Blog Post #16

Part 1:

My Future Classroom

My future classroom setting will be at a University because my goal is to become a History professor. I would like to focus on American History because this has always been the topic I am most passionate about. However, I want to teach History differently because many students find the subject to be rather dull and I want to change their perspective. My teaching method will incorporate technology into my lesson plans. Most History classes in college are based solely on lecture and I want to stray away from that path. My goal is to actually captivate my students' interest so that they enjoy learning about this subject.

In my future classroom, I would like to decorate the room I will be teaching in. I would love to have posters hanging on the walls picturing important people in History and interesting facts they may not know. I would also like to have posters advocating technology and it's importance. To me, this makes the room a little bit more interesting. I use to love walking into my classrooms in high school because their were so many posters with neat information about that subject. Being in college I have noticed that every room looks exactly the same and has no identity to it. I know that this may seem like a tiny change, but it makes a difference.

My methods will mainly be technology based and I will also use project based learning. My students will do projects together instead of writing papers. When students are required to write papers for History they do not remember that information once that class is over. However, students are much more likely to retain information if they are doing a PBL assignment with their fellow classmates. PBL really requires time and effort out of students if they want to submit their best work. I will definitely be an advocate of technology because I will be teaching college students who need to be technologically literate.

Since my classroom environment will be for college students the majority of them will have laptops and those who do not can still have access because of the school library. This will make my lesson plans flow easier and student's can not use excuses about not having access to computers. I will be using Google Drive in my future classroom because this tool is amazing! I can use google presentation to make interesting slide shows for my students and the best part is that it is absolutely free. I can also check on group work by using google drive because I want to make sure everybody is doing their work. I think this tool is very beneficial because it will allow me to fairly grade each student when they do projects together. Another tool I will use is Blogger and I have EDM310 to thank for that. I did not know anything about blogging until taking EDM310! This tool has turned out to be my favorite and one that I will be carry onto my future classroom because it is so useful. Not only does blogging improve writing skills which is necessary for any subject you teach, but it allows your students' creativity to flow. Blogging will allow me to evaluate my students and their understanding. If my students are required to write about a topic pertaining to History than I can check their blog to see how well they grasped the concept. If my student is having difficulty, I can comment on their blog and make a suggestion to meet with me. There were so many new tools I was introduced to during EDM310, but these were the methods that just really stood out to me.

The Difference Between Then and Now

After I re-read my Blog Post #1 it was easy to see how drastic my views changed about my future classroom. I will not teach in a school that is based around a Historic museum and that is okay. Instead, I have came up with a better plan for my future classroom and the reason being is EDM310. After enrolling in this course, I really learned about so many amazing technological tools you can use in your classroom to help keep your students engaged. I do not have to have artifacts from a museum because I can simply use technology, which allows a more visual experience. I can also use Google Hangouts or Skype to allow history experts to enter my room via video. I have learned so much about technology and about some of the tools I can use in my future classroom. My plans are to continue to educate myself about new technology tools so my students will be prepared for the real world that awaits them after college.

Part 2:

My Final Reflection

Blog Post #15

iPad Usage For the Blind
Author: Kristie Bell

In the video iPad Usage For the Blind, Wesley Majerus is a technology specialists who demonstrates how the blind can use iPads.

Technology is absolutely amazing and has opened up so many opportunities to the blind. For example, the iPad has several apps that provide great assistant to the blind. These apps can not only be downloaded on the iPad, but the iPhone as well. Technology is really changing the world by helping those with impairments. For example, the app called Ariadne GPS allows the visually impaired to take solo walks by themselves. The interactive maps make it easier to explore the world around you. Whenever you cross a street a signal vibration will automatically come on. This tool can even announce stops on a bus or train.

The best part about the iPad is that it can read any form of text aloud to the visually impaired which makes learning less difficult for them. Without technology none of this would even be possible! It is simply amazing what obstacles technology can help people overcome.

After learning about the app called Braille Pro I found this tool to be very interesting. This app allows you to learn Braille and translate english to braille. This tool would be great for parents learning braille with their kids. It would also be great for parents who need help creating their child's books in Braille. This is an excellent tool and I would definitely use it.

I believe that iPad usage for the blind is wonderful. I hope that one day it could allow every visually impaired student to enroll in public education systems instead of having to go to a school for the impaired. In my future classroom, I would certainly use these apps if I had a visually impaired student. The iPad truly is a remarkable learning device!

What Assistive Technologies are available to teachers?

Author: Autumn Sprouse

"Having a Great Time Teaching Mom what her child is learning"

To get started on learning about what technologies are available to teachers, I watched the video Having a Great Time Teaching Mom what her child is learning. In this video, a mother learns how blind students learn on the iPad. One tool that the iPad has is called voice over. When voice over is activated, whatever your finger touches, it tells you, and if you want to select that app, you just double tap. This is such a great tool that can help so many students get the opportunity to learn on the iPad. You can also change the iPad from voice over to standard mode. With standard mode, instead of double tapping the screen, to select an app you just hold your finger on it and lift up. Before watching this video, I had no idea that this was available to students who are blind, or that the iPad could even do that! After watching this, I believe that any student can learn on the iPad and it is amazing to see how much technology is available to us now for learning.

After watching this video, I then researched more videos about iPads for the blind. I watched Unlocking the Power of the iPad for the Blind. This video showed how teachers to learned about the iPad and how to teach the students. The teachers go through a workshop which is led by Jon Erlichman who is blind. He teaches the teachers how to use voiceover and the several apps you can get to help the students further their learning. Many of the apps are free or cost $0.99.

It is amazing to see how far we have came in the last few years with technology from students using Braille, to them now using iPads and being able to use them on a daily basis. Learning about this has opened my eyes to the use of the iPad ever more than I thought it could.

Technology to Help Students with Visual and Hearing Impairments

By: Douglas R. Jarvis Jr.

   
 Many of us can not imagine what it would be like to have a visual or hearing impairment. As educators, we are responsible for helping all our students learn. I researched two devices that help students in this situation. Unfortunately, many products are costly and not always available to people without insurance. The National Association for the Blind has links to several devices to help the visually impaired. I chose to look into the Braille Translation  Software.These devices allow a teacher to post a documents and have them translated to braille so that they can be read by blind students. This would make teaching much easier. By having the ability to create lesson plans that the children can read without investing lots of money into specialty documents.

   
 Hearing impairment is also very expensive to correct and many can not afford cochlear implants. However , there are several devices that can help stream sound directly to a hearing aide to allow a teacher more mobility while reducing background noise for the student. One such device is an infrared amplification device. This technology uses a transmitter to send the sound invisibly to the student. This is considered to be the most effective amplification device to use in public places because it is cordless and needs no equipment to be worn. I found this information by reading Sarah Irvine Belson’s special ed wiki. She can be found at Sara@American.edu.

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?

Teaching Math to the Blind
Author: Kynyetta Barren

In the video Teaching Math to the Blind, it was very interesting. It has never cross my mind about how blind people learn. Professor Art Karshmer introduces a system he created using blocks and grids to aid blind students in solving math problems. He stated that braille is not read in two dimensions, so were a seeing person can line an addition problem one number on top of the other, and add from right to left to solve problems. This is how the system works. the students scans the blocks with braille and a visual number on the front with a barcode scanner. Then the computer reads the number aloud. I found this system to be very educational. I like the thought that students with a learning disability can learn in the same way as we learn. It's just amazing to learn new things!! After watching that video, I decided to do some more research on assistive technology devices that's useful in the classroom. In my search I found a software program called FaceMouse . It's a software designed to assist people with limited movement. Students will use only their face and head movement. FaceMouse uses standard webcam to allow your face to control and move the computer's mouse point. It will control the mouse pointer by following your head movements, facial gestures, and any actions such as mouth opening, closing, and eyebrow movement. I have provided a video link to FaceMouse Overview so you can better understand the concept.I think that both of these tools are beneficial to the students and future educators. I have never giving thoughts about how I would student. These resources were great and helpful!!