EDLD+5364-+Teaching+with+Technology



__Week 1__

This week I found very interesting to look at the different teaching and learning styles. Being a special education teacher, I am very much a constructivism teacher. I realize that my students learn in many different ways. Bringing in new ways to teach an idea gives my students a better understanding over the whole concept.

The social networking article brought up so many good points. I love using the different social networking sites, but I realize that they can never replace the importance of actual face 2 face communication. As we teach our students these new technologies and more becomes available we need to still promote the importance of face 2 face interaction.

I found the videos very informative, and I saved them to my favorites on my youtube page. I found the Cyborg video very intriguing, and I can not wait to share it with colleagues.

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__Week 2__  I found this weeks articles to be very interesting. The most interesting thing about these articles was the date on them. They were very informative and had good data collection, but they were still outdated. With the Texas Long Range Plan in place, schools no longer have a choice when it comes to technology. I think that it is good show documentation to teachers the importance of using technology in the classroom and the benefits. The articles were interesting, but I thoroughly enjoyed the videos.

I can not wait to spend more time on the CAST website. Being a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom I am always looking for new ways to increase the use of technology in my classroom. I agree with the ideas behind the UDL. All students should have the ability to show their strengths in different areas. It is our jobs as teachers to offer students many different opportunities for them to show their understanding of a concept. Busy Bee Blog 

__Week 3__

After looking at the CAST and UDL sites I am so excited to actually use this information in my classroom. I do have to admit, that I am feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. I love learning about new technology, but now I look back at my own classroom and I wonder if I am doing everything that I can for my students. I will try everything that I can to make sure my students succeed.

Having said that I will do everything to make sure my students will succeed, I am a little nervous. I know that I will teach all of the learners in many different styles, but what happens when they leave my classroom? What happens when they leave school. I know that as a teacher I am worried that the teacher next year will say, well Mrs. Keller didn't teach anything. Was it because I didn't teach anything, or was it because I differentiated my instruction so every student had a chance to succeed? I remember when I taught first grade I had a tough time giving grades. I gave grades on what I saw in the classroom and what I knew about the student. In hind sight, I realize that this was not the fairest way to grade. Thank goodness I only taught first grade.

I think that differentiating instruction is very important, but I think that we also need to find a common ground where we can make sure that the student is learning what we have expected. I think that it is also important to have high expectations. Just like the students are learning, I know that I am learning all of the time. also.  __Week 4__

I found this weeks reading very interesting. As teachers we are always wanting our students to work cooperatively. The saying is "Practice what you Preach" which fits completely into the section.

We have taught ourselves how to get through the day, how to get through in service, and how to cram everything in. In reality we learn much better when it is hands on and cooperative. I found the readings interesting because they focused on how to get students to work in cooperative groups and then went into how educators could work in these same groups. I am a huge advocate for PLN's. I am very active on Plurk. I know that I have talked about Podstock often, but this was a conference that spoke to everything that we have learned in this course. If we want our students to succeed in technology or in cooperative learning groups, we must also do it as educators. My activity in Plurk allowed me to present and become friends with many people all over the United States.

Our time is very precious, and we need to realize that so is a students time. It is important for us to know a great many things, but it is even more important for us to realize when we need to go to our PLN or fellow classmates and ask for help. I love the fact that I don't have to remember every little technology thing. I know a ton of technology, but if I a question I know that someone in my PLN will be there to answer it for me.