Blog Post 3

Technology in Special Education

In this video special education teacher Lace Cook talks about how technology, especially laptops has improved the way student's learn and how she teaches in her classroom. Many of the students in her special education class are non verbal, and have physical and cognitive limitations. Technology facilitates student participation. She talks about how without technology life can be difficult for teachers and students. One student, Corbin used to have to be taken out in the hall for assisted reading. Now he uses audio books on an ipod touch to help him. This makes silent reading exciting, independent, and more importantly he is with his classmates. Another non verbal student, Chris communicates by using a mouse to type words on the computer. Technology makes it easier to get and keep her students attention. She uses power point in the classroom, and even has a website for her class. She plans to keep implementing new technology to improve the way her students learn.
Incorporating technology in the classroom helps include students with disabilities in the regular classroom setting along side their peers. I think the zoom application on computers would be very effective to use with smart boards in the classroom


How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism
In this video we see how Braden uses the ipad. He uses the app Toddler Counting, which gives immediate feedback as he counts. He uses the the My First Word app to help him with his 3rd grade sight words. The Kids Writing Pad app helps him practice his writing skills. It was great to watch Braden sit down and work with the ipad, his parents said that before the ipad he didn't want to do school work.
As a history teacher I think one of the apps I could use in my classroom would be the History: Maps of the World app. I want to teach World History and I think this would be a great app to get my students to learn about the geographical locations of the places we study. Knowing the geography of a certain place can help students understand why the specialized in certain trades, or grow certain things. I looked over some of the other apps too, and was impressed but the Maps of the World app was my favorite.

Garys Social Media Count
Gary's count really surprised me, it shows why we need to use social media in the classroom. It's mind boggling how big the numbers are and how quickly they change. It really shows how many people use the internet everyday, all day. Most of our students will be using things like google, youtube, twitter, ect. so we as teachers should incorporate these tools in our class.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
This video had a very powerful and important message of why we need to use technology in the classroom. This video really shows how everyone uses technology and how we CAN use to make education better...we just aren't. Today's students will graduate and have a job that doesn't exist today. Students are still buying expensive textbooks that they never open. Technology can help get students attention with videos and pictures. You can have live discussions with programs like skype, which is free. It's time to really sit and think of how to use technology to teach students, instead of students using their laptop to facebook, or email in the classroom.