Blog Post # 3

Peer Editing

In reading or watching, What is Peer Editing?,  Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes, Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial, and Paige Ellis' Blog Assignment #12,  I realized that I probably did not correctly critique my peer's post. Somehow I always seem to do things backwards. I did offer compliments but I was vague in the errors that I noticed. I did choose to offer my comments to her on the blog but I will probably send her an e-mail with the rest of my comments and offer an apology. I think that we can always use help when it comes to writing. At least I know that I do. Posting on a blog should be fine unless there are a lot of errors, then I would probably send an e-mail.

I thought that the material presented was most helpful and informative. I know that I needed to see these power points and videos to help me to do a better job editing in the future. I also learned that there are 3 steps in editing a  paper. I knew that compliment should come first but I didn't realize that in my suggestions  I should give details when noticing errors in word choice, details, organization, and sentences. I also didn't know that I needed to make corrections to grammar, sentences, and spelling. I liked the writing sample that we were given to make corrections to in the Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial . I thought that it was funny to some extent but I also realize that there are probably some people who write like that. In the event that I came across a paper or blog that was written like that and I had to edit it, I would probably post my comments on his/her e-mail. I loved the video Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes. I think that the students learned an amazing skill that they will not forget since they participated in the video.


Technology in Special Education

In the video, Technology in Special Education, I found it interesting to see all the great ways that technology could be used to help the students with different disabilities. In class the computers could help the students to see, talk, and write. It would be very difficult to provide the needed assistance that  these disabilities require without the computers. Technology can make teaching and learning easier when it is available. The teacher also used technology in e-mails, power points, and websites. Most importantly technology when used in the classrooms make students more independent and eager to learn.

 I would use computers, smart boards, and i-pods in my classroom to help special needs students learn to read and write using different software that is available. The same devices could be used to help students with the different needs that they have. I would probably have to find different material  off the internet to show me what to use and how to use it. I know that it is there because I've had to use it for this class.
I could also use blogs to inform my parents about what is going on in the classroom and what their child is learning.

I have experienced the use of technology in the classroom and I know that it excites and inspires students to learn more. It allows them to learn in a hands on way that "traditional teaching" doesn't. It also provides teachers with access to more teaching resources than they ever thought possible. Technology has come a long way and it has even farther to go. It is our responsibility to to teach it to our students and to use it in our classrooms so that they can succeed and we can be successful teachers.


iPad app in My Classroom
I chose the Proloquo2go app. This app is used to provide assistance in communication for students that have speech disabilities or difficulties.  It provides fun, colorful pictures to attract the students' attention. Students use the creative pictures to associate the correct word that they are trying to communicate. It offers different skill levels to improve language development.  I also chose this app because it is user friendly and can be customized to fit the needs and preferences of the individual student. I thought that this app provided a creative and fun way of teaching word association, sentence structure, and phonics.

Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts

 In the video, Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts, the teacher Vicki Davis demonstrates what a project based learning classroom looks like. She also showed us that this type learning and teaching can be done in the rural United States. I was impressed with the fact that she has empowered her students to independently implement skills that she taught them. They are encouraged to interact with one another and to teach each other. She even stated that her students had even taught her. This type of learning has allowed her students to connect to different parts of the world. This is what I call creative learning. 

Vicki Davis stated in the video that she wanted to make her students "comfortable with technology." I have to question whether that is the philosophy of many teachers today. This year is the first time that I have ever encountered project based learning. To be honest I actually like it. I want to learn new things but because I am not "comfortable with technology" I am unsure. I wish that every school in the United States was required to have a class like this. Unfortunately because these skills are not incorporated in the ACT or other high school achievement test they are not a priority. Sadly our kids are missing out.