Oh what a night!!

Well, I had my first Assistive Technology class this week and I must admit....I was a bit apprehensive.  I am definitely not a well versed techie....I have a laptop and an iPad and can maneuver around both these devices quite easily.  In addition, my role as a Special Education Facilitator requires me to be able to use a variety of programs and AT tools to ensure all students can access what is being taught in today's classrooms so that they can show their knowledge and understanding using the most effective and appropriate means available.

But, technology is changing on a daily basis.  Acknowledging this, I thought that taking this course...Assistive Technology 569.69... would surely be beneficial...surely I would gain a better understanding of how I can better support staff and students in our diverse classrooms of today?!!

Well, after our 3 hour course I will admit that I'm feeling a bit more optimistic than earlier because in those 3 hours I learned how to maneuver around Blackboard Collaborate a bit more....I wrote on the white board for the first time and helped my group create a Wordle...it looked really good.  Thanks everyone!!!  I also learned how to move the audio/video box to a different spot on the screen.  Very cool!!!...and tonight I spent a few hours creating my first blog!  YUP!   I said hours!  LOL!!  I got lost a few times maneuvering my way around blogger.com....deleted info that I didn't want to so I had to start again and had a couple of other mishaps.  YIKES!!!  Still, I'm thinking this is a pretty good start. 

Now, after a few days of reflection about what was presented throughout our first class some quotes resonated with me.... Professor Welsford stated in her presentation Wednesday night that "The curriculum should be adaptable to individual differences...not the other way around."  I had never thought about it that way before.  It definitely made me think!  It made me think about the youtube video titled "Animal School; Raising Small Souls".  I love this youtube video.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJeyNywDxPc  It sadly shows the ramifications of education systems not adapting to meet individual needs. 

Another quote that made me think is... "Fact: Traditional curricula have the "disability" because they only work for certain learners."  This quote makes sense for me because when you think of the delivery of curriculum, it is solely up to teachers to be creative and implement it in such a way that meets the needs of all learners in a classroom...not just the a few auditory learners, or a few visual learners, or a few kinesthetic learners.  The curriculum needs to be adapted to meet the learning styles and needs of ALL students. 

Looking forward to the weeks ahead and applying the new found knowledge I gain from this class and the people in it.  Thanks everyone! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

should be

adaptable to

individual

differences...not

the other way

around