Technology and Diverse Learners

Students with disabilities can be supported by technology in many ways. Discuss how students with disabilities who need help with certain subjects can be supported by educational technology. Select a subject and provide a specific example of how you could support diverse learners in your classroom with technology.


There are technologies out there that can enable students who cannot hear, to be able to read what is going on or vice versa. For students that are not able to speak, technology can provide a voice for them. Technology can enable a student who cannot move to have mobility. Students who struggle with fine motor skills and writing can use word processing which allows them to "write".

In my classroom I would have recorded books available for students who struggle to read. This was they would be able to follow along in the book and recognize words that they would have not known reading on their own.

Digital World

In the digital world that we live in, a web site will almost be a requirement for your future classroom. Assume that you have decided to create a classroom web site. What types of pages would you include and what would each page be used for? What information do you think would be the most important to include on your site? How will you make sure you implement elements of good design on your web site?  Include a link to a classroom webpage that catches your eye and why you might want to use it as a model for your future site. 


I would definitely have a blog or some time of website for my parents and students to access. I think it's important for teachers to have this for students so that they can contact the teacher easily, learn more information about her and keep up with what's going on in the classroom! I would make sure to have a page that told about me (for the beginning of the year) with my e-mail, a page that had the current newsletter on it, and the blog I looked at has the vocab words for the week on it which is a great idea! As long as the blog is kept up to date I think it's a great tool to use in the classroom. I could make posts about what we are doing from day to day in the classroom. The blog below has pictures of fun things they're doing in the classroom or on field trips. SO cool!

I would definitely make sure the blog "flowed" and was easy to navigate. Like we talked about in class today, I'd make sure the colors and layout are visually pleasing.

http://podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/mramsey/
The layout on this blog is cute! I also love that she posts pictures of their field trips and in class activites. Having the vocab words on there is a great idea to keep parents informed! Love it!

Digital Technologies

How could the digital technologies described in Chapter 6 be used or adapted to address student diversity? Be specific in your examples.

There are a variety of digital technologies mention in Chapter 6 but one that is mentioned is a microphone. A microphone is an input device that can be used for an auditory learner. Another device could be a PDA, Smart Phone or a Net book. Say for instance the teacher lets the students have access to her iPhone. Better yet there is an iPad in her classroom. Both of these things have some very useful interactive apps for kids. Since students would be using these their own, this could be a hands on activity for a hands on learner.

I took the Find your strenghts assessment and my strenghts are: Self, body movement and naturalist. At first I was a little stunned at the naturalist, because I wouldn't call myself as a naturalist. But, after reading the description I do enjoy being outside and the beauty of nature so I see why I am considered a "naturalist"!

Identify a favorite teacher in elementary or secondary school. Describe three practices or techniques that this teacher used to meet your own learning needs that were significant in helping you learn. Do these practices/techniques correspond with your results to the learning inventory? How can you be sure you are meeting the many different learning styles you will have in your classroom one day?

As a child it was really difficult for me to be separated from my mom, even to go to school. The first technique that really helped me at school was knowing that my teacher cared about me. Once my teachers identified the fact that I was not going to learn anything until I got over the fact that I was going to have to be at school away from my mom, they were able to solve my problem! I began to trust my teacher and was able to find comfort in knowing that she had my best interest in mind. I was also a student who struggled to pay attention. This teacher also provided engaging activities to help me WANT to pay attention, because at that age I wasn't going to MAKE myself pay attention. I am also a very visual and hands on learner. The material was presented in different ways to cater to the needs of ALL the students in the classroom. I definitely think that I will be very passionate about all of the different learning styles out there because I know it was hard for me as a student. I want my students to be interested in what we are learning. As a teacher, I will need to be very aware of every child's needs in my classroom. Maybe there is some sort of activity we can do as a class early in the school year to determine these needs to guide my instruction for the year.

Module 1 Reflection

Imagine that you are teaching in a school. Select a grade level and subject area and describe how you would use three different types of academic software to teach a specific topic.

 

 

I am a first grade teacher and we are focusing on Language Arts at the moment. During our Daily five the students will have an opportunity to practice writing their spelling words on the Promethean Board. As a group we will play around on starfall.com practicing our letter-sound correspondences. I will also be using two tools from Word. I'll be using the Newsletter template so parents will know whats going on in our classroom from week to week. I will also be using the mail-merge tool to let parents know how their students are doing in my class.

Introduction..

My name is Marianna Watson. I am a 21 year old Elementary Education student at The University of Montevallo. I am currently beginning the spring semester in Content Block! That means I am one semester away from internship! Yay!