Scenario

I feel like I now have a much stronger knowledge base in technology that can be used in the classroom because of the Education Technology class that I took. The class provided me with a lot of tools that can help me not only in lesson planning but various activities for the students. Many of these tools can be directed towards students with different learning styles and special needs. Sites such as Animoto can be great alternatives for students that are English language learners who might not be able to complete an oral presentation. They can still display their knowledge through the Animoto. This can also be true for students that have any speech impairments. Also using tools such as Prezi can be something new and interesting not only for students to use to present but also to make your presentations as a teacher much more interesting.

As far as teachers using technology, a couple of great sites that I have referred to and would encourage other teachers to refer to would be Google Docs and Kan Ed. Google Docs is a great tool for collaboration that would be useful for teachers who might be working on a project or lesson together. Also Kan Ed is a great source for finding lesson plans that align with state standards and also have many great research sources for students. I would really encourage other staff members to utilize all this technology available because it something that really interests the kids and is something that can really aid you in your planning. They can use sites such as Delicious to aid in finding these sources.

I plan on learning and keeping up on this technology through different technology workshops and also using web tutorials and any building tech people that are available. I have to admit that I am sometimes slow to learn technology but I am always very organized and prepared and technology can help to continue this. Within the next few years I look forward to using this technology in my classroom.

My Wow Moment

My wow moment from this semester probably came when I discovered that I could be comfortable with Mac computers. I came into this class having only worked with PC's so I was intimidated by the fact that I would have to use a Mac. This anxiety was increased when I knew we would be learning new tools and ways of handling technology because I felt like I was not only learning how to use a new computer but new information along side of it. However, after I couple of weeks I became much more comfortable with Mac's and actually starting to really enjoy working on them. I now find them easier to work on and am considering buying one when it comes time for me to purchase a new computer. I certainly did not plan on leaving this class saying any of this!

Podcast Favorites

I listened to a lot of podcasts throughout the semester and had the opportunity to reflect on these through blog posts. These podcasts provided me with a lot of information on how technology is being implemented in the classroom and also new technology that can be utilized in the classroom. Most of the podcast that I listened to were very helpful but the one that I enjoyed the most was Tech Chicks. I enjoyed listening to Tech Chicks because I always got a lot of information from their podcast. I felt as if they always had really helpful information to share and lots of ideas for the classroom. There were even a couple of podcasts where they discussed tools that we had talked about in class or were working with in class which I felt made them very relevant. They were really easy to reflect on because their podcasts were jam-packed with different websites and tools that could be utilized in the classroom.

Semester Favorites

My first favorite tool that I learned about this semester is Google Docs. I loved this tool because it allows you to collaborate so much easier. This was important to me because as an education major there are a lot of projects involved in your course work and a lot of those are group projects. It is often difficult to find time that all group members can meet so Google Docs allows you do that. It was also a great tool to work on study guides with other students, which can really increase your learning as you are able to see peoples views on understandings on whatever subject it is you are studying.

My second favorite tool that I learned about in this class was Prezi. This tool allows allows easy collaboration. It is similar to powerpoint in the fact that it is a presentation slide show. However, unlike powerpoint you can zoom in on images, set a specific path for information to appear on the screen and arrange text in more interesting ways. Like Google Docs it allows more than one person to work on the presentation at a time. This of course makes it easier to work as a group on a project.

Challenge Based Learning Reflection

The Challenge Based Project was a really great introduction to Prezi presentations. It not only gave us the opportunity to research a certain challenge topic but also gave us the opportunity to work with Prezi. The group I was in chose to do our presentation on the dangers of texting and driving. We looked at the statistics associated with texting and driving, the laws surrounding texting and driving, the awareness about the dangers of texting and driving and also a few short videos clips concerning the topic. Using Prezi for our presentation was really nice because you can share the prezi with your groupmates allowing everyone to work on the project. This is especially nice since it is sometimes hard to schedule group meetings. Also Prezi is a new way of displaying information instead of powerpoint. There are no slides just one large formate that allows you to zoom in on different bits of information without ever leaving the full screen mode. Prezi also allows you to set up a path so by using the arrows keys you can move from on piece of information to the next. Prezi was easy to learn how to use and was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to powerpoint. Here is a link to my website where you can view my groups Prezi presentation.

Podcast Reflection #12: Another Autism Podcast

 I decided to do another reflection on one of the autism podcasts that I listened to last week. I found them very interesting and such a great resource for parents who have children with autism. On this podcast the host talked with Megan Drane who is a photographer and owns Firefly Nights Photography. Megan has a son who is diagnosed with Asperger's. Before her son was diagnosed Megan was photographing families, children etc. but soon became interested in photographing children with autism. She knew the struggle that parents faced in capturing important moments and wanted to help. She said that she likes to photograph her own son not only to mark childhood milestones but also certain behaviors that he might be displaying. Some of the challenges that she says she faces when photographing children with autism is engagement. Getting the child to not only look at the camera but capture what she referred to as the "light in their eyes." Also, as with most children, it is difficult sometimes to get them to stay still. However, Megan mentioned that before she goes into a session she meets with the family and gets to know the child before they start snapping photos. She likes to learn if there are any sensory issues such as the click of the camera of bright flashes that might bother the child. Most importantly though she said it is important to find a "bribe" for the child!

Reflection # 11: Autism Podcast

 The podcast I listened to today was one that was recommended to me by one of my teachers who teaches  about special education. The podcast is about Autism and the host, Michael Bole, is a father of a son with Autism. On the podcast I listened to, Michael interviewed a guy by the name of Dan Tedesco who also has a son with Autism. Dan works for a company that produces apps specifically for children with Autism. The app they were discussing today is called Autism Track. This app is basically a journaling tool that allows caregivers to track how their child is doing throughout the day. Its purpose is to track the child's symptoms throughout the day, specific behaviors they are exhibiting, what treatment options they are being given, etc. By tracking this information it provides the parents with a better picture of what interventions and strategies are working for their child and which aren't. Autism Track is a tool that is suppose to help guide parents through the journey of Autism treatment. This app can also look at the types of medical treatments that are being used and how those are affecting certain behaviors and can also rate behaviors and symptoms that are exhibited during the day. Autism Track is network based and requires a server connection. This feature allows multiple caregivers access to the child so that more can be involved in treatment of the child. The data that is collected is reported in a numerical format and shows trend lines that are occurring.