Blog Post 3

Technology in Special Education

I found this video to be very interesting. Special needs children have a special place in my heart and so do the teachers who work with them. These children wouldn't be anywhere without the use of technology. I had a guy in one of my college classes who was blind and he used a computer to help him take notes as well as scan documents that the computer would read aloud to him. If these students didn't have this type of technology then they would take twice as long to complete assignments and they would never be able to feel like they could fully function on their own.
This video shows me how to help special needs children that I may encounter in my classroom in the future because it showed me that by using a computer I can change the attitude that my students may have towards learning. I am sure that it was very discouraging for the students in the video to have to take that long on assignments, but with the help of computers they seem to be happy about doing their work. I know it has to give them some sort of a sense of accomplishment as well as help them feel good about themselves.

How the iPad works with Academics for Autism

This video was about a little boy named Braden who is autistic and his father decides to help him learn by using technology. I am so glad that we have parents out there who are willing to help their children. The use of an iPad helped Braden learn to count, spell, read and write words. It is amazing how you can take something like a computer and totally change the way a child learns. They actually want to learn things when it is fun for them and this makes it fun.
If I had to choose one specific app to help special needs children with learning, I think I would choose the Alphabytes app. It really depends on the age of the child as to what app would be appropriate for them, but with this app I would be able to teach children the alphabet, reading, writing and help them with memorization. It has a wide range of variety. It also teaches uppercase and lowercase letters by showing them how to trace the letters on the screen. It also helps children because they associate letters and words with visuals, which we all know works because of the amazing Your Baby Can Read videos that came out a few years back for toddlers. I think that this app would be great because of the wide range of variety it offers to children and it also creates a fun environment for them to work in.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

The changes that happen every minute globally could be a bad or a good thing. I am very glad that we are growing and learning new things. It is astounding how many hours of youtube videos are uploaded per day as well as how many  new internet users we have globally. I always automatically assume that everyone uses the internet already, but I guess not since we have so many new users. This is something that can be scary for a future educator. In my own personal opinion, it is great that so many people are interested in technology. Technology can take students to places they've never been before and teach them things that they would never know unless they had access to the internet.
This site basically shows how many different people join different sites on the web or upload videos to youtube as well as other things that take place on the web. I think that this has an effect on my profession of becoming a teacher, because I still have at least 2 years of schooling left and things are maturing in such a fast rate as far as technology goes, that I have no idea where it will be within the next two years after I graduate. I need to be sure that I am up to date on everything so that I can offer my students the teacher that they need and deserve.

A Vision of Students Today

This video was the best one that I have watched so far, it was all about how students these days are forced to sit through lectures and not really even learn anything from it. They buy books and never even open them, they take notes and cram for tests, never really learning anything at all. It was very interesting and he did a great job by showing us the facts in an interesting way. As a future teacher, I want to be able to teach my students in the best way possible. I think that a hands on type of learning is what will keep students interested. I don't think that they should sit in a classroom and listen to what I have to say, take home a study guide, fill it out, then cram the night before the test just so they will pass the class and then forget all of the information two weeks later. Technology is a way that we can do this.
All of these signs that these students held up for the camera were interesting. I know that most students who are allowed to bring laptops to class aren't doing classwork on them, I have been guilty of doing this as well. Many colleges tend to make students take classes that aren't even relevant to their field of study, so of course the student is bored in the classroom and decides to get on Facebook or Instant Message a friend. This is just something that happens when you aren't teaching students. You are "informing" them of what a book says, mostly books that are never opened(in colleges), as the sign said in the video. I don't believe that as teachers we should just push all these facts on to our students. They are there to learn, we are there to teach, and it is our responsibility to find out what works best for our students, no matter what that is.