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IConn

While looking through IConn, I found it to be an extremely useful resource. My basic understanding is that IConn allows it users to see any title of a book, magazine, periodical, etc. and which libraries in Connecticut have them. Readers can see how many they have and what editions as well. This is a great way to help establish digital equality in the state. This website is free and accessible to anyone, allowing all citizens who have a free library card to have access to anything from the library that they could ever want. This is super helpful for anyone who may not have many resources, especially students because they have so much at their fingertips even if they may not have a computer or access to books at school or at home. IConn lifts the restraints off of every citizen and grants them access to learn.

The Computer Delusion

I found this article to be really interesting and it brings up some great points.  I personally work in an elementary school and cannot imagine giving up so many things for technology. Each classroom has 1 computer and students have a computer classroom where they meet twice a week for computer class. They all love it and are all pretty computer savvy. They also, however, absolutely love having gym, music, art and science lab. The idea of eliminating all of these wonderful programs for more computers seems ridiculous. Students are exposed to plenty of technology in the form of Smart Boards, library card catalogs, and their own computers at home. When you are in a school and you see the wonderful and enriching things that the students learn in their specials, like teamwork, self expression, independence, and creativity, it is hard to imagine them being stuck in their classroom on a computer all day long. I am all for bringing technology into our schools, but I think it can be done effectively without sacrificing the rest of the curriculum. 

Non-linear Powerpoints

The concept of non-linear powerpoints is something I can really see as an easy and useful resource in all classrooms. High School students can use this for presentations, and can jump around from page to page. It is a great solution for group projects because everyone can really have their own section and ownership of the powerpoint, but still only one project can be handed in. As far as my Special Ed students go, making games using non-linear powerpoint is an excellent resource. It teaches children facts as well as computer skills and it can be used individually or as a group. It can include pictures for visual learners and you can even have the computer read the text aloud for audio learners. I really support this type of powerpoint because of its simplicity and range. It has so many different uses and can be used by so many different types of students and teachers.




It was a really interesting experience creating one of these. I love the idea of making a game for students to play, but it definitely gets confusing figuring out what links to what on the slides. Overall it seems like such a better option for lessons because I would be able to jump all over my presentation.

Wiki

My group and I finished up our Wiki last week and it was definitely a fun experience getting to see the Web 2.0 resources. While selecting the Web 2.0 resource I wanted to share, I chose to focus on one that would be especially beneficial to Special Ed students, since this is my major. There are so many great ones to choose from, but I decided on ToonDoo. I like this site for many reasons. First, it can be used by students and teachers to create their own comic strips or comic books. I love that your comic can be one square or one hundred squares because it really makes the site usable by everyone. Comics are a great way to intrigue students, but it also helps them with writing, grammar, illustration, storytelling, dialogue, speech and language. Students can make the comics themselves or teachers can make the comics and use them as a teaching tool for their class. It is free to use and there are tons of different options for characters and things.

Midterm Reflections

The semester so far has been a lot different than I expected. It has really made me think about how much I do not know about technology. When we started this course, I thought I was fairly tech savvy, but it turns out this is not entirely the case. It is great to learn new little tricks while working on the computer, and it is even nicer to be using both the Mac and Windows version of things. I have really enjoyed every project we have done so far and I am especially excited to complete my digital story, because I feel like this will be such a wonderful thing for my Special Education students. It's such a great tool for visual learners and it can be tweaked and revised as often as needed. There is also tons of room for interaction between students and technology. Being a Special Ed major, I am always looking for great new tools that can help to accommodate my students and their special needs. I had really hoped to learn more about Smart Board as well as the IPad apps for students with autism. This is obviously beyond the realm of general education technology, but it is something I would find very helpful and useful for my students. Nonetheless, I look forward to having my webpage as a great resource full of all my technological achievements to show my students.

This is a very interesting video about what it feels like for a child with a learning disability who is in a mainstream classroom setting.