Just from these last few weeks I feel as if my outlook on teaching has changed drastically. Before enrolling in this class I knew that I wanted to incorporate technology into my lessons, however, after learning all the possibilities that are out there for me to use it makes me even more excited to become a teacher. Knowing that I can make difference by not only being a teacher but a guide for students to be successful in their futures simply by introducing them to different ways of learning puts a huge smile on my face. I wish that as a student I would have received the opportunity to use these different tools to aide me in my studies, I feel it would have made me a lot stronger academically.
Especially living in Eastern Kentucky I want to bring the different types of technology into my students lives. I want to show them and motivate them to learn and try their very hardest. I want to show them that even though they don't have a lot of material things, they can still be successful and to never give up on their dreams. I want them to know that I am there to help them and make the process of learning as enjoyable as possible, and by discovering their strengths and weaknesses I feel I will be able to do so. Motivation is key. Motivating them to learn, motivating them to study, motivating them to learn outside of the box.
I can only hope that my growth with continue from now until I retire. I will do whatever I have to, learn whatever I need to and advocate as much as I can in order to provide my students with a successful school year. Most people get excited about receiving gifts or getting money, but to me I'd rather see a child progress and show that they are learning and are having fun with it. That to me is priceless.
- Description: Students have to identify what word is being said by clicking on the yarn ball. It's a race against 3 other kittens to see who makes it to the bed first.
- Educational value: This game could be used for students in Kindergarten/1st grade. I feel like the value of this game is high because it is very important for younger children to grasp certain sight words. This game just gives them the extra, fun practice that they need.
- Description: This game provides practice in spelling. Coconuts with words in them fall to the beach, you must match the missing letters to the correct word coconut. If a coconut reaches the beach before you blast it, the game will end.
- Educational value: This game could be used for primary, in particular 2nd and 3rd grades. Some of the words that are used in this game are sometimes difficult for children to spell. So for them to get the extra practice seeing how they are spelled correctly it should be easier for them to memorize it.
- Description: Students use arrows on the computer keyboard to drive a car and hit whatever the category is, for example in the picture shown above the goal was to hit all multiples of 2.
- Educational value: This game can be used for graders 2-4 to practice and freshen up on basic math skills. Multiplication facts can be hard for students to accomplish but by using a more fun approach I think it helps them become more successful.
It is imperative to use assistive technology inside the classroom because it gives students a way to complete their work independently without having to become stressed and unmotivated with the assignments. This way they are able to retain information all the while improving skills that they may be weak in such as spelling, organizing, math computation, etc. The idea that nobody is perfect is show by using UDL, everyone regardless how intelligent they are can use some sort of help. Assistive technology also allows students that may be struggling to do their work without everyone being displayed to their difficulties. There are applications that can be used on most forms of technology that can be accessed by students that will better their work.
The three principles of UDL deal with 3 questions, "why" "what" and "how". By incorporating these three principles into daily lesson plans, teaching a group of diverse learners is made easier. Knowing what form of technology to use and what information needs to be taught before trying to teach a lesson makes learning more successful for students. It is important that each different learner is receiving the same amount of instruction and fairly in a way that they can comprehend.
In my own classroom I intend on using technology to support my teaching, I will do this by taking the curriculum that has to be taught and integrate different approaches that can be helpful to all of the learners. For example, if there is an assignment which involves writing the students need to have a place to go in order to organize their ideas other than just a piece of paper, as well as a place to spell/grammar check and resources for researching information. Another way I would use technology to support my teaching could be in teaching mathematics. While some students feel like math is an easy subject I know there are a lot of students who do not. There are applications that can be found online that can help students learn different formulas, multiplication facts, and other skills that can be easily remembered and used when students are doing computations.
