ in her blog:
That quote speaks to the idea that we as teachers need to find an emotional component of our teaching and really connect it to student's emotions, which is defined as hot cognition. We learn better when our hearts are open and when we feel relatedness to the material.
As I reflect on our different ideas, I know that all of us would agree with passion, differentiating instruction, positivity, real world application, and hot cognition as ingredients in teaching. Though these are all important to teaching, we all have a different top three, and this is what will make us good teachers: because we all bring something to the table (sometimes depending on our certification area) and can enrich our students in different ways just by being ourselves.
I find that although we all had the same assignments, each blog incorporates their own specific point of view in the assignments and the diversity of thought is quite interesting. Anna finds passion to be an essential ingredient in teaching, which I think most people will agree is important, but not everyone included it in their "good teacher" post. To Ashley, differentiation was key throughout her posts. Kaitlyn's posts really focused on positivity and openness, which are extremely important in special education.
Barb's posts were really centered on teachers supporting their students and believing in them. I appreciate her saying in her blog post:
I intend to try to maintain a connection to the “real world”, showing how the algebra or trig or geometry that we are learning has applications to problems and professions in the world outside the classroom.
I just had a "debate" with a couple family members about how applicable math is and my uncle argued that a football player does pushups in training not because he will do pushups on the field but it "builds muscle," a foundation, for the player. It is important for teachers to give all work a meaning and a purpose so the students feel more connected to the material and more motivated to learn. Barb's quote reminds me that even though some kids feel like they may never use math, we can show them how it is applied in the world outside of the classroom.
I also really enjoyed a comment from TJ in her blog:
I am now aware I am not just educating their mind but also their heart.
That quote speaks to the idea that we as teachers need to find an emotional component of our teaching and really connect it to student's emotions, which is defined as hot cognition. We learn better when our hearts are open and when we feel relatedness to the material.
As I reflect on our different ideas, I know that all of us would agree with passion, differentiating instruction, positivity, real world application, and hot cognition as ingredients in teaching. Though these are all important to teaching, we all have a different top three, and this is what will make us good teachers: because we all bring something to the table (sometimes depending on our certification area) and can enrich our students in different ways just by being ourselves.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Web Resources in Special Education
Two of the websites that I would use as a future special educator (but am not limited to) are Read Write Think and the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM). These both use visual manipulatives to help understand and organize information. Manipulatives aid with concrete learning in order to get to more abstract, higher order thinking.
Both internet resources have different grade level materials which is important in special education as the students may not be on grade level. We must determine their instructional level and teach appropriately to that level with materials that will enhance their learning experience, such as visual aids and manipulatives.
Some of the features that I explored and enjoyed: for the NLVM I liked that there were games available to help with deduction skills and reasoning skills for older students (Utah State University, 2010). I tried out the counterfeit coin game in which you had to only use the scale 2x to test 8 coins. I used the scale 6 times, than 3, then finally understood a method to only use the scale twice.
For the Read Write Think website, I liked the use of graphic organizers to display information from novels (National Council of Teachers of English, 2011). I also enjoyed the idea of "character trading cards" used to get kids involved in delving into what is essential to each character while making it into a fun game.
In deciding what resources to use, we must understand the legal ramifications of information being sent out into the internet by children and also make sure that our students stay safe in the content they are allowed to view in the school setting (Schrum & Levin, 2009). These aspects of internet safety and privacy play a huge part in how schools decide which content and websites to block from student use in schools. This can be an effective form or limiting use so students maximize time spent on the internet and use credible resources.
National Council of Teachers of English. (2011). Read Write Think. Retrieved June 27, 2011. www.readwritethink.org
Schrum, L. & Levin, B.B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Utah State University. (2010). National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. Retrieved June 27, 2011. http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
Both internet resources have different grade level materials which is important in special education as the students may not be on grade level. We must determine their instructional level and teach appropriately to that level with materials that will enhance their learning experience, such as visual aids and manipulatives.
Some of the features that I explored and enjoyed: for the NLVM I liked that there were games available to help with deduction skills and reasoning skills for older students (Utah State University, 2010). I tried out the counterfeit coin game in which you had to only use the scale 2x to test 8 coins. I used the scale 6 times, than 3, then finally understood a method to only use the scale twice.
For the Read Write Think website, I liked the use of graphic organizers to display information from novels (National Council of Teachers of English, 2011). I also enjoyed the idea of "character trading cards" used to get kids involved in delving into what is essential to each character while making it into a fun game.
In deciding what resources to use, we must understand the legal ramifications of information being sent out into the internet by children and also make sure that our students stay safe in the content they are allowed to view in the school setting (Schrum & Levin, 2009). These aspects of internet safety and privacy play a huge part in how schools decide which content and websites to block from student use in schools. This can be an effective form or limiting use so students maximize time spent on the internet and use credible resources.
National Council of Teachers of English. (2011). Read Write Think. Retrieved June 27, 2011. www.readwritethink.org
Schrum, L. & Levin, B.B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Utah State University. (2010). National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. Retrieved June 27, 2011. http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
Learning Theories T2P: Week 5
Today, we started with a structured plan in the morning: first we wrote a blog entry which I found difficult as it was first thing in the morning and my brain was not prepared to think in that capacity. However, I did find it "got the juices flowing" and was a good basis for our second task for the morning, which was going over the three theorists from Week 4 in relation to Dan Pink and the article on motivation. We used class participation to brainstorm about what we know and then to explore the connections between the theorists, which along the lines of a modified K-W-L (what do you know, what do you want to know, what have we learned) in the direction of our discussion.
As our teacher felt we had a good enough basis on learning theories, we were allowed to vote democratically on how we wanted to spend the afternoon: expanding on our knowledge, applying our knowledge, or incorporating new knowledge about the adolescent brain. As we learn about school as a reflection of the overarching democratic society, this was a good example of voting and democracy in class. It is also a way to make sure students are engaged - by teaching what they want to know. Curriculum for the afternoon was created/modified to incorporate the new lesson plan.
So, while our morning was very structured around a set plan of material to teach, the afternoon was open. Balancing structure and openness/adaptability is important in the classroom. There is a certain level of trust and security that comes with some structure or routine. For example, knowing that your teacher is going to shake your hand when you enter the classroom everyday and say "Thank you for being here, Marisa" creates an expectation that you are on time to greet the teacher and that you are welcomed and appreciated. How to structure a class is very subjective and will benefit or provide a disadvantage for some students; the important part of this is to be aware of how your structure and control (or lack thereof) is affecting your students, all of your students, and not just the vocal ones.
As our teacher felt we had a good enough basis on learning theories, we were allowed to vote democratically on how we wanted to spend the afternoon: expanding on our knowledge, applying our knowledge, or incorporating new knowledge about the adolescent brain. As we learn about school as a reflection of the overarching democratic society, this was a good example of voting and democracy in class. It is also a way to make sure students are engaged - by teaching what they want to know. Curriculum for the afternoon was created/modified to incorporate the new lesson plan.
So, while our morning was very structured around a set plan of material to teach, the afternoon was open. Balancing structure and openness/adaptability is important in the classroom. There is a certain level of trust and security that comes with some structure or routine. For example, knowing that your teacher is going to shake your hand when you enter the classroom everyday and say "Thank you for being here, Marisa" creates an expectation that you are on time to greet the teacher and that you are welcomed and appreciated. How to structure a class is very subjective and will benefit or provide a disadvantage for some students; the important part of this is to be aware of how your structure and control (or lack thereof) is affecting your students, all of your students, and not just the vocal ones.
A good teacher...
A good teacher is someone who is perceptive to the needs of her students as far as the level of instruction and amount of personal attention. They need to be able to differentiate levels of instruction so that all students are challenged including the exceptional students, who otherwise might escape notice because of their exceptionality.
A good teacher models appropriate, respectful behavior in and out of class so the students regard them as professional and ethical. They build a rapport with their students and allow them to feel comfortable and safe. These are important aspects of teaching because students look to their teachers for guidance but they need to trust and respect them to ask for help or to model their behavior in a similarly positive fashion.
A good teacher lets all students know they are an integral part of the class and their participation is encouraged and necessary to maximize the experience of all. A student will learn if they are actively involved in the learning process and the way to do this is to engage them in class and encourage them to participate. A teacher can be engaging by passionately instructing and using different methods to make class fun and motivate students. Students may be intrinsically motivated but the teacher still needs to be able to tap into that motivation and maximize it, keep it going when a student may be feeling burnt out or disconnected from their goals.
If: a teacher is notices a flaw in their instruction (i.e. time management),
Then: it should be addressed directly to the class as a flaw on their part and corrected in the future,
Because: students will also learn from the experience and know it is alright to make mistakes. Students often feel uncomfortable making mistakes in class, saying the wrong thing, but
Evidence: Hansen would feel this is an example of the teacher modeling how to accept responsibility for a mistake and correct it for future classes.
Context: This type of open atmosphere is created and demonstrated by the teacher in an environment of tolerance and a class without fear of embarrassment or failing.
Moral Implication: A good teacher will encourage students to make mistakes because it is part of the learning process. When a teacher shows how easily a mistake can be addressed and corrected, students will not be as fearful of doing something wrong. This open, accepting atmosphere allows them to feel comfortable to explore and discover while not fearing the ramifications of coming to a wrong or mistaken conclusion. Persistance, which is being encouraged, is an essential quality of all human beings in creativity, exploration, innovativeness. Many inventions of the world only exist due to the persistance of the inventor, who did not allow themselves to give up.
A good teacher models appropriate, respectful behavior in and out of class so the students regard them as professional and ethical. They build a rapport with their students and allow them to feel comfortable and safe. These are important aspects of teaching because students look to their teachers for guidance but they need to trust and respect them to ask for help or to model their behavior in a similarly positive fashion.
A good teacher lets all students know they are an integral part of the class and their participation is encouraged and necessary to maximize the experience of all. A student will learn if they are actively involved in the learning process and the way to do this is to engage them in class and encourage them to participate. A teacher can be engaging by passionately instructing and using different methods to make class fun and motivate students. Students may be intrinsically motivated but the teacher still needs to be able to tap into that motivation and maximize it, keep it going when a student may be feeling burnt out or disconnected from their goals.
If: a teacher is notices a flaw in their instruction (i.e. time management),
Then: it should be addressed directly to the class as a flaw on their part and corrected in the future,
Because: students will also learn from the experience and know it is alright to make mistakes. Students often feel uncomfortable making mistakes in class, saying the wrong thing, but
Evidence: Hansen would feel this is an example of the teacher modeling how to accept responsibility for a mistake and correct it for future classes.
Context: This type of open atmosphere is created and demonstrated by the teacher in an environment of tolerance and a class without fear of embarrassment or failing.
Moral Implication: A good teacher will encourage students to make mistakes because it is part of the learning process. When a teacher shows how easily a mistake can be addressed and corrected, students will not be as fearful of doing something wrong. This open, accepting atmosphere allows them to feel comfortable to explore and discover while not fearing the ramifications of coming to a wrong or mistaken conclusion. Persistance, which is being encouraged, is an essential quality of all human beings in creativity, exploration, innovativeness. Many inventions of the world only exist due to the persistance of the inventor, who did not allow themselves to give up.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Moral T2P Broken Down and Case Study T2P: Week 4
Statement 1:
If (decision): the teacher makes expectations clear and models moral behavior and embeds these dispositions
Context: in instruction in their classroom,
Then: the class will feel more comfortable and will be encouraged to become students of a higher moral character over time in the class. This may also be applied outside the class if no other oppositional dispositions are learned in their experiences (by teachers, peers, family, etc.) outside of class.
Because: They will want to meet the set expectations and will have learned the expressed morals through observation, repetition/procedure, and moral judgment.
Evidence: David Hansen suggests that students build their moral character over time as a teacher imparts their values on the class, not even purposefully but because they truly feel particular values are important.
Moral Implication: This means that a teacher must have personal values to begin with and cannot impart values that are not that important to them onto their students. If a conflict arises in class, the teacher must be consistent with their moral appraisal of the situation(s) so students do not un-learn these morals as soon as conflicts arise.
Statement 2:
If: If a teacher empowers her students to take initiative and does not act as the sole source of information in their classroom,
Then: the students will learn how to find the answers to things they do not know
Because: they are want to discover and be proactive in their learning process.
Evidence: In Vicki Davis' video example, her pedagogy inspires students to seek answers to things they do not know without interrupting class or looking to her as the sole provider of information. This allows them to develop questions and know where to look to find the answers which lessens the impact of the teacher and empowers the students as the ultimate explorer
Context: in the classroom and outside of the classroom, wherever their their learning experience can be enhanced.
Moral Implication: By setting up curriculum in an open forum to be explored and discovered and for the teacher and learner to be mutually enhanced, we are enabling students to become open-minded, innovative and enthusiastic citizens of the world.
Pedagogical Language: In italics
Today, in class, GNA made an effort to correct her mistakes in time management and stepped back in noticing that we lacked pedagogical language in our blogs, so we had a lesson on theory to practice statements and how they should be written and broken down. We spent the morning going over this along with self-determination. We watched an example of a specific teacher's pedagogy (Linda Davis) and thought of examples in a round-robin discussion while relating it to the big ideas of self-determination: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Later in the day, we worked on our presentations that our triad groups created on one of the six theorists from last week. We reviewed them and then presented each of which we only got through five, adding to our spreadsheets to organize our thoughts and ideas. GNA was more conscientious of time this week to make sure that we had enough time at the end to finish our blogs as last week some of us had difficulty doing these tasks outside of class by a specified deadline. This is an example of being adaptive and taking into consideration the process in the classroom and how students are responding.
Statement 3:
If: a teacher is notices a flaw in their instruction (i.e. time management),
Then: it should be addressed directly to the class as a flaw on their part and corrected in the future,
Because: students will also learn from the experience and know it is alright to make mistakes. Students often feel uncomfortable making mistakes in class, saying the wrong thing, but
Evidence: Hansen would feel this is an example of the teacher modeling how to accept responsibility for a mistake and correct it for future classes.
Moral Implication: We need to let students explore and discover while letting them feel free to make mistakes and not be ashamed.
Context: This type of open atmosphere is created and demonstrated by the teacher in an environment of tolerance and a class without fear of embarrassment or failing.
Learning Theorists Spreadsheet
If (decision): the teacher makes expectations clear and models moral behavior and embeds these dispositions
Context: in instruction in their classroom,
Then: the class will feel more comfortable and will be encouraged to become students of a higher moral character over time in the class. This may also be applied outside the class if no other oppositional dispositions are learned in their experiences (by teachers, peers, family, etc.) outside of class.
Because: They will want to meet the set expectations and will have learned the expressed morals through observation, repetition/procedure, and moral judgment.
Evidence: David Hansen suggests that students build their moral character over time as a teacher imparts their values on the class, not even purposefully but because they truly feel particular values are important.
Moral Implication: This means that a teacher must have personal values to begin with and cannot impart values that are not that important to them onto their students. If a conflict arises in class, the teacher must be consistent with their moral appraisal of the situation(s) so students do not un-learn these morals as soon as conflicts arise.
Statement 2:
If: If a teacher empowers her students to take initiative and does not act as the sole source of information in their classroom,
Then: the students will learn how to find the answers to things they do not know
Because: they are want to discover and be proactive in their learning process.
Evidence: In Vicki Davis' video example, her pedagogy inspires students to seek answers to things they do not know without interrupting class or looking to her as the sole provider of information. This allows them to develop questions and know where to look to find the answers which lessens the impact of the teacher and empowers the students as the ultimate explorer
Context: in the classroom and outside of the classroom, wherever their their learning experience can be enhanced.
Moral Implication: By setting up curriculum in an open forum to be explored and discovered and for the teacher and learner to be mutually enhanced, we are enabling students to become open-minded, innovative and enthusiastic citizens of the world.
Pedagogical Language: In italics
Today, in class, GNA made an effort to correct her mistakes in time management and stepped back in noticing that we lacked pedagogical language in our blogs, so we had a lesson on theory to practice statements and how they should be written and broken down. We spent the morning going over this along with self-determination. We watched an example of a specific teacher's pedagogy (Linda Davis) and thought of examples in a round-robin discussion while relating it to the big ideas of self-determination: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Later in the day, we worked on our presentations that our triad groups created on one of the six theorists from last week. We reviewed them and then presented each of which we only got through five, adding to our spreadsheets to organize our thoughts and ideas. GNA was more conscientious of time this week to make sure that we had enough time at the end to finish our blogs as last week some of us had difficulty doing these tasks outside of class by a specified deadline. This is an example of being adaptive and taking into consideration the process in the classroom and how students are responding.
Statement 3:
If: a teacher is notices a flaw in their instruction (i.e. time management),
Then: it should be addressed directly to the class as a flaw on their part and corrected in the future,
Because: students will also learn from the experience and know it is alright to make mistakes. Students often feel uncomfortable making mistakes in class, saying the wrong thing, but
Evidence: Hansen would feel this is an example of the teacher modeling how to accept responsibility for a mistake and correct it for future classes.
Moral Implication: We need to let students explore and discover while letting them feel free to make mistakes and not be ashamed.
Context: This type of open atmosphere is created and demonstrated by the teacher in an environment of tolerance and a class without fear of embarrassment or failing.
Learning Theorists Spreadsheet
Friday, June 17, 2011
Uses of Assistive Technology
Please provide specific examples of technology/tools that you would recommend for a student with... (1) a hearing impairment, (2) low-vision, (3) a broken right arm, and (4) autism (non-communicative).
If a student of mine had a hearing impairment, I could compile major points from a lesson onto a blog and have students in the class comment on the blog with a few discussion points from class. The blog could be viewed via an e-Book for the child who is hearing impaired, and the other students would be participating in that child's learning process. This is another way for the class to collaborate and for me to demonstrate to them how technology can be utilized.
If a student of mine had vision problems, there are a few routes I could take. Textbooks could be viewed on e-Books with larger print so the student could see better, or I could have them use a DAISY, which is a multimedia-rich tool that incorporates video, pictures, and speech to make text more accessible for visually impaired people.
There is also technology available to convert a student's speech to text (and also to command the computer in navigation). This is useful for a student with a physical impairment such as a broken arm who may not be able to type or use a mouse to direct the computer to certain functions. They could perform research and type assignments with the Dragon Speech Recognition Premium (Wikibooks, March 2011) and keep up with other classmates by not missing out.
To support a non-communicative student with autism, one possibility is to arm them with a smartphone (PDA or iPhone), which have many apps available for the aid of communication (Wikibooks, February 2011). There are applications that convert text to speech and ones where you can pick out which voice you'd like to use (male or female) and you can add pictures on some. There is one, iCommunicate, that creates a story book from text designed by the user. These files could be uploaded on the class blog or wiki for other students to react and respond to, as I continue thinking about collaboration in the classroom.
Sometimes schools do not allow enough money in a budget for technology, but Open Source Initiative is a great internet site that allows for the sharing of software and well-received curriculum tools (Schrum & Levin 2009). This allows for free access to educational materials and benefits the students despite economic issues.
Sources:
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. (2011). Open Source Education: Open Source Initiative. Retrieved June 19, 2011. http://www.opensource.org/osi-open-source-education
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. (February 2011). Assistive Technology in Education/Autistic. Retrieved June 17, 2011. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Autistic
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. (March 2011). Assistive Technology in Education/Speech Recognition Software. Retrieved June 17, 2011. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software
Schrum, L. & Levin, B.B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
If a student of mine had a hearing impairment, I could compile major points from a lesson onto a blog and have students in the class comment on the blog with a few discussion points from class. The blog could be viewed via an e-Book for the child who is hearing impaired, and the other students would be participating in that child's learning process. This is another way for the class to collaborate and for me to demonstrate to them how technology can be utilized.
If a student of mine had vision problems, there are a few routes I could take. Textbooks could be viewed on e-Books with larger print so the student could see better, or I could have them use a DAISY, which is a multimedia-rich tool that incorporates video, pictures, and speech to make text more accessible for visually impaired people.
There is also technology available to convert a student's speech to text (and also to command the computer in navigation). This is useful for a student with a physical impairment such as a broken arm who may not be able to type or use a mouse to direct the computer to certain functions. They could perform research and type assignments with the Dragon Speech Recognition Premium (Wikibooks, March 2011) and keep up with other classmates by not missing out.
To support a non-communicative student with autism, one possibility is to arm them with a smartphone (PDA or iPhone), which have many apps available for the aid of communication (Wikibooks, February 2011). There are applications that convert text to speech and ones where you can pick out which voice you'd like to use (male or female) and you can add pictures on some. There is one, iCommunicate, that creates a story book from text designed by the user. These files could be uploaded on the class blog or wiki for other students to react and respond to, as I continue thinking about collaboration in the classroom.
Sometimes schools do not allow enough money in a budget for technology, but Open Source Initiative is a great internet site that allows for the sharing of software and well-received curriculum tools (Schrum & Levin 2009). This allows for free access to educational materials and benefits the students despite economic issues.
Sources:
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. (2011). Open Source Education: Open Source Initiative. Retrieved June 19, 2011. http://www.opensource.org/osi-open-source-education
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. (February 2011). Assistive Technology in Education/Autistic. Retrieved June 17, 2011. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Autistic
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. (March 2011). Assistive Technology in Education/Speech Recognition Software. Retrieved June 17, 2011. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software
Schrum, L. & Levin, B.B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Web 2.0: A more collaborative world wide web
What does this mean for special education?
As technology shifts to become more accessible, it also enhances globalization and cooperation among all who browse. Thinking about this assignment, I wondered how can I attempt collaboration among the students with special needs if their needs are not the same? After reading the information in the text, I realize that is the beauty of the internet. If I have only one student with a Traumatic Brain Injury who needs a very specific educational plan that may not be suited to other special needs students I am working with, the internet is an excellent tool for continuing collaboration on a bigger scale.
Oh! Now we can apply it in this way:
Special education is a difficult field to have a lot of group work as each student has such specialized needs, but that is why the internet is a powerful tool for these students. VoiceThread is a site that hosts different types of media (voice, picture, video, documents) and allows comments to be posted in different mediums than the original poster. Therefore, the posters can be collaborative and creative and can post in the way that they feel most comfortable with and/or that is most effective. ELL students can conference with native speakers about their learning experience or material and learn from those native speakers, such as Palabea. For students to practice at home, there is also Language Exchange, where they can talk to someone who may be practicing their native language and they exchange tips on understanding their own native languages. Depending on the child's needs, there is a vast amount of teacher/student related internet tools that allow for collaboration. The trick is to know the student and understand how to best incorporate their needs and curriculum to be taught into an experience where they can engage in social and cooperative learning.
Conclusion:
These internet tools mean that the classroom is no longer restricted to the physical walls of the room. No student is doomed to be the only one with their specific disability and have no one who can relate or share learning or social tips with. The internet provides resources that contribute to the students feeling less alone and allow them to learn from peers outside their classroom. Along with standards such as critical thinking and digital citizenship, collaboration is an essential part of the new NETS-S standards (ISTE 2008), developed to take into account the new cooperative nature of our world and to teach students how to get along in that world.
Sources:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). NETS For Teachers 2008. Eugene, OR. Retrieved June 16, 2011. http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Language Exchange Community. (2011). MyLanguageExchange.com. Retrieved June 13, 2011. www.mylanguageexchange.com
Palabea. (2009). palabea: the speaking world. Retrieved June 13, 2011. www.palabea.net
VoiceThread LLC. (2011). VoiceThread. Retrieved June 13, 2011. ed.voicethread.com .
As technology shifts to become more accessible, it also enhances globalization and cooperation among all who browse. Thinking about this assignment, I wondered how can I attempt collaboration among the students with special needs if their needs are not the same? After reading the information in the text, I realize that is the beauty of the internet. If I have only one student with a Traumatic Brain Injury who needs a very specific educational plan that may not be suited to other special needs students I am working with, the internet is an excellent tool for continuing collaboration on a bigger scale.
Oh! Now we can apply it in this way:
Special education is a difficult field to have a lot of group work as each student has such specialized needs, but that is why the internet is a powerful tool for these students. VoiceThread is a site that hosts different types of media (voice, picture, video, documents) and allows comments to be posted in different mediums than the original poster. Therefore, the posters can be collaborative and creative and can post in the way that they feel most comfortable with and/or that is most effective. ELL students can conference with native speakers about their learning experience or material and learn from those native speakers, such as Palabea. For students to practice at home, there is also Language Exchange, where they can talk to someone who may be practicing their native language and they exchange tips on understanding their own native languages. Depending on the child's needs, there is a vast amount of teacher/student related internet tools that allow for collaboration. The trick is to know the student and understand how to best incorporate their needs and curriculum to be taught into an experience where they can engage in social and cooperative learning.
Conclusion:
These internet tools mean that the classroom is no longer restricted to the physical walls of the room. No student is doomed to be the only one with their specific disability and have no one who can relate or share learning or social tips with. The internet provides resources that contribute to the students feeling less alone and allow them to learn from peers outside their classroom. Along with standards such as critical thinking and digital citizenship, collaboration is an essential part of the new NETS-S standards (ISTE 2008), developed to take into account the new cooperative nature of our world and to teach students how to get along in that world.
Sources:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). NETS For Teachers 2008. Eugene, OR. Retrieved June 16, 2011. http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Language Exchange Community. (2011). MyLanguageExchange.com. Retrieved June 13, 2011. www.mylanguageexchange.com
Palabea. (2009). palabea: the speaking world. Retrieved June 13, 2011. www.palabea.net
VoiceThread LLC. (2011). VoiceThread. Retrieved June 13, 2011. ed.voicethread.com .
Theory to Practice Week 3: Learning Theories
Today we started the day discussing our weekends in a comprehensive effort to continue getting to know everyone. We got together in groups that also studied the same theorist and used GNA's guideline to formulate our discussion topics. Our group was having trouble forming a cohesive unit of information and GNA entered the equation by trying to guide our group and re-direct the focus. This is especially important in group work to make sure there is not a "negative Zone of Proximity" and social learning stays on track.
It was interesting that each of us had different experiences with the reading seeing as the point of the article was how each learner interprets and incorporates differently according to their pre-determined schema.
Then we divided up into triads to jigsaw and teach each other a bit about each learning theorist. This was useful in pulling out the big ideas and only teaching the important relevant information to connect the theories with the article and what all of us had to say. We were incorporating the information into our schemas (assimilating).
We discussed our experience with group work and how we overcame obstacles as a group to form a cohesive plan on instructing our jigsaw groups about the theorists. Then we took our designed questions (a method to help us think critically about the material) and mixed them up so everyone answered a few of the group's questions. This gave us an idea of how successful the questions are while challenging our minds to answer them (at least one higher order question).
After lunch, we researched six more theorists and got into groups of three to design a presentation about that theorist. The theorist I researched was Erikson who developed 8 stages to span infancy to death/old age, whereas my former theorist, Piaget, only developed stages from infancy through early adulthood. Piaget felt each stage was graduated to get to the next stage and they went from egocentric to abstract. Erikson felt there was an internal conflict that was illustrated by a "stage" but that those stages could be revisited in different ways and were never achieved. In this sense, Piaget had more concrete stages that came about at a specific age while Erikson believed more in a continuum, and the stages be used more as a guide than a definitive outline.
The presentations created also help us develop instruction that outlines the major ideas and then we made three questions keeping Bloom's Taxonomy in mind to assess a student's understanding of Erikson.
Statement: If a student is required to develop questions regarding the subject they are learning, then they will be more successful learners because it requires them to understand the big ideas and be able to articulate them and envision how it serves high order thinking.
It was interesting that each of us had different experiences with the reading seeing as the point of the article was how each learner interprets and incorporates differently according to their pre-determined schema.
Then we divided up into triads to jigsaw and teach each other a bit about each learning theorist. This was useful in pulling out the big ideas and only teaching the important relevant information to connect the theories with the article and what all of us had to say. We were incorporating the information into our schemas (assimilating).
We discussed our experience with group work and how we overcame obstacles as a group to form a cohesive plan on instructing our jigsaw groups about the theorists. Then we took our designed questions (a method to help us think critically about the material) and mixed them up so everyone answered a few of the group's questions. This gave us an idea of how successful the questions are while challenging our minds to answer them (at least one higher order question).
After lunch, we researched six more theorists and got into groups of three to design a presentation about that theorist. The theorist I researched was Erikson who developed 8 stages to span infancy to death/old age, whereas my former theorist, Piaget, only developed stages from infancy through early adulthood. Piaget felt each stage was graduated to get to the next stage and they went from egocentric to abstract. Erikson felt there was an internal conflict that was illustrated by a "stage" but that those stages could be revisited in different ways and were never achieved. In this sense, Piaget had more concrete stages that came about at a specific age while Erikson believed more in a continuum, and the stages be used more as a guide than a definitive outline.
The presentations created also help us develop instruction that outlines the major ideas and then we made three questions keeping Bloom's Taxonomy in mind to assess a student's understanding of Erikson.
Statement: If a student is required to develop questions regarding the subject they are learning, then they will be more successful learners because it requires them to understand the big ideas and be able to articulate them and envision how it serves high order thinking.
Week 3: LT1
Question: Give an example how you would incorporate two of the three cognitive learning theories into a classroom lesson.
Answer:
I would have pre-teaching to determine background information and schemas of the students and group them in heterogenous groups to encourage social learning through building on the conceptual frameworks of each child (constructivist, developmental and social).
This question asks me to provide an example which is a good way to test Comprehension.
Question: Can you apply social learning theory to an activity which you could teach?
Answer:
An activity for reading / phonemic awareness could be given in which students are asked to segment and blend phonemes in the group by each representing a phoneme and then the students are asked to manipulate those sounds to create new words.
This is a good Application question as it is taking theory to practice.
Question: Consider the following situation: A teacher asks her students the same question at the beginning of every class about what they learned the day before. She is always met with silence and therefore provides a summary of what was taught in the previous class. Can you explain in terms of BLT why the students in this classroom do not respond to the teacher when she asks a question at the beginning of every class?
Answer:
The students are encountering the stimilus (the question) and provide no response. The reinforcement of this behavior over time (the teacher providing the answer each time) is the explanation for why the students do not respond - they have been conditioned to expect the teacher to provide the summary and are being both positively reinforced (given the summary) and negatively reinforced (the aversive stimulus of having to speak in front of the class is taken away).
This question is a good example of Analysis, as it asks me to break down the situation and determine why there is a specific outcome.
Answer:
I would have pre-teaching to determine background information and schemas of the students and group them in heterogenous groups to encourage social learning through building on the conceptual frameworks of each child (constructivist, developmental and social).
This question asks me to provide an example which is a good way to test Comprehension.
Question: Can you apply social learning theory to an activity which you could teach?
Answer:
An activity for reading / phonemic awareness could be given in which students are asked to segment and blend phonemes in the group by each representing a phoneme and then the students are asked to manipulate those sounds to create new words.
This is a good Application question as it is taking theory to practice.
Question: Consider the following situation: A teacher asks her students the same question at the beginning of every class about what they learned the day before. She is always met with silence and therefore provides a summary of what was taught in the previous class. Can you explain in terms of BLT why the students in this classroom do not respond to the teacher when she asks a question at the beginning of every class?
Answer:
The students are encountering the stimilus (the question) and provide no response. The reinforcement of this behavior over time (the teacher providing the answer each time) is the explanation for why the students do not respond - they have been conditioned to expect the teacher to provide the summary and are being both positively reinforced (given the summary) and negatively reinforced (the aversive stimulus of having to speak in front of the class is taken away).
This question is a good example of Analysis, as it asks me to break down the situation and determine why there is a specific outcome.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Theory to Practice Week 2: Learning Theories
Today was a more comfortable environment as GNA made her teaching style and expectations for us as learners and active participants clear last week. Introductions were re-made and personal anecdotes shared in an effort to get to know our colleagues better. This is important as we will be collaborating throughout our time together at UCONN and will work better together as we know each other better and know where people come from and what they can bring to the table.
An agenda was written on the board so to make our class time organization clear, but was not managed to the minute so anyone felt slighted for not being able to contribute to class discussion. All thoughts were taken into consideration, but when no thoughts were offered, GNA "cold called" on students to keep the discussion going and to avoid any one person becoming stagnant.
We watched videos that displayed different teaching style and then think-pair-share'ed about the videos and what they reflected on how students learn and how competency is determined for that particular classroom. This allowed for us to personally identify our own thoughts, then discuss with a partner to determine the bigger ideas, and then share with the group to see the diversity of thought and recognize the overall themes. As we teach students to think critically, it is useful to take specific ideas and observations and transform them into the "bigger picture" to better understand how all learned things are interconnected and related. For instance, we did the think-pair-share process for two videos and then once the bigger picture was established, we could compare the two videos in a more cohesive way. They were different on so many levels, but once we get out of the "ingredients" zone and into the entire result, the videos become more comparable and a basis for class discussion and dissection.
We remade our concept map in order to compare our conceptualization of learning last week and this week. Understood that our time constraints do not allow for this, I felt this would have had more impact if there was more time in between doing the maps. We remembered a lot that we did the previous week and even thought the organization of the map changed slightly, we only delved slightly deeper into the waters of learning. There may have been more of a clear difference if there was more time in between creating the two maps.
We talked about how we develop as humans over time and what the types of development are using a visual that most people are familiar with: a carnival game. Using a familiar schemata enabled the students to conceptualize the terms more efficiently.
The culture of the class did seem to improve as we knew more of what is expected of us as colleagues from GNA. Less interruptions and side conversations helped keep the class on track. Maintaining a consistent classroom "management" allowed for maximum time usage.
Allowing time at the end for work on our blogs independently lets us reflect on the day and what we have learned and what we will "take home."
Statement: If the teacher makes expectations clear and models moral behavior, then the class will feel more comfortable and become students of a higher moral character over time because they will want to meet those expectations and will have learned morals through observation, repetition/procedure, and moral appraisal.
An agenda was written on the board so to make our class time organization clear, but was not managed to the minute so anyone felt slighted for not being able to contribute to class discussion. All thoughts were taken into consideration, but when no thoughts were offered, GNA "cold called" on students to keep the discussion going and to avoid any one person becoming stagnant.
We watched videos that displayed different teaching style and then think-pair-share'ed about the videos and what they reflected on how students learn and how competency is determined for that particular classroom. This allowed for us to personally identify our own thoughts, then discuss with a partner to determine the bigger ideas, and then share with the group to see the diversity of thought and recognize the overall themes. As we teach students to think critically, it is useful to take specific ideas and observations and transform them into the "bigger picture" to better understand how all learned things are interconnected and related. For instance, we did the think-pair-share process for two videos and then once the bigger picture was established, we could compare the two videos in a more cohesive way. They were different on so many levels, but once we get out of the "ingredients" zone and into the entire result, the videos become more comparable and a basis for class discussion and dissection.
We remade our concept map in order to compare our conceptualization of learning last week and this week. Understood that our time constraints do not allow for this, I felt this would have had more impact if there was more time in between doing the maps. We remembered a lot that we did the previous week and even thought the organization of the map changed slightly, we only delved slightly deeper into the waters of learning. There may have been more of a clear difference if there was more time in between creating the two maps.
We talked about how we develop as humans over time and what the types of development are using a visual that most people are familiar with: a carnival game. Using a familiar schemata enabled the students to conceptualize the terms more efficiently.
The culture of the class did seem to improve as we knew more of what is expected of us as colleagues from GNA. Less interruptions and side conversations helped keep the class on track. Maintaining a consistent classroom "management" allowed for maximum time usage.
Allowing time at the end for work on our blogs independently lets us reflect on the day and what we have learned and what we will "take home."
Statement: If the teacher makes expectations clear and models moral behavior, then the class will feel more comfortable and become students of a higher moral character over time because they will want to meet those expectations and will have learned morals through observation, repetition/procedure, and moral appraisal.
Theory to Practice Week 1: Learning Theories
Introductions were made in a humorous and comfortable capacity. For Week 1, self-reflection was an important part of the morning because it is the smallest, most well-known unit: ourselves. We reflected on our strengths (as future teachers - what do we bring to the mix?) and how we learn which in turn helps us grasp how we will teach.
Working in groups is a good experience for students because life (personal, educational, professional) is all about collaboration and compromise. Learning to work together and build off one another is an essential skill needed in school and life.
The concept map is a tool for a visual learner but as we discovered today, learning preferences vary person-to-person but also within a person. We must tackle different methods so all types of learning is accommodated. This type of instruction was done today through discussion, visuals, teamwork, solitary reflection (downtime).
We were asked to repeat directions to ensure people were paying attention and because people need to hear things over and over to understand so this method was useful in a couple ways: to keep students engaged and to make sure they understood what was expected.
We were assessed throughout the day on the following, included but not limited to: our listening skills, preparedness, thoughtfulness, collaboration.
It is valuable that class time was not wasted - side conversations and interruptions were addressed immediately but respectfully, without a power struggle in class. So not only was the classroom managed successfully and class time utilized appropriately, but GNA did so in a respectful kind manner - no power moves to make students fearful or uncomfortable.
Considering it is a 6-hour long class, the way the time broke down made it engaging and not merely bearable. Some of us have not been in school for awhile and we are still adapting to the intense new schedule, so this class was successful as it kept my attention - a difficult feat when it is at the end of a long first week. The time breakdown was a huge factor as was enthusiasm.
Statement: If a teacher accompanies students as an expert learner and “guide on the side” through their learning experiences, then the student will be a more successful learner because he or she will feel more responsible for and interested in their own learning process but still comfortable to seek the help of the teacher.
Working in groups is a good experience for students because life (personal, educational, professional) is all about collaboration and compromise. Learning to work together and build off one another is an essential skill needed in school and life.
The concept map is a tool for a visual learner but as we discovered today, learning preferences vary person-to-person but also within a person. We must tackle different methods so all types of learning is accommodated. This type of instruction was done today through discussion, visuals, teamwork, solitary reflection (downtime).
We were asked to repeat directions to ensure people were paying attention and because people need to hear things over and over to understand so this method was useful in a couple ways: to keep students engaged and to make sure they understood what was expected.
We were assessed throughout the day on the following, included but not limited to: our listening skills, preparedness, thoughtfulness, collaboration.
It is valuable that class time was not wasted - side conversations and interruptions were addressed immediately but respectfully, without a power struggle in class. So not only was the classroom managed successfully and class time utilized appropriately, but GNA did so in a respectful kind manner - no power moves to make students fearful or uncomfortable.
Considering it is a 6-hour long class, the way the time broke down made it engaging and not merely bearable. Some of us have not been in school for awhile and we are still adapting to the intense new schedule, so this class was successful as it kept my attention - a difficult feat when it is at the end of a long first week. The time breakdown was a huge factor as was enthusiasm.
Statement: If a teacher accompanies students as an expert learner and “guide on the side” through their learning experiences, then the student will be a more successful learner because he or she will feel more responsible for and interested in their own learning process but still comfortable to seek the help of the teacher.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Classroom Tools
This website, Do 2 Learn, provides games and activities for students to learn about facial expressions, guidelines for safety, word pairing, and many more. As students are becoming more and more familiar and reliant on technology, our classrooms need to adapt by being more tech-friendly. Good teachers use tools that students are familiar with and these days, prefer. Working on the internet is fun for students and a good teacher will use this to engage their kids and make them want to learn. As a special educator, this website lets kids play games that teach real skills like reading emotions on people's faces, a skill that a disability may make difficult for them.
Another website, Diigo, allows for teachers to post links for students to limit their internet searching and provide credible sources for students to research or find activities related to their classes. In terms of special education students, this website allows us to post modified curriculum or reading that will be easily accessible with tutors or at home. Their parents can use this website to monitor their child's learning experience and current curriculum. Besides allowing for accessible use in and outside of class, good teachers will use this site to tighten the use of the internet to only legitimate sources.
A video available on YouTube, Intro to Special Education, is informative for parents on how special education works and gives an introduction to a lot of the important terms that they will hear throughout the process. A lot of parents are so overwhelmed when they discover their child needs special education that they do not read the information given to them and they avoid it because of their fear. This video makes the information easy to digest and understand. Once parents know what they are dealing with, they can be a better support for their students and help them in attaining the best possible education. We hope that schools have the students best interest in mind, but an informed parent is always the best asset for a student.
Special education students need to meet assessments in academics, organization, and social behavior. These links provide academic resources, games in social skills and safety, and help organize links and information for students and parents.
Another website, Diigo, allows for teachers to post links for students to limit their internet searching and provide credible sources for students to research or find activities related to their classes. In terms of special education students, this website allows us to post modified curriculum or reading that will be easily accessible with tutors or at home. Their parents can use this website to monitor their child's learning experience and current curriculum. Besides allowing for accessible use in and outside of class, good teachers will use this site to tighten the use of the internet to only legitimate sources.
A video available on YouTube, Intro to Special Education, is informative for parents on how special education works and gives an introduction to a lot of the important terms that they will hear throughout the process. A lot of parents are so overwhelmed when they discover their child needs special education that they do not read the information given to them and they avoid it because of their fear. This video makes the information easy to digest and understand. Once parents know what they are dealing with, they can be a better support for their students and help them in attaining the best possible education. We hope that schools have the students best interest in mind, but an informed parent is always the best asset for a student.
Special education students need to meet assessments in academics, organization, and social behavior. These links provide academic resources, games in social skills and safety, and help organize links and information for students and parents.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Webquest, and Internet Inquiry
All of these instructional tools allow for children to utilize the internet to build literacy skills and complete class projects. They all utilize elements of the internet to search for information, specific or broad. However, the use of these tools varies and enhances more specific skills. Internet workshop is a individual or group student project that provides students with an activity to complete based off information found on the web so it is guided. Webquest is similar to internet workshop in that it is guided, but it features lessons that are created by other teachers and shared over the web, and the activities are guided by the specific "quest". On the other hand, Internet Projects are collaborative experiences that bring classrooms in different areas together, such as tracking a bird migration across the country. The most independent tool is also the one that requires the most critical thinking: Internet inquiry, which is not guided by the teacher, rather the student provides the question and researches it independently. This allows for students to use their higher order thinking skills about what is important to them and choice is the best way to get students involved in what they are learning. It is also an essential skill for students to master not just being able to find the answers, but to know what questions to ask.
Contrastly, Webquest differs the most from the others in that the outcome is less open for interpretation by the student. There is less high order thinking going on in that the work has already been done: the student does not have as much opportunity to interact with the material as there is an intended expectation of material learned.
Though they all offer different experiences, they all have the benefit of strengthening research skills and computer literacy. The great thing about the internet is that it is always changing, a true reflection of the ever-changing world we live in. Just as our brains have to assimilate and accommodate new information to fit our conceptual framework, the internet is always shifting and rearranging. Everyday, we as people interact with our environment and incorporate aspects of our experiences into our schema while the internet similarly is a reflection of the environment/our world.
Incorporating technology and internet use into classrooms is important not just for the student's awareness and educational growth, but it teaches them to be saavy in sorting through information for the big picture. This is the goal: to understand the big idea and to apply it and synthesize it in class and life. As Schrum and Levin acknowledge, technology skills are only the tip of the iceberg when dealing with 21st century learning. We need students to be more adept at life skills and innovativeness (2009).
Unfortunately, I am not confirmed in a student placement and have been unable to talk to any teachers at the potential placement so I will not know what, if any, technology will be integrated into the special education program. Speaking generally, I would like to get kids clued in to how the internet can be used for learning purposes and in class and not just for social purposes. For example, if a student is struggling with Shakespeare in English because of their low reading comprehension skills, I could have them develop an internet inquiry regarding Shakespeare to get them interested and find different ways Shakespeare is interpreted online. They may find videos of it acted out (traditionally or with different spins) and hopefully become more knowledgable about what Shakespearean language means and what is intended. They would be the director of their search online and thus be more interested and motivated to learn because that is how choice affects the learning process. I also found quite a bit of Webquests, designed to understand Shakespeare's life and also a lot of his popular works (Johnson and Lamb 2002).
Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2002). The Topic: William Shakespeare. Retrieved June 12, 2011. http://42explore.com/shakspear.htm
Schrum, L. & Levin, B. B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnassing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.
Contrastly, Webquest differs the most from the others in that the outcome is less open for interpretation by the student. There is less high order thinking going on in that the work has already been done: the student does not have as much opportunity to interact with the material as there is an intended expectation of material learned.
Though they all offer different experiences, they all have the benefit of strengthening research skills and computer literacy. The great thing about the internet is that it is always changing, a true reflection of the ever-changing world we live in. Just as our brains have to assimilate and accommodate new information to fit our conceptual framework, the internet is always shifting and rearranging. Everyday, we as people interact with our environment and incorporate aspects of our experiences into our schema while the internet similarly is a reflection of the environment/our world.
Incorporating technology and internet use into classrooms is important not just for the student's awareness and educational growth, but it teaches them to be saavy in sorting through information for the big picture. This is the goal: to understand the big idea and to apply it and synthesize it in class and life. As Schrum and Levin acknowledge, technology skills are only the tip of the iceberg when dealing with 21st century learning. We need students to be more adept at life skills and innovativeness (2009).
Unfortunately, I am not confirmed in a student placement and have been unable to talk to any teachers at the potential placement so I will not know what, if any, technology will be integrated into the special education program. Speaking generally, I would like to get kids clued in to how the internet can be used for learning purposes and in class and not just for social purposes. For example, if a student is struggling with Shakespeare in English because of their low reading comprehension skills, I could have them develop an internet inquiry regarding Shakespeare to get them interested and find different ways Shakespeare is interpreted online. They may find videos of it acted out (traditionally or with different spins) and hopefully become more knowledgable about what Shakespearean language means and what is intended. They would be the director of their search online and thus be more interested and motivated to learn because that is how choice affects the learning process. I also found quite a bit of Webquests, designed to understand Shakespeare's life and also a lot of his popular works (Johnson and Lamb 2002).
Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2002). The Topic: William Shakespeare. Retrieved June 12, 2011. http://42explore.com/shakspear.htm
Schrum, L. & Levin, B. B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnassing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
About Me
My name is Marisa and I am currently attending a program for my Teaching Certification/Master's in Special Education. I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology in 2007 and I began tutoring a few hours a week while working full time for a lawyer. Initially intending to go to law school, I found myself far more fulfilled from my three hour sessions tutoring a girl with special needs than I was writing form letters and legal documents. Therefore, I decided to go into teaching. There are many things I am passionate about, and education is one of them. Other hobbies of mine include reading, cooking, hiking, and I'll admit I like some reality TV. We all have guilty pleasures!
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