To begin I would like to say I greatly admire special education teachers for putting in the time, effort, and patience to do their job. The use of iPods and laptops have really helped the learning and teaching process of Ms. Cook's class evolve. One of the students, Kris, is unable to speak but with the help of his laptop he is able to communicate with Ms. Cook as well as his classmates. I thought this was amazing because without the help of his laptop Kris may have not been in the class and been able to interact with his classmates, which I think is a very important part of learning. Also there was another student who was unable to read, but with the help of an iPod he was able to join the class in quiet reading time. Before the introduction of the iPod the student would have to leave the classroom and have a teacher read to him but now he is able to stay and join in with his classmates. I think the introduction of advanced technology in these classrooms is a great way for the students to learn more efficiently.
Special education students require much more attention and traditional teaching methods don't always work when it comes to these situations. I admire Ms. Cook's initiative to introduce these advanced technologies to her students in order to help them learn and to better her class. Many teachers feel that iPods and laptops in the classroom are a distraction but she showed how they can be extremely helpful.
Education App
The educational app that I chose is "meStudying: Algebra 1." I chose this specific application because I believe one of the hardest subjects for students of any age is math. One of the hardest parts about math is that you can't constantly study for it like other subjects such as history or science. With this application you can choose a topic and practice problems and learn concepts at anytime, not just during class. The convenience of this app would be extremely helpful as well as the extra practice problems that are needed to understand specific Algebra concepts.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
I was amazed by how much information is sent and received over the internet in such a short period of time. We are constantly using YouTube, Facebook, and sending and receiving text messages but we don't realize exactly how much we rely on them. As an educator this means we must learn how to use these communication systems properly, not only for everyday use, but also as a teaching tool. These new ways of communicating with one another are great resources for educators. The days of sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher talk for hours are coming to an end and being replaced more advanced technologies. It is much more efficient to send homework assignments and other class related work via email rather than hand them out during class.
The numbers on this social media account are only going to continue to grow and failing to embrace these new communication tools will only result in falling behind the curve. By the time we begin our careers I'm sure there will be many new tools that will aid in the teaching process. I believe the use of these types of technologies will make the learning process much more enjoyable , not only for the students, but the teachers as well.
A Vision of Students Today
The number of students owning laptops, iPads, and other tools with access to the internet is constantly growing. This should be acknowledged and instead of having students purchase hundreds of dollars in books every semester, which they more than likely won't read, educators should make the learning material accessible through the internet. Not only would this be much more efficient, but it would also make the learning experience much more enjoyable and interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment