Change

The topic of Educational Reform seems to be one that is on many people's minds. I have become very frustrated recently in the fact that not many people seem to really be in it for the students as much as they may say they are. I looked up some information and talked to a few people about any organization that would really be for reform that was solely for the greater good of the students. Ira pointed me to his blog post that we talked about previously in our lab sessions. I started looking at some of the posts on this website and found one post that was really interesting to me.

Blogging for Reform: First, let’s fire all the teachers… By Ms.Mercer

This blog post talks about Reform, but not in the way that many people see it. Instead of firing all teachers and trying to replace them we should be educating teachers that are in schools now and help them to improve on their teaching. If the firing of teachers were to be the solution and continue it could become a never ending cycle. The only way to ensure good teachers in a school is to help them to improve. I really enjoyed this blog post and feel that this system could really make a difference in the US School Systems.

Homework

Today in my TE class we talked a lot about homework. I started to think about how technology could help students with their homework. First I realized today in class that homework is not something students need to have everyday. Second I learned that homework needs to have a lot of value to it so students will get the most out of the assignment. I started to think about using the different technologies or different websites we've looked at in class this semester. A lot of these applications could be used to add value to an assignment and also help the student to be able to complete the assignment without the extra factor of stress and frustration. Using Google could be a great resource for students to work together on assignments or help each other. I think homework is something that should be used to help students understand what they've learned in class, but also help them to become motivated. Homework doesn't have to be a boring task that students don't look forward to doing.

Activities

Today in my TE class we talked a lot about activities and how they contribute to a lesson. I found this conversation to be very interesting and began to think about these activities and how technology can be incorporated into a lesson. In a classroom there are a variety of students with different needs and abilities. These students also all learn differently and have different ways of working. Activities are done in a lesson to help the students understand the concepts and big ideas. I feel that during an activity it would be beneficial for the students to incorporate different technologies. Websites can be a great way for students to learn and to do interactive activities to help further their understanding of a lesson.
Along with technologies I feel it is important to allow students to choose how they will do an activity. This can be done by setting up different stations. Each student will need to do a similar activity and all will deal with the same concepts, but they can be done in different ways. Students who prefer to do interactive activities can use manipulative's or websites. Students who prefer reading may do an activity that deals with reading. Giving students options and a choice will not only help them fully understand the lesson, but will also make them more engaged. This can be a great way to incorporate special education students into the general education classroom as well.

Technology in the Palm of Your Hand.

One of Apple's most recent creations is the Apple Ipad. I have had the opportunity to use one of these Ipads and i must say they are a lot of fun! The Ipad may be a lot of fun, but if you really think about it the ipad can be used for a lot of different things. Having a small computer that is portable and easy to manage can be so useful when it comes to technologies that can help students. The ipad can connect to the Internet and special applications can be downloaded onto the ipad that can allow for easier use by the student. If a student needs to have something read for them or something in bigger print this could be done for them on the ipad. Another useful way this or even and ipod touch can be used is for organization. As someone who is constantly keeping lists and writing things down my ipod has become my favorite tool. I have downloaded multiple applications that help me to keep track of what I need to do and my schedule. There is an application for my grocery list, one for my homework, one for my daily schedule and one for my to do list. These tools can be extremely helpful for a student who needs to keep reminders or has trouble keeping on task. The use of a daily schedule could help a special education student who needs to have their schedule written for them. The student would be able to put this into their ipad or ipod and carry it around with them along with setting alerts to help remind the student where they are supposed to be or what they should be doing. So do I feel apples technologies are useful to students absolutely!

IEP's

After doing some reading on IEP's I have gotten the impression that many IEP's seem incomplete or are not properly written. This concerns me due to the fact that an IEP is supposed to be a sort of legal document describing what a student needs or any modifications that must be done to help the student in the classroom. I think adding assisted technologies should be a top priority when writing an IEP. I get the impression that not enough schools use assisted technologies for their students and I feel this is something that needs to be changed. Technology can really help a student and aide them in their understanding of materials in school.

Life of a Teacher

I was recently having a discussion with some teachers who are already in the field and have jobs. I asked them a few questions about the topics we have been talking about in this class and in my TE 401 class. Some of the topics were on technology and also about assessments and the curriculum they use. I found that if you are an elementary school teacher it is extremely difficult to teach anything you would like to teach or in a way you find interesting. The students have to be prepared for the state testing so that curriculum is the most important. I also found that many teachers like to use technology, but they school doesn't always have the money to provide this technology for them. I think this is probably a big issue in a lot of schools. I have also seen first hand how much technology can have an impact on teaching. My placement teacher has a smart board in her classroom and the students respond so well to the lessons that she has on this board and they love the interaction. This is a great example of how technology can really enhance teaching.

Teaching Discussions

In my TE class today we had a huge discussion about assessments. There were so many good points and ideas brought up in class I felt the need to blog about it. First of all it was brought to my attention today that having assessments can sometime take away from the actual teaching and learning relationship. If teachers are forced to teach criteria for say the MEAP then that can take away from the students actually learning something. So much emphasis is put on "get a good grade" or "Pass that test" that the students can find the information to be meaningless. I think it is so important for teachers to continue to push to make learning interesting and fun even if it is a curriculum that is based on the MEAP or some other state standardized test.