Assistive Technology

After watching Dr. Luongo's video on Assistive Technology and doing a presentation on accommodations in the classroom for another St. Peter's class, I really feel that Assistive Technology does so much more than when it intends. Yes, it absolutely assists those impaired that need additional help in the class to learn, participate, etc. But what it also does, and the propoganda rarely mentions, it provides an inclusive environment--but I'm not talking about the impaired, I'm referencing the "other students". By enabling impaired students, (blind, deaf, etc.) they are able to attend a public or "regular" school instead of going to a specialized or "blind" school. This exposes "other students" to diversity and allows them to become more aware of real situations that occur in the real world. Plus, it teaches children from a young age to be inclusive, not stigmatize others, and work and befriend all types of people.

Classroom of the Future

I have only one thing to say after viewing the "Classroom of the Future" at
http://moscow.spc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_991_1%26url%3d----
this should not be a classroom of the future, but a classroom of the present! We are already behind if we think that this is the future, it is really the present and the sooner the educational field gets that, the better off our students (and teachers) will be!

Learning Page website

The "Learning Page" website listed at the Library of Congress is a great resource for teachers. You can access it via http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/fw.html or http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/index.html. I thought that the page with the lesson plans was well organized, easy to use, extremely informative, and contained very creative lesson plans.

This website actually made me jealous of today's students. As a High School student in the 1980's, I always felt that my history teachers made history (such a rich and exciting subject) so boring. I would have loved to have really immersed myself in the culture of the time period being studied by researching fashion, women's roles, kids' responsibilities, slave relationships with slaveowners, etc. Since these type of topics were not taught in any depth or detail, if I or my teachers had access to the Internet in the 80's, I would have loved to have either been taught about these topics by my teachers or researched these areas myself. This website, provides a lot of that type of information that would really motivate students to learn more about subjects. Great resource!

Whiteboard Lessons

I watched the "Whiteboard Lesson" that Prof. Luongo has posted. Although I understand the concept of this tool and thought that the video showed you good "end user" examples, I would have liked a more detailed, instructional video that would really teach me "how" to use Whiteboard, how to access it, costs, etc. Does anybody currently use this tool? And if so, can you provide some feedback about it?

Life on the Digital Frontier

I happened to catch this TV program last night on PBS' Frontline. I have attached the link if you want to view on the computer. Click on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/story/2009/03/life-on-the-digital-frontier.html.

Basically, the show was about how South Korea is the most "connected" country in the world and how it has affected kids. Although there are tremendous benefits to technology, this showed some of the downsides. For example, about 10% of students in South Korea are addicted to the Internet and games on the Internet. So much so that they now have special treatment areas within their Psychiatric Units that deal directly with this phenomenon. It has become so bad for some kids that their vision and hearing have become impaired. There was even one teen that died in one of their "Internet Cafes". The program also shows a "detox" camp for addicted kids to attend. Kids attend the rehab for about 2 weeks without any access to computers. Unfortunately, once many of the kids are released, they go back to their old addictive habits and resume their Internet addiction again. It was really interesting! I suggest checking it out.

Kids Know It

I was reviewing Prof. Luongo's blog and came across the below link:
http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactive-educational-movies/index.php.

The link is really cool. It helps kids learn about different topics by showing them a movie and then quizzing them online. I think this type of learning really engages this generation of students. I actually kept this link in my "Favorites" under my my kids' folders so they can access this site themselves.

Social Networking Tips

It's such a different world from when I grew up. I didn't have to worry about my information being so "public" and "worldwide". During my generation, (I'm 39) if a person did tell something and it did "get out", usually it was confined to the town the person lived in. There was no threat of it being "broadcast" worldwide! I think the one and only tip that people (and children) should follow when networking on the computer is this: "Don't post anything that you would be ashamed of to show your parents and/or a potential employer". Following this one rule should keep safe and prohibit them from making bad decisions.

"Introducing the Book" video

Oh my God, this video was so funny! It got me to thinking...As crazy as this seems, generations before us, did have to learn to use the "book" or adjust to this new technology, whereas, if you were born into an era that already had the "book" deeply embedded into its society, you just knew how to use it---there was no "adjustment" or "discovery" period. Same holds true today. Some of us had to learn from "help desk professionals" or "trainers" how to use the PC, however, kids nowadays just "pick it up". I can honestly say that I spent maybe 15 minutes or less teaching my kids how to use the computer, the rest, they just "picked up" or learned on their own. My 8 year old taught herself how to email, change backgrounds, post pictures from my gallery, use icons, change the arrow or pointer, use templates, create cards, print, and the list is goes on! She even taught me a few things--like changing the stationery setting on email and changing my cursor from an arrow to a comet! And I've been using a computer for at least 15 years! Go figure! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!