Online signup and OR code

Online sign up websites I feel can be very useful but they have their limits. It is a great way to organize an event and get information quickly and effectively. However it limits those who either don't have Internet access or know how to use this technology. If all parents/guardians can use this than by all means go for it. but sometimes the old fashion way is the only way. The OR code on a newsletter is cool and for some maybe easier to access the online sign up but its not necessary. You can access the same web page just by typing in the link so in the end its just a fancy thing to do with your phone. That's just how I feel about it. The newsletter is something I will use as a teacher. It is a great way to inform parents of upcoming events and it can also acknowledge the students accomplishments. I think it would be cool to create it like a news paper and have the students help design it and write their own articles for it.

Digital Stories

Social stories is a tool used to teach autistic children social skills/prepare them for a social interaction or convention. Although these stories are created for autistic children I feel that they could be used with all children. However you must be careful that the story is not culturally bias. "Care should be given to ensure targeted shills are culturally appropriate (Spence 2008). Digital stories are useful because they can be quickly relearned. Because it can be a video, it can be viewed over and over again, which is useful because a skill can be reviewed without the teacher or parent reteaching the lesson. The student can simply just watch the video again. Also social stories are a great way to differentiate instruction. For example, lets say that the class is having a hard time walking appropriately in the hallways. A digital social story could be created to teach the student what the appropriate behavior looks like. The benefit of this method opposed to just talking to the students is that it will appeal to the learning styles of ALL the students in the classroom.

I created a Digital story, you can check it out here. My wife is the one talking. I didn't like the sound of my own voice.

This digital story was easy to create, however i was not terribly impressed with the program I used. It was set up very strange and you could not make the window larger to see it better. I choose to do a story on "asking for help". I choose this because I have noticed that children often want to do thing on their own, which is great, except for the times where it could be a dangerous or frustrating situation. So I choose to do a social story about when you should ask for help.

Collaboration on Google Docs

I felt that this collaboration was unsuccessful because we were unsure of the instruction. Aside from that I feel that this would be a great tool to use with colleagues. This could be used for collaboration of the IEP teams and parents, or administrators. However I don't think I would use this for my students. Considering they are all in the same room anyway, I don't see the need to collaborate online.

AAC and Assistive technology

I have come across AAC devices in the past and i think they are fantastic for those individuals who cannot communicate any other way. However, I feel that it should be a last resort. For example, a child who has autism and is non-verbal would benefit from a AAC device, but I believe they should be taught sign language is possible and the AAC devise is used as a back up. AAC devices should be used if completely necessary and not as a crutch.

The one thing I did learn about ACC and other devices was that there are many programs through the state and other services. I was happy to learn this because i would not want money to get in the way of a individual communicating with others.

Webquest

Personally I thought the WebQuest was just a scavenger hunt with all the information on one site. However, I do feel like it is an interactive and engaging way to get information. Its a clever way to organize the information in a way that gives real life examples to give a more concrete understanding. I would use this as a fun way teach a lesson and have the students work independently. The students with attention issues would be able to stay engaged as the task is interactive. It also could be used as a homework assignment and because its on the computer the completion percent will most likely be higher, assuming all students have internet access.

Using social media (Facebook) as a instructional tool in the classroom

Social media is a great was for people to connect and share their ideas and thoughts whether they are academic or not.  As adults we are able to sift through the garbage and only focus of the quality info, as for the classroom, much more QA (Quality assurance) is required from the teacher.

Using social media in the classroom can be a great tool if monitored properly, but un-monitored can lead to a lot of problems such as the child getting into inappropriate material and straying from the task. There are eight risks for children using the internet in the curriculum according the Bernie Poole (2011). Link here. These eight risks are objectionable or inappropriate material, cyber-bullying, online predators, invasion of privacy, inaccurate or bias information, information overload, garbage and wasted time. All of these risks have solutions like filtering software, student training and teacher vigilance but none of these can stop all the risks and make the internet completely safe. There will always be a risk, however, the decision you must make as a teacher is if the instructional value of the internet out weighs the risks. For example, an article posted on the site www.onlinecollege.org, written by the site administrator (2009) offers 100 ways to use and implement Facebook in the classroom in classes K-12. Link here.

For my classroom, I would use Facebook as a way to communicate with the children outside of school. I would post helpful sites and tips for the students to help them with their homework and the students could post questions they have and could be answered by their classmates. I would also post readings and activities for the students to do outside of class for homework instead of giving them paper assignments. It would serve as a means of communication between me and the students and from student to student. Of course I would need to acquire parental permission before doing this.

Another way I would use Facebook is for a means of presentation. The students would make small groups and create a Facebook page on something that interest them. They would research the topic and the internet and post info and websites on the Facebook page. The team would be responsible for maintaining the page and updating it.

Web 2.0 Tool

I found that www.StoryJumper.com was the most interesting site I found Larry Ferlazzo's blog. I choose this site because you can use it for younger children and it sparks creativity. StoryJumper allows children to create their own stories either using a template to get them started or from scratch. Check it out at the hyperlink above.

I would use this website for creative writing skills and computer skill building. This website is extremely easy to use and can be easily taught to all learners. For those students who have trouble with the starting idea, the website offers templates that get the story started, for the creative students, they can start from scratch and make it their own. This web site keeps the students engaged because the students it creating text and a scene, also it builds typing skills which can benefit those students who struggle with writing. 

This website is a great way to spark creative writing.  It can also be used for presentation skills as the students can order a hard copy and present it to their classmates. 

Take a look at my sample here.