Technology Integration: What I've Learned

Growing up a "gamer" and always preferring to use technology whenever given the opportunity in school, I have always been an advocate for integrating technology into schools. I have dreamed about creating a video game that "hooks" students into secretly doing work and learning as they go. Interestingly enough, there are people (much smarter than I) that are doing this very thing, creating educational video games. Click here to see an article on Making the Next Generation of Educational Video Games.

I have learned that although people are becoming more and more reliant on technology, there are still veteran educators that are not giving technology the chance in their lessons. I do agree that it does require time, effort, and professional development to learn how to use these tools in a way that really benefits the entire class of diverse learners. We need to give students opportunities to give show what they know using technology tools and resources. A student that might struggle with public speaking, can record their presentation prior to class or a student that has poor handwriting would probably rather type their paper. Although the argument is that we are taking  away from the value of those types of learning, if a student performs better with technology and the more "appropriate" tool for this student involves technology, then the ethical and right decision is to let the student use the resource or tool that makes them more successful.

I have learned a number ways to use a class blog, social media, Web Quest, and many other web based/technology tools that will benefit my students learning and make learning more fun for all of us involved. I felt the combination of this course along with my Ethics and School Law course was a great combination to see how beneficial technology can be for not only student learning and teacher professional development, but how technology really is impacting our lives and education system. Educators must start learning more about these resources and tools because it can help reduce risk of liability, but more importantly, it can help more students learn better and easier.

Equal Access to the Digital World!

With a nation built on freedom and equality, providing a fair and equal education to all students has been a national, and international, topic of concern for over four decades. In today's classrooms, teachers strive to create a Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) of learning for all students not only because it's best practice, but since Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) all support an individuals right to a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE), educators legally have to keep searching for ways to effectively and appropriately teach all learning styles and intelligences. 

Fortunately, the digital world is providing more ways to personalize instruction and providing more appropriate approaches to learning for each student's individual needs. The resources that technology provides for students to be successful are unlimited and becoming somewhat of a necessity for many students with disabilities to be successful in the mainstream classroom. Much like elevators and escalators have made buildings more accessible for everyone, disability or no disability, the digital world is making education more accessible for all students, disability or no disability. Thanks to Ronald Mace, the Universal Design model was originally seen in architecture during the civil rights movement time in the 1970's to make buildings more accessible for individuals with disabilities, like elevators and escalators have done, while subtly providing easier access for all individuals. This model was only recently implemented into education and is continuously changing with advancements in technology and the digital world. 

Microsoft alone has over 14 different types of assistive technology that benefit students/individuals with either physical or cognitive disabilities. A few examples are "alternative input devices that allow individuals to control their computer through means other than a standard keyboard or pointing device, braille embossers transfer computer generated text into embossed Braille output, and Text-to-Speech (TTS) or speech synthesizers that receive information going to the screen in the form of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and then "speak" it out loud in a computerized voice." (Microsoft Inc., 2014). Google is another company that is leading the way in the digital world and a resource that we will be using a lot of this year. I have provided a link to a video of the Google Glasses that is just an example of a product that Google has released and is helping all individuals make their everyday lives more manageable and fun. Google Glasses

Like all aspects of education, teachers must be sure to be fair and appropriate when implementing any resource or tool into their lessons. Allen Mendler and Richard Curwin (1988) first discuss the idea of treating students "fair but not equal" in their first edition of Discipline with Dignity. This idea of treating students fair but not equal actually supports FAPE and can be applied to the Universal Design of Learning model that now includes technology. If educators can learn and understand how to effectively implement technology into the everyday classroom, while being fair and appropriate towards every student's learning styles, abilities and disabilities, equal access to the digital world will only help in providing students with the education they deserve, while still preparing and teaching them how to be successful individuals.

REFERENCES
Curwin, Richard 2014. Fair Isn't Equal: Seven Classroom Tips. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/fair-isnt-equal-richard-curwin

Microsoft Inc. 2014. Microsoft Accessibility. Types of Assistive Technology Products. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/types.aspx


Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund n.d. A Comparison of ADA, IDEA, and Section 504. Retrieved from http://www.dredf.org/advocacy/comparison.html

Educational Value of Social Media

Greeting Students, Parents and Families! I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of another one of SMS's great resources, Edmodo! Edmodo is a social media website that I have set-up to allow anyone access to what's going on in our math class. Edmodo is kind of like Facebook and will be used to post pictures of what's happening in class, help students access information, help students access the teacher, help students access each other, course material, assignments, and other ways that I am still learning about as well. Edmodo and Khan Academy will be used mostly in class, but students are always welcome to access their accounts, if they can, outside of class. Click here to access my Edmodo page.

With the endless amount of resources and tools that technology provides, social media can be another tool that can help your student learn better! According to Christine Weiser, " it seems the most successful implementations of social media use are found in those schools that recognize the importance of guiding students in their journey: teaching good digital citizenship and training students (and teachers) in the importance of establishing a positive digital identity. JAY SMITH, INNOVATION ARCHITECT, HALL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, GA ‘In general, the fears have been about protecting student privacy and then about use of the tools for non-academic uses.’” (Weiser, 2013). With ICT standards (Information and Communication Technology) that colleges and universities consider when accepting students, it is important to start familiarizing students with appropriate and respectful online use.

REFERENCES

Weiser, Christine 2013. Tech and Learning. Social Media. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/docview/1438034116