Blog Post #8

   Adaptive technologies are used in classrooms to support all kinds of learners including gifted and english language learning students as well as those with disabilities such as visual/hearing impairments, dyslexia/other learning disabilities, motor disabilities and many others. When paired with effective teaching these technologies can help students with limitations excel in the classroom, adapting to their disabilities through technology allow these student's capabilities in the classroom to improve as they reach their highest potential as learners. Students with learning disabilities can be supported with technology by using grammar/spell checks, audio books so they can get the information both visually and by hearing, and programs like ReadThinkWrite explained in the book that help students organize thoughts and ideas. For physical disabilities there are input devices such as enlarged keyboards, joysticks, etc. making technology more accessible for these students. Students with visual impairments can benefit from having screen magnification devices, larger keyboards, text-to-speech softwares, and braille printers to compensate for their disability. Although all of these great technologies exist it is important to make sure the correct technology is being paired with the student for their needs to best support their education. Throughout my educational experience I got to see a student with disabilities use as joystick as a mouse as well as an enlarged keyboard so he could more easily access and use the technology that was required for coursework. These adaptive technologies really helped him start excelling in school because he could then focus more on content, rather than having trouble using the technology. Although assistive technology looks very promising, problems could arise in that all the teachers with the student using assistive technology must know how to use/troubleshoot it and make sure that the content they are presenting in class is compatible with their assistive technology. Also, financially problems could arise because assistive technology is always changing and as it evolves the students will need to have the new equipment in order to be best supported.

   Bloom's Taxonomy is a way of classifying the different stages of learning/cognition. PowerPoint is a great technology to use for students to affirm they are passing through each stage of Bloom's Taxonomy. During the first stage (remember), this can be implemented through a simple bulleted list. PowerPoint slides often have little room for text, without going into too much detail slides teachers use can include a bulleted list of the main ideas so it is easier for students to memorize and recall. By use the SmartArt graphics feature teachers can organize concepts in a way that helps with the Understanding stage of Bloom's Taxonomy. The different PowerPoint features that allow images, videos and other outside sources to be inserted into the presentation is a way to satisfy the Application stage of Bloom's Taxonomy because it allows students to see how the main concepts they had earlier applied affect the world they currently live in. The charts feature of PowerPoint allows one to analyze (4th stage of Bloom's Taxonomy) the different concepts being presented and their relationship/affect of one another. Incorporating discussion questions into a PowerPoint presentation is a great way to get students to the evaluation stage of Bloom's Taxonomy, this way students can affirm a position and be able to discuss with other perspectives based on the information being presented in the slideshow. Lastly, having students make their own PowerPoint presentation is a great way to encourage the creative stage of Bloom's Taxonomy. By exploring the different themes, media, animations and transitions students are able to make a presentation they think will best display the information while at the same time learning about concepts more in depth by creating a unique slideshow. 

   Since teachers are known to be the driving force of innovation in educational technology it is vital for teachers to be able to keep up to date with what new technologies are arising so they can test whether they are effective in their classroom in catalyzing learning. I found a website https://www.edweek.org/topics/technology/index.html, that is a great resource for teachers to stay updated on all the latest technology that can be implemented in the classroom through "articles, commentaries, and other special features" that keep teachers in the know of the latest technology trends.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Group Activity w/ Ally Rodriguez - C.R.A.P Website Design

CONTRAST =  The background is red while text boxes are cream so they stand out and are easy to read. Titles of the articles were black and in all caps so they would stand out. Text was bright and and contrasted well against cream to make it more visible.  REPETITION= The teacher should have stuck to using the same color text within a text box to make the webpage more uniform. Many different text colors within the same section make it confusing since there is so much to look at. However, by using the same font throughout titles and text it is visually appealing.  ALIGNMENT= The text is aligned left which makes it easy to read. There is also equal space between each section of text within the boxes. The welcome image isn't aligned center so it looks out of place.  PROXIMITY= Boxes about what they are learning and what their assignments are are all grouped together. Information geared towards parents such as contact information and announcements is located near the...
Read more

Blog Post 1 (EME 2040)

    The advancement of technology has tremendously impacted the classrooms of today, not only for students but also teachers. Teachers can use technology to make administrative tasks like grading and classroom management much more effective. Using grading softwares such as Edsby, Engrade, etc. teachers can easily enter grades and make them readily available for students and their families. By integrating technology into the presentation of information, teachers are able to better engage students and adapt to the many different learning, cognitive and intelligence styles they may encounter. By using programs like Photostory, museum box, Prezi and wordle during a lecture, students who are more visual will have a better cognitive process when they are able to see the lessons being taught, whereas auditory learners will benefit from the actual lecture and videos incorporated into the presentation. Communication with parents is crucial in the classroom in order for success, while f...
Read more

ILP #2- Design- Infographic

Image
For my second ILP I used the software Canva to create an inforgraphic on how to establish S.M.A.R.T. It was very interesting to see all the different things you could do with this website from creating ebooks, binder covers, business cards, to inforgraphics. Once you selected what you wanted to create there was multiple different graphics, themes, images, fonts and other ways to make your inforgraphic appealing and easy to read. I feel inforgraphics are a way to engage learners, especially visual through an organized text with pictures to teach or educate someone on a toic and can be very useful in classrooms. My infogrpahic is posted and linked below. S.M.A.R.T GOALS INFOGRAPHIC!!
Read more