Hello all,
I am not sure if I am the first person to blog- or if I am not blogging correctly, but here it goes...
While reading the nine elements of digital citizenship, three of which still left me with many questions we as professionals need to explore/define more in depth. Digital etiquette- I believe that some adults struggle with what is/isn't appropriate and how their actions affect others. How can we teach our students the proper etiquette to online blogging/researching/posting? I work primarily with students that have disabilities- should their digital access be any different than the regular education student? There are many online/tech savvy tools that these students' would greatly benefit from, and could even be included in their program modifications, but without knowing "digital law and security" that well myself I feel uncomfortable implementing these tools within the students IEP. I currently use technology within the classroom, but I am interested in learning more about programs and technology available for students with both learning and physical disabilities. I know our district is looking into online classes for students who may need an adjustment in programming- but I am interested in keeping students in school, and using technology more as an accommodation, instead of a program change. What are your thoughts on teaching digital literacy in your classroom? Would you feel comfortable if a Learning Disabled student had an IEP with modifications/accommodations that incorporate technology- such as Kurzweil or Read Aloud? (Computer programs that help students with reading/writing) English teachers- Do you currently use these programs within your class? The CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1b common core standard indicates students will "Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making". I believe that creating a classroom blog would be a great way for all students to contribute to setting classroom rules at the beg. of the school year. If students were able to go online to a classroom blog and post their opinions as to what the classroom rules should look like, they may have more buy in to following those rules. Having students blog and use 21st century skills- like collaboration would be a good tool to both set classroom rules, and reflect upon throughout the course of the year. This would allow students to become familiar with blogging, and would be a good tool to use with future lessons.
-Cassie
Nine Elements
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Kurzweill seems to be a program that works fairly well. I have used it in the past for lower level students with reading disabilities, especially those with stronger auditory skills. However, be aware that the reading voice is VERY mechanical and isn't always easy to understand. It definitely is a good way to provide your students with yet another tool for success. As a classroom teacher, I think that your implementation of this program is a great thing and not only makes life for the student better, but also makes the teacher's life easier.
Reflection on 13 Reasons Why-
Connie Baker
Once I got past the initial gut reaction to a story about a student who takes her own life, I began to analyze the sequence of events that led to the tragedy. How could this have been prevented? What is my role as a professional educator to be part of the solution? It struck me that there were several warning signals that were either not recognized or completely ignored by adults who could have done something to head off Hannah’s suicide. (Though I am a generation removed from my students, I am still able to relate to the confusion and self-doubt that is part of growing up.) I began to look for some of those same warning signs and whether it was appropriate to take action. Ultimately, it is up to the parent to recognize these warning signs, but in many families the parent(s) are so distracted by their own personal problems they fail to see the pain in their child. My conclusion was that the professional educator has a responsibility to take action if he or she sees evidence that a student is at risk. Part of my responsibility is to teach students to have respect for each other in situations that are not part of the classroom or school experience because they just don’t know the implications of all that they do.
Ken- I would agree with you, I find it very difficult to use technology in a classroom setting, as students are on many different levels. I also feel that this is partially my fault- as I don't know of many eduational links/programs for students to utilize. I believe the book brought me up to speed regarding digital lingo, but not necessarily with new programs/technology that are currently available. Looking forwad I would be interested in learning more about reading/writing programs that we would be able to utilize within the classroom.
Cassie-I definitely hear you in regards to ability levels. I have students who have difficulty with just locating MS Word and saving their written material to their student IDs. Recently, students were to preset short stories to the class. About 1/5 knew how to save to a flash drive. I had to show the rest how to do that or even send it to me in an attachment, so they could be displayed through the Smartboard in class. Some students are very comfortable with the technology, even surpassing me in how to operate my Smartboard! Others don't have computers at home, so the teacher-scheduled access is it. I think limiting social networking for those who don't understand the reprecussions (student/parent/teacher) is probably the safest way to go.
Ken-I totally agree! For class, the students struggle to find material through the library's databases that are specifically compiled for them. I too give specific sites to use. Even then, many students don't want to 'search' or 'investigate' the material that can be found within that particular site. They seem to look for the quickest way to obtain information. At times, I've had students go to a different, unreliable site like Wikipedia. Finding reliable sites and citing the sources they use for research has been an ongoing difficulty for my classes as well. I like that the book presents these guidelines, but I also agree that students will need further instruction about how to be responsible. It would be beneficial for my specific content area curriculum to include this.
I think you all make great points that I agree with and I have the same concerns. I feel as though I should use more technology but I don't have great ideas how. I currently use the SmartBoard... and that's about it. Last school year thr school bought me an iPad and I began exploring with that a bit. I found apps that applied to what I was teaching and then was able to use it in small group instruction. The small group instruction is what made it possible though. I would not be able to use an app like that in a whole class setting. I wonder what other options there are out there for the iPad. I've heard of something called Splash Top which apparently has good classroom implications in regards to the iPad but I don't know much else about it. Being a special educator I feel as though I should be better at this!
Ken and Alicia-
At least your students are trying to find information! Often I bring them down to the computer lab to do a project on Excel and their first point of business is not to open excel but instead an internet browser to look at shoes, YouTube videos or a music program! Do other people see this same dependence on visual or music stimulation in their students? And I think you all bring up a very important point that technology has its place. Is our society helping us teach this lesson? With the exception of car insurance commercials do any of the commercials out there show that constant attention to your phone or computer could be detrimental? According to this study http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2563.full children view about 40,000 ads a year. Can you think of one that says put down the cell phone, ipod, tablet, or computer and talk with a real person? Or how to edit the people you talk to online? I have a student who suffered a traumatic experience because she went to a person's house that she met on Facebook. When we were kids there were frequent lessons on stranger danger. Where are the digital versions of this? Should we be responsible for this as well as how to find appropriate websites for research and programs to learn material?
Cassie- I don't use Kurzweil or Read Aloud in my classroom, but they seem like interesting programs. I teach many students with disabilities and would be interested in using these programs within my classroom to extend lessons and offer support to my struggling students. Quite honestly, I don’t use a lot of technology in my classroom, in general. I have an overhead projector that I haven't turned on since 2010 and I finally got an Elmo this year. I incorporate youtube videos into many of my lessons, because I know my students are much more engaged when they see and watch something. I would like to do more with technology, but we just do not have it available at my school, and with the little we do have, there is no professional development offered to teachers to show how we can incorporate new technology or create things like prezis, wikis, or blog sites, etc. I do not even know how to create a teacher web page! Commenting on what Ken stated earlier, I too, get frustrated bringing my students to the computer lab. Not only do they not know how to appropriately and effectively access information and perform research, but I am constantly fighting my students to stay off youtube and playlist. They claim they learn best when they are listening to music and watching videos. It is difficult to keep them focused on their work when there are a million things they can be doing on the internet!
Nicole- I think students claim that they learn best when listening to music or watching videos because they are entertained. When we were young, the little things kept us entertained- such as using the one classroom computer for 20min. or watching a powerpoint. The concern I have is with technology increasing everyday it is becoming more and more difficult to "entertain" students. I think that using technology in the classroom is great, and can be a good tool,but am concerned that the more we continue to use it- the more we as teachers will have to "put on a show and dance" to capture our students attention.
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