Morgan+Brenner

This is the webpage I created with html in my ISTC 301 course in Spring 2012.

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This is the Voki that I created for my ISTC 301 course in Spring 2012.


 * Learning Styles and the Universal Design for Learning**

The results of my learning styles survey concluded that I am a visual/verbal learner. I already knew a lot of the suggestions that were made for me to be a better student such as make flashcards or use Microsoft Word. Some of the things that it suggested I like I also knew about such as I like to study alone in a quiet room and I learn best when a teacher uses an overhead or the blackboard to teach. However, one of the more creative suggestions that I had never thought of before requested that I post sticky-notes with my vocabulary words written on them around the room before an exam that way I can recite definitions of words while doing daily activities. It will also help me remember where the vocabulary word is in my room when I am taking an exam which can jog my memory about the definition. Though I knew most of the suggestions that the test offered me, it was nice to reaffirm my idea of my learning style and to hear a new suggestion. Overall I appreciate the way that the CAST website explains the Universal Design for Learning. I have learned about UDL in other classes and explaining the UDL process via textbook is a little ironic. I think that everybody will better appreciate the information about UDL being displayed via website. I found intriguing concepts in the online textbook, //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age//, which I could potentially use in my classroom. For example, in the section entitled “A School District in Transition” in Chapter One, I liked the idea of the students being able to listen to //The Catcher in the Rye// on the computer while following along. This method would address both visual and auditory learners. I was also thrilled by the assignment with the book when the students were asked to choose their favorite chapter, synthesize the information, compare the chapter with their own lives, and share it not with the entire class, but instead with a partner. This was a creative way of teaching that allowed the student to understand the text, connect it with a personal experience (it has been suggested that this process helps the student remember concepts better), and then share it with a partner instead of the whole class to avoid presentation anxiety. I appreciated the brain networks activity more than I did the UDL activity. The brain networks activity really expanded my understanding of the concept whereas the UDL activity could have been demonstrated and explained better. In one of my other classes in which I have learned UDL, we used the Maryland Learning Links website and I appreciated their simulation better. Their simulation was more interactive and directed specifically towards the future teacher. All things considered, I must say that I love CAST’s approach in developing differentiated instruction!

**Assistive Technology in the Special Education** By looking at websites and watching videos, I learned how amazing assistive technology truly is. Assistive technology has the ability to help students with disabilities communicate and learn the same material that students with disabilities are required to learn in a different way. I favored the video on the Edutopia website because of the wide variety of personalized technology that it presented. Yes, laptops are important, but they are also simple. I never knew that there could be so many ways to use technology. The wide variety of technology gives a promising future to all students with disabilities. I personally have not had the opportunity to witness someone using technology in those ways which is the reason why I was so in awe over the video. One aspect in particular that impressed me was a child who I watched in a video who had the ability to learn simply by moving his eyebrows. This child only had the ability to move his eyebrows so he had what looked like a sweatband around his head which recognized the movement and navigated through columns on a screen. This way not only a method of communicating with his teachers, but it was also a way for him to learn. This particular student has taught me that anything is possible through the use of technology and I will carry this message with me as I teach.

**Educational Technology ToonDoo**




 * Evolution of Technology- Fotobabble**

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 * Emotional Intelligence Glog**

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 * Whaling Virtual Tour**



The whaling virtual tour was a very affective learning tool. I learned all about the whaling industry. If I did this activity with one of my classes, I would not only ask them to take the virtual tour, but I would also have them do other activities linked to the tour similar to the knot (in the picture above) that we were asked to tie with the whaling virtual tour. This activity would be perfect to introduce a novel like Herman Melville's //Moby Dick//. I could use other virtual tours to introduce the background information that would be necessary to comprehend a novel. For example, I could ask my students to take a virtual tour of a concentration camp if we were about to read //Night.// Even though the Holocaust Museum is so close, field trips can be expensive. I believe that the virtual tour is a great tool for students to use in the classroom.


 * Keystone Assignment: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases**



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITXrRHBA5OM []

This is the link to my Digital Story. I created a story of my cousin Lilah's life. Though she is only one year old, these pictures embody her personality. The story tells of the many family members and friends she has who love her.

Final Reflection "Exam"

Technology is a vital tool in the classroom. Technology allows the students to be more engaged in the lesson being taught. This generation of students uses technology on a regular basis. If a student can use the exact same or similar program to what they use on their own inside the classroom, the students may not realize that they are actually learning. Technology also allows the Universal Design for Learning to be implemented more easily. Technology like podcasts and audio books will hold the attention of an auditory learner while videos and virtual tours will hold the attention of a more visual learner. Assistive technology can also be used to enhance the learning of students with disabilities. If a student has a low-vision disability, he or she may be able to use a Nook or other e-reader device which could enlarge the print of a novel for the student. Other students with disabilities may find using a laptop to type notes easier than taking notes using paper and a pencil.
 * Though I have not changed my opinion of technology by taking this class, I find that I know more about the different types of technology that can be used in the classroom. If I had not taken this course, I would not know about tools like Voki, Glogster, Fotobabble, Audacity, or ToonDoo. In addition, I never would have thought to use these tools in a classroom. I now realize that podcasts or Vokis can be used to ask the students to present a book report if they are shy. It is still an effective way of judging how well the student knows the material without his or her nervousness getting in the way. In addition, Glogs can be used to present information about a new author to the class. Not only can I use these programs to teach information to the class, but I can also ask students to use these programs to assess their knowledge of a subject. Without this class, I would not know about these different programs that can be used in the classroom. **