Reflections of Assistive Technologies

There were many different tools introduced in the videos. All of these tools were used to help students with disabilities communicate and learn in school. One of the technologies that was introduced was the computer that Susanna used. This computer could record her voice. She was able to talk to the computer and have it record her voice for all the different assignments from written to computer-based. Another boy used something similar to Susanna for his schoolwork. He used a computer that was voice activated because he did not have control over his hands. He used the computer to surf the web, and do his assignments.

Some of the children in an elementary classroom used different computers to communicate. One girl was learning about the solar system. She was able to touch the boxes on the screen to select her answers. The device would respond and repeat her selected answer out loud. One of the other children in the classroom was immobile. He was able to use the only part of his body he had control over, his eyebrows, to select the answers on the computer. His eyebrows would move the cursor between the rows until he selected the answer he was looking for.

Another boy in a middle school was interested in band. However, he doesn't have control over his four limbs, so he couldn't use his fingers to move the valves on the horn. He had a horn built for him. This horn used a joy stick to control which valves he pressed. He could use his lips to make the different notes, and he used the joy stick to control the valves.

A student in an early childhood education setting, Josh, is autistic. He was primarily non-verbal when he started school. He was very frustrated when he couldn't communicate. His teacher used his love of books to help him learn to communicate. He had a device that could record your voice saying the words on the page. It would then repeat what you recorded at the press of a button. Josh soon began to say more words. He also, started to recognize the words on the page. He soon started reading to his classmates.

All of these devices changed the lives of these students. The students would not be able to communicate without them. It allows them to live a normal life.

Jigsaw Method: Advantages and Disadvantages

You could use the jigsaw method with only 5 computers by deciding on a topic for just one group. You could have just one group use the method for that topic, and present the material. Then, you can switch topics for a new group.

The advantages of the this method would be that each child has a part in the group. Each student is necessary to the success of the entire group. This would make students want to learn because they feel needed. It also allows each student to learn more. The whole class can research different topics, and they can all come back to share their research.

The disadvantages of the jigsaw method are that some students don't want to participate no matter if they are essential to the group or not. I could see some students in the group researching their portion of the topic, and other students in the group goofing off and not doing any work. Overall, I think this method would work well for students to learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Realm of Creativity

Chapter 1 really helped me to realize just how organized you should be as a teacher. You have to plan beyond the lessons themselves. As I was reading I was already thinking about my classroom, and how it would look. I thought back to some of my classrooms as a child. I am now inspired to come up with a vision for my future classroom including the look, feel, and goals I want to achieve.

Back to the Future

The Back to the Future Quest was really interesting. It was cool to see how someone in the 1980's saw the direction of technology heading. One of the similarities of technology then and now is that we use computers and devices for communication. We now have video chatting such as skype. We can use our phones to call and text. We have social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. We can be connected to many people at once.

Some of the differences are that we don't have that kind of technology to put someone in the classroom like that. We have the ability to record lectures and view them later, but we can't put someone directly into the classroom. Also, we don't have the database that they predicted. The internet is a lot like that, but we have to decide for ourselves the most relevant content. We don't have a computer that decides for us. We also don't have many things that are voice activated. They are starting to come out with some of that. Such as the new "personal assistant" on the iPhone 4S. Right now we have to use keyboards, buttons, or touch screens to get things done.

About Me! :)

My name is Sarah Murray, and I'm a sophomore here at Boise State University. I am majoring in Elementary Education. I would LOVE to teach first or second grade. I love children around first and second grade the most because they are becoming more independent, and really starting to learn. They're learning a lot of the core concepts that will take them through their education.

I am very interested in teaching because I realized how much of a difference teachers can make in a student's life. Teachers have been some of the most influential people in my life besides my family. One of my teachers in particular helped me to realize that I wanted to pursue teaching as a profession. My second grade teacher was so fun! I remember lining up at the end of the school day and giving her a hug or a high-five as we walked out the door. She also had us singing a cheesy little song before we went to lunch. It's been years since I've been in second grade, but I remember most of that year like it was yesterday. My teacher had such a huge impact on me. She made me want to learn and do my best. She was very creative and made learning a fun and exciting challenge. I want to be able to leave that kind of impression on my future students.

Like I said, I'm a sophomore at Boise State. I'm excited about this school year. I have 3 education classes. It's so nice to finally take classes I'm interested in. A couple little tidbits are I absolutely love figure skating! I started skating about 5 years ago when I needed something to do during the winter. I fell in love with it! Skating is a constant challenge. There's always something new to learn and something to improve upon. I also love taking vacations and spending time with my family. This summer we went on a road trip to New Jersey to visit relatives. We went through many different states, and explored new places. We saw Mount Rushmore, Lion King on Broadway, and the Mall of America. It was a great trip. So, that's basically me! :)