Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Reflective Blog # 2


Reflective Blog # 2

Wilson, M. (2011). Assistive technology. Journal of Special Education Technology, 26(2), 55-60.

Author Megan Wilson, is a guest columnist for this journal article. Assistive technology in the classroom is useful. iPod has now come out with new applications for students in special education. An application example is “The Elements: A Visual Exploration”. It’s an interactive program of the periodic table that provides more information than the traditional paper table. To go more in depth about the element the student has to tap the element and more information opens up. Apple’s applications cover interactive science programs, language programs for ESL students, reading books on your own, writing skills, and language skills. Some applications also help with note taking. The program allows students to type key words while it records the teachers’ voice. For students that have severe disabilities programs like TouchChat are available for students to type what they want to say and the program will say it. iPrompts are available as pictures so the students can pick what to do and see schedules and timers. The applications are endless and cover many disabilities for all students. This product is geared for schools so they have up to date technology in the room that the students will greatly benefit from. Parents could also use these applications at home to establish a line of communication.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Reflective blog # 1

Betchablog

The topics Chris Betcher discusses are technology and relation to education. I like that he has tabs for different information. The colors are a bit boring, but for this specific blog it doesn't need to be fancy or full of colors. With all the information he has on his blog he needed the tabs. He has A LOT of information. He covers many topics in his blog. He's been in education for twenty years and sees the way technology has changed and ways it would be useful in the classroom. I would recommend this blog to other educators because it shares useful information about the technology world.


A teacher's adventures in cyberspace

The topic this female science teacher covers is tools to use to enhance teaching and learning. I found this blog to be very boring. She uses a lot of words and writing. Many of her posts are very long and wordy. It seems like the page just keeps going. She uses some background color but that's about it. The text is all black so it appears to be one long post. It just seems to blend together. When I first looked at this page I was already bored with it and I really didn't want to read it. I would not recommend this page to other educators.


Polar Science 2006

The topic this blog covers is the journey to Antarctica to investigate the adaptations that allow seal pups to develop into divers. This blog isn't the most eye popping blog but its very organized. Each post is separated by a dashed line so it keeps some organization. The home page is short and to the point. There are tabs again to keep the same ideas together. I like this blog because of the information. This is an awesome idea for schools to follow the expedition. I never thought of a blog used for following a research project.  I like this page and would recommend it to educators because its very neat and organized. It uses tabs to make the pages not look so long and its a great concept!



So You Want To Teach

The topic Joel discusses is the ways to become a great teacher. He strives to keep his blogs different and gives practical information for becoming a great teacher. I like the layout of his blog. It's very fun and creative. There is nothing boring about his blog. Some parts are a little cluttered. I was confused at first because I was trying to find his about me section but found it at the bottom of the page. I wish he put the tabs up top rather than his contact tabs. He uses bold colors for writing and his tabs are little symbols. I would recommend this blog to educators because it is very fun and creative.



Patterson's Pack

This blog covers everything. I see it as a site for the parents to see what their children are doing in school. Again, it has tabs! I think I'm starting to love tabs. It's a cute blog. The blog is very neat and organized. I see you can tweet each post which is awesome if you use twitter. It has just enough color due to the items the teacher posts in each blog. I do like this blog because it is child friendly and is a great idea to show parents what their children are learning. I would recommend this blog to other educators because it is a great idea for teachers!

Thursday, October 6, 2011