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Tech Tool Review

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Pinterest in the classroom

While doing the Pinterest activity I learned two important things. The most important thing I learned was how to use it, and how you can have different boards that house your pins. Boards can have different topics, to where your pins connect. The second thing I learned was all of the different things you can find on Pinterest and how there is something for pretty much any topic you can think of, as a teacher I find this very useful. There are so many different activity ideas to look into, as well as different materials to add to your classroom to make it more convenient for learning. I plan to continue to use Pinterest to get ideas for weekly activities for my students.

The main strength of Pinterest, that I noticed, is how organized you can be with the specific pins that you find interesting. Like I mentioned before, you can create different boards which can have specific topics, pins are then sorted onto each board in which they relate to one another. During this activity I didn’t really seem to have any challenges, or questions. For some it may be somewhat challenging to grasp the different concepts of the boards and pins and how they correspond, but for the most part it is very user friendly, and I’m excited to continue using it. 

Khan/Koller Review

Looking on the Khan Academy site, I first began to look at some of the subject areas I struggled with in high school. I feel that if I were aware that this site existed I may have tried it out. While browsing it was pretty straight forward on how to get to different things and I liked how organized the site as a whole was. I would definitely encourage students to use this site, because I know there are many students out there who are like I was in school. I didn’t like asking for help, or getting extra help outside of the classroom. I feel that Khan Academy helps students like I was get that extra help they may need at a more convenient time for them. Watching a few videos I feel Khan did an exceptionally good job on taking the time to explain each topic, as well as it being easy to follow along and learn from. Lastly I think Khan is right when he talked about relying more on credentialing through online courses. In my opinion I think this style of learn is very much so more accessible for many students. I feel this way because it allows students to learn at their own pace as well as in an environment that may be more comfortable for them.

As I began to explore the courser course offerings, one that looked the most interesting to me was the courses on Virtual teaching. I think this is interesting because many schools offer online options, so being able to take courses to help educators do their job better, as well as teach those that are interested is beneficial. I feel the Coursera courses look pretty interesting for the most part; the part of the course that I looked at was pretty much the same type of assignments each week. It may not be that way for all course options, but that is one part I didn’t necessarily like. On the other hand it could very much be like that depending on the type of professor you have.  Lastly I agree that MOOCs could very much be the “wave of the future.” In my opinion, I would rather take online courses; I’ve found that my performance is better when I’m able to do things at my own pace. After graduating I plan on attending a school with an online program for my major. Columbus State is also one of many schools that accept Coursera credits for students looking to transfer. 

Exploring Standards-Based Lesson Plans

For this assignment, it was very hard for me to find a lesson plan that met majority of the developmental domains needed for my specific age group. Without using one of my own, I wanted to keep my main focus on Early Childhood Education. The lesson I did decide to use is intended for infant toddlers, who range from twelve to eighteen months. Its main focus is drawn toward snowflakes and the cold weather. Teachers gave their students a variety of activities to do in order to introduce new ideas that connect to their theme for the week. This includes many hands on activities as well as book readings and activities outside of the classroom.

Early learning curriculum includes nine different developmental domains. These nine domains are used as a building block in order to create lessons throughout the week, as well as creating observations of their student’s development. These domains are as following.

(Social Studies isn't pictured)

Several activities featured in this particular lesson meet majority of the nine domains. For example, “Looking at books of winter wonders” covers literacy, which isn’t listed, as well as language and cognitive, which is also referred to as approaches towards learning. “Hitting a beach ball” is listed as gross motor, but would be classified as physical since it requires the child to use their hands in order to hit an object. “Taking turns dropping table tennis balls into a jug” is listed under social emotional which is accurate. A add on to that specific domain is "interacting with peers," and that’s exactly what that entails. Lastly “Using white finger paint” is considered creative art, this allows the children to explore different art supplies and create whatever they’d like.

If I were to use this plan in my own classroom, I would first make sure I put different activities for each day, giving more opportunity to cover all domains throughout the week. I feel that my students would enjoy the activities listed, as well as the other activities that could be added. The one activity that could potentially be challenging for my group would be “taking turns dropping table tennis balls into a jug.” In the world of infant toddlers there is no such thing as “taking turns.” Although we may do our best to instill that type of play, it does get challenging at times. Another activity that stuck out was “playing with and molding white dough.” From experience I know that my students would love this. It's also a great fine motor activity, that in most cases, can keep children occupied, and engaged. 

http://www.angelsacademies.com/toddlers.html

Assistive Technology for students with Autism

The disability I chose was Autism. I selected this because I have personally interacted, on many occasions, with children who were diagnosed with autism. The Center for Parent Information and Resources describes Autism as a developmental disorder that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication as well as social interaction. The article also states that children diagnosed with autism often engage in repetitive activities, stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change, and changes in their daily routine (Center for Parent Information and Resources). When working in an environment full of diverse children I have noticed that children with autism all consistently show an inability to communicate effectively or even communicate at all. I feel that this alone is the biggest challenge when it comes to trying to educate a child with autism. 

As the development of technology has grown immensely, so has the ability to maintain effective teaching for children who may be labeled as “unable to be taught” or “unable to learn.” The evolution of the IPad has become one of the most influential pieces of technology being used to help children communicate when communication can’t physically take place. Different apps were created in order to give people with autism more freedom of speech. The apps also allowed them to feel at ease when trying to voice their thoughts, feelings, and needs. School systems as well are beginning to make IPads accessible for those students who aren’t able to learn in a “normal” setting.

As I watched the YouTube video entitled “Apps for Autism” I was able to get more of a visual on what the apps were like, and how user friendly they are. In this short video there was a young man who used one specific app called “Proloquo2Go,”(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/proloquo2go-symbol-based-aac/id308368164?mt=8). This app provides its user with an endless amount of images as a solution for ineffective communication.  “Autism Express,” (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autism-emotion/id550027186?mt=8) is also another app used to help children express their emotions. Another app that I found called “Look in My Eyes,” (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/look-in-my-eyes-train-engineer/id588178399?mt=8) is used to help practice eye contact. Lastly, the one thing that really stood out to me as I watched this video was when the three teachers sat and talked about why these apps are effective. One teacher said that autistic children would rather interact with this type of technology rather than a human. Following, it was stated that this may be because of how consistent the device is, as well as the user being fully in control (apps for autism, https://youtu.be/F_8b7PgnNQQ).

I feel that for the future, the use of the IPad will continue to emerge to help positively teach and provide easy access for those who can’t communicate, or be taught in a typical classroom setting. It was mentioned in the Apps for Autism clip, that there is more going on in the brain of autistic children than many may realize. As these apps are beginning to become more popular, many teachers and parents are able to see positive progression as these children interact with this device. School systems as well are trying out some of these techniques in order to find ways to effectively communicate and learn while children are at school. As well as cater to each child’s specific needs when it comes to positive brain development.   

References

https://youtu.be/F_8b7PgnNQQ

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/categories/

  

Ohio Distance Learning Schools

Looking at the five distance learning options, all the choices had good qualities in my opinion; but the school that stood out the most to me would be the Virtual Community School of Ohio. I especially liked this program because it focuses on many things that parents worry about when looking into online schooling. For younger and elementary students, the program is very interactive, giving parents and children the opportunity to work closely together. The middle and high school program gives students flexibility as well as early graduation opportunities. All students are provided with a desktop computer or laptop, and a scanner/printer, as well as being provided with technical training and support throughout their educational experiences. The Virtual Community School of Ohio also uses a variety of learning activities for various learning styles. I also like that there is a special needs program for students with mental illnesses. As well as assigned staff who work closely with these students to insure their learning experience beneficial. Lastly, I found it very helpful that the family and student handbook is linked to their site, so all the information you may need to know is available to you first hand.

           

The program I wouldn’t choose for my child would be The Virtual Schoolhouse. When I first began to explore their site, I didn’t see much that stood out from any other ordinary online program. I feel that when looking into online schooling the things that stand out the most to me is how much parents are involved in their child’s learning, especially for younger grade levels. Also making sure that the needs are met for all different types of learners, as well as providing the resources needed to insure positive growth throughout each program.  Although I wouldn’t necessarily pick this program for my child, I do feel that its mission is good, and that’s to allow children to succeed by providing multiple educational options for different learning styles.