Melissa+Blevins

This is my webpage I created with HTML for ISTC 301

Grammar Ninja: [] Practice and Assessment: []
 * Websites for Keystone Pr****oject:**

media type="custom" key="12715204" This is a Voki that I created for ISTC 301. It explains the importance of technology standards in teacher preparation programs.

The Following Narrative Explains my Reactions to Universal Design for Learning
Though I was introduced to the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in my Introduction to Special Education (SPED 301) class last semester, the CAST website provided me with some interesting information and tools for better understanding and implementing UDL in my future classroom. I started by taking the online learning style survey which confirmed my belief that I am a visual learner. All throughout high school and college, I noticed that I had trouble remembering information (especially lectures) unless I took ample notes during class. Many times, I would even recopy notes, organizing and color coding information as a study tool. The advice given to me by the survey advocated those very practices, note taking and color coordinating, as well as suggested I study alone and use flashcards. Reflecting on past experiences, I can understand how studying alone could help me because not only do I get distracted by groups, but I also fail to benefit from “talking” through material. I would rather look at it, think about it, and then write it down. Knowing that this study habit is conducive to my learning style, I now know how to better concentrate and be productive while studying for tests. After taking the only survey, I moved to examining the CAST website. Overall, the website impressed me in its ability to not only provide information on UDL, but to provide that information using the very principles they advocate. In other words, they not only talk the talk but walk the walk as well. All the information was given in multiple formats, was easy to understand, and was supported by ample scaffolding. Various activities and tools were available to enforce the content of the site as well as provide educators with materials and ideas to place into their classrooms. When reading my assigned chapter from //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age//, I benefited from not only reading the material but also from having access to images, videos, and links to additional information. One thing I took away from the third chapter on Why We Need Flexible Instructional Material was how our brains literally processing different forms of delivery in different methods. Text and images are connected to the visual system, and because they are semi-permanent, our eyes and brains can return to the information and process it many times. For example, we can reread a section of a novel. However, speech used the auditory functions, and unlike images, cannot be retransmitted to the brain. Therefore, if listeners are not actively engaged in a lector, then it is likely that they will not gain any material from it or later remember the content (which cannot be “reread” like a book). On the other hand, digital media can incorporate aspects of both the auditory and visual functions, providing more ways for more learners to remember the material. In my future classroom, I plan to be aware of the advantages and limitations of a variety of delivery methods, making sure to select one that conforms to the goal of my lesson and the interests of my students. The two activities – one on making an Indian dinner and another on images – helped me to recognize the different functions of our recognition and strategic networks. In the first activity, I, along with two others, examined the strengths and weaknesses we would bring to the process of cooking an Indian dinner. I learned that making a dinner requires more effort than initially perceived. In regards to recognition, we needed someone with knowledge of Indian cuisine as well as someone familiar with a kitchen and culinary directions. In regards to strategic networks, we needed someone who could coordinate seating arrangements, time, place, and logistics as well as someone who knew the procedures of cooking a meal. Recognizing that everyone in the group had both strengths and weaknesses, I saw how we could work together, making a cohesive whole and accomplishing our goal. In the second activity, I become more aware of the different functions our brain networks play. When asked to identify objects, my recognition network could pick out a variety of objects in the image, but I had no idea what age any of the people were until I used my strategic network and concentrated on evaluating the faces. It is interesting to consider how the presentation of information or directions can influence how it is perceived by others at a neurological level. Overall, I believe UDL to be extremely useful in the classroom. While initiated to help support special education students in general education classroom, UDL helps all students, not just those with disabilities. Eliminating the barriers in education, we as teachers can provide access to more information and give students more methods for mastering the content we teach. By being aware of the options available from universally designed lessons, teachers can increase student learning, motivation, and interest in school. The only question I have about UDL is this: how can teachers in underfunded districts provide technology based UDL lessons when they do not have access themselves to technology? I think it is important to remember that while it is essential to eliminate barriers for students, barriers for teachers still exist.

Here Is Some Questions and Answers on Assistive Technology

 * 1) 1. From visiting the websites and viewing the videos in Part I of the assignment, what information did you learn about assistive technology for disabled individuals?
 * From visiting the websites and watching the Edutopia video, I learned many new things about assistive technology. First, I saw the wide variety of devices and products that are manufactured to help individuals with disabilities, many of which I did not even consider needing. For example, I did not think that there would be a device that could chop vegetables or help someone put on socks, but these assistive technology tools can help individuals live independently. I also learned that when educators pick assistive technology devices for students, it is important to consider the student, his or her personality, strengths, and weakness, the environment the student is in, and the goals educators want that particular student to reach. Because students are unique and diverse, devices are often adapted and modified for individual students. Lastly, I learned that it is important to introduce assistive technology at a young age, so students learn how to function using the device.
 * 1) 2. Were there any sites, products, or resources that particularly impressed you and that you want to remember as you prepare to become a classroom teacher?
 * Two devices that I found both interesting and useful for my future were book stands and the “Amazing Ring Pen”. I thought book stands were very practical assistive technology devices that could help students with muscular disorders that could not hold up a textbook. Also, book stands could be practically used by most students, for holding a book open while copying a definition or taking notes. The “Amazing Ring Pen” was a device that helped students who could not grip a pen write painlessly and without frustration. I thought this was a unique way to overcome the barrier of taking notes or a written exam without the use of high technology like computers. Myself, I would like to try using the ring pen because I hold my pen incorrectly and often get writers’ cramp after only a few minutes of taking rigorous notes,.
 * I also liked Kathy Schroder’s website, not only for the Special Education Resources but also for the resources in my content area (English).
 * 1) 3. What promises/potentials does technology provide for students with diverse learning needs?
 * Assistive technology is making it possible to remove some of the barriers for students with disabilities. Now more than ever, students with disabilities are able to be fully-integrated into general education classrooms, usingassistive technology to express their ideas and knowledge which they were previously unable to do without technological assistance. Also, the students using assistive technology devices are having more doors opened for them as technology improves and expands. For example, the young man who played horn by controlling a joystick. Also, beyond education, assistive technology gives individuals with disabilities the opportunity to live an independent lifestyle.
 * 1) 4. Have you ever had a personal experience with a student or other person who has used some form of assistive technology to help them function in learning or everyday life? If so, describe what you observed from that experience in terms of meeting the special needs of those individuals.
 * While I was shadowing my mom, who works in the Special Education department at my local middle school, I saw one assistive device that I thought was really useful and fascinating. It was called WordQ, and as students typed letters into a word processer, it would generate a list of words that they could be spelling. Students could then click on the word they wished to use without typing all the letters. This was a great help to students who had low motor functions and could not use a keyboard with ease.
 * 1) 5. From this assignment, what will you carry with you as you prepare to become a teacher – one that will, most likely, face the challenge of meeting the needs of special education students along with non-disabled learners?
 * From this assignment, I learned the wide variety of assistive technology devices used in classrooms, why they are used in classrooms, and how they benefit students. In my future career as a teacher, I will definitely be mindful of students needs, especially students with disabilities, and I will do my best to collaborate with the special educators to ensure students have an equal access to classroom learning via assistive technology.

Here is a ToonDoo I created about educational technology.

Here is a Fotobabble that I made on the platypus, my favorite animal.

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Here is a Glog I made about Social Contructivism. media type="custom" key="17926016"

Here is my reflection on virtual field trips.

Virtual field trips are an excellent addition to any classroom or learning environment. Because schools do not often have the funds or time to allow students to travel to museums or archives, without technology students would lose the opportunity to connect what they are learning to history. By looking at historical artifacts, students are able to recognize that what they are learning exists outside a textbook. For example, the online exhibits of the British Museum (Ancient Egypt) allow students to examine actual mummified remains, look at the coffins, and see step-by-step the process of mummification. While students could also learn this by reading a history textbook, by looking at actual artifacts, students can realize that mummification actual existed as a practice in human history. Virtual field trips make learning real. Virtual field trips also have the ability to connect multiple facets of a topic together. For example, the field trip on whaling not only looked at the process of extracting whale oil, it provided information on the whaling community, the whaling economy, uses of whale oil, stories from voyages, and much more. By replicating life during a certain period in history, students can start with a broad topic (whaling) and learn how one industry could affect an entire community and country. Focusing on the interdisciplinary nature of learning, virtual field trips allow students to connect what they are learning in one class with what they could be learning in another.

Here is a podcast I made of "Roses and Rue, To L.L" by Oscar Wilde. It is one of my favorite poems. In the background, Brahms' Symphony No.1 (Second Movement) is playing.

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Here is a digital story of Aesop's fable The Bear and the Two Travelers. media type="custom" key="17044064"

=This is my Final Reflection for ISTC 301=  I asked because I strongly believe that teachers can increase student learning by incorporating the appropriate forms of technology into their classrooms. Today’s students were born in the digital age; they grew up with the internet, interactive games, and fast paced society. They learned their numbers and letters on a computer screen, playing educational games. Therefore, when students enter classrooms and are restricted by older forms of learning, they become bored and frustrated at their inabilities to connect the archaic forms of learning of school with the digital world around them. Let me clarify, I am not advocating that students never hold a physical book or learn how to read. I do not want history or mathematics to disappear from the curriculum; I am simply stating that technology, if used correctly, can enhance these subjects, increasing student learning. Teachers could use interactive games to motivate students to practice grammar or math, allowing them to play online games while learning educational material. Teachers could use online blogs to increase student discussions, both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers could use virtual fieldtrips to take students around the world, opening them up to possibilities that would otherwise be impossible. While making learning fun and interactive should not be a requirement for every lesson, it does motivate students to learn the material without them growing to dislike the archaic schools that prevent them from using technology.  Further, technology is a great equalizer in the classrooms. As a basic foundation of Universal Design for Learning, technology can be used to remove the barriers in the curriculum. For students with visual impairments, teachers can create vokis that speak the directions or read the powerpoints for students. For students who cannot easily write their thoughts, they can create glogs to represent what they have learned in a particular unit. Demonstrating they understand the material taught in class, students can focus on their strengths when giving class presentations or completing projects. Further, the internet houses many UDL websites that compile technology that can provide scaffolding to students in need. Online books have the capabilities of reading to students, defining difficult words, linking to discussion questions, and changing the text to match a students’ reading grade level. Allowing everyone access to the same learning, technology opens the classroom to all students who wish to learn.


 * When looking at my earlier statement on the importance of technology in the classroom, I see both similarities and differences. In regards to similarities, I still believe that technology is an important aspect to education, as long as teachers use it correctly. In other words, teachers use technology to supplement their lesson, not replace it. However, in regards to differences, I now have a greater awareness of what types of technology can be used in the classroom. I come from a small country town and had dial-up internet at my house until this winter. Growing up with technology as a luxury, I could operate the basics, but I was completely unaware of all the possibilities that are available for teachers to use in the classroom. The most important thing I have taken from this course is that technology is truly diversified. There is a type of technology to supplement practically every lesson, and different types of technology exist to increase the availability of content to all types of learners and students. **