Blog Post 3

Technology in Special Education

I loved this video. I have never work with special needs children, and I did not know how much technology has helped them in their lives. In my mind I did not understand how long it would take a child to do their assignment before the help of technology. I think that putting the focus on technology is a great thing. Before they had technology, students were having to literally spell everything out by pointing at letters to communicate, but now they have laptops and can type quicker and communicate faster. This enables the children to be able to learn more because less time is spent on trying to communicate everything by pointing at letters to spell it out.

Technology can be used in the classroom for special needs to communicate. It can also be used in more simpler ways. One way that was shown in the video was a boy who had trouble reading small print. Because he has a computer with a special device on it, the font is enlarged, and he can enjoy reading. I think there are many possibilities when it comes to technology in the classroom and helping special need kids. This video was a great demonstration and eye opener for those who did not have a good idea of what technology can do to change someone's life.

"My App For the Classroom"

I chose an app called "Math Dictionary for Kids." I chose this application because there are so many terms when it comes to math. I could use this app in the classroom very easily. If a student had a question about a term, they could look it up with this app. Instead of me having to repeat definitions, they could look it up for themselves and have a better example than what I could give.

"Gary Hayes Social Media Count"

All I thought was "wow." Watching all of the numbers change constantly was amazing to me. The numbers mean to me as a teacher, everybody is using technology. As a teacher, I need to be able to use and teach how to use the technology that is out there. As I watched the numbers ride and rise by the second, I could not help but think "oh my goodness." For some reason the numbers just amazed me. The numbers show that the majority of people are online and using the internet. It shows how much the world has changed and relies on technology to communicate.

Facebook was at the top of the list. This number was rising quickly. Facebook has become how a lot of people communicate with former friends, classmates, and co-workers. Another number that was a high number was how many text messages that were being sent. As I was looking at the sight, I received two text. I think that the technology is going to keep improving and make our lives easier.

"A Vision of Students Today"

I absolutely loved this video. I ad to watch the video twice because the first time I watched it I thought of it as a student. It was hard not to, considering I am a student and a lot of what was going on in the video I could relate to. The video really had me thinking about each of the situations that was presented in the video. Something that stood out to me was how often they are using technology in class, but not for the class. They use it for other purposes. I think as a teacher, they should incorporate technology use for the class so that students are using technology to learn and not just blow off time.

I thought it was funny at the end of the movie when they wrote the advantages of using a chalkboard. The only advantage they showed was it "challenges the teacher to move around." The disadvantages were there were no videos, animations, etc. We are a generation who looks for the videos and animation to keep our focus and to entertain us. I think the education system will eventually be all about electronics in the classroom because people will demand for it.