Okay so most of us had a snow day we really didn't want, but what are you going to do on such an unexpected holiday? I caught up with some grading, homework and reading for class, and some article searching for the review paper (Dr.Weiss, you didn't just read that!) .
My daughters on the other hand, went outside, watched t.v., and went on a search for some old toys in the basement. As I listened to the t.v. while I worked, I heard a commercial for the new Jimmy Fallon show and it mentioned that he was trying to make his show interactive by having a Facebook page and twitting? What is twitting? I tried watching this video explanation, http://dotsub.com/view/665bd0d5-a9f4-4a07-9d9e-b31ba926ca78 , but it stopped midway through. The jist, I'm guessing, is that it's a really quick way to converse with people that is faster than an e-mail or blogging. I'll keep looking for more information, but didn't know if anyone could explain it to me?
I then heard my youngest daughter calling me to ask me for a battery because daddy gave her a small object. When I asked her what it was, she said it was a tape recorder. I remember my husband using this little recorder for his college classes to record his notes and it was the latest thing in technology. Now my 7 year old was excited by being able to record her voice on this tiny outdated recorder. In this age of computers, iPods and cell phones that do everything but cook meals, I find it funny that old technology is new technology to my daughter.
Enjoy the snow!
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I'm not sure what "twitting" is and my two teens didn't know either! It is amazing how the world of technology is constantly changing and we have to adapt and learn new vocabulary if we want to consider ourselves literate.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I sometimes become frustrated with technology and want to revert to the traditional method of books, paper and pencils, I must admit that students are able to do so much with the Internet and software programs in the classrooms. Even children as young as second and third grades are creating Power Point presentations to showcase their learning. Fourth graders at the school where I teach are blogging about their favorite books, while sixth graders are learning how to use the Smart Board to create content area Jeopardy games. These appealing, motivating projects help students to develop their creativity and critical thinking skills by using their strategies to navigate the Web, conduct research, and work cooperatively with peers. When reading chapter 5 of the text Integrating Literacy and Technology I was amazed to find that the Flat Stanley project I had once done with third graders via mail could now be done with email!
As I research electronic texts for my paper and continue to learn from the class readings, I am finding that technology may be useful in helping struggling readers and those with disabilities. Some studies have shown that low performing students do increase their sight vocabularies when working with CD-ROMs that pronounce words and provide definitions to users. I'm still debating whether these features are useful or could make stuggling readers even more dependent for outside assistance and foster a sort of learned helplessness.
Do you have any experience with assistive technologies? I believe the special education teachers are using a program called KidPix to help an autistic boy with his writing and sequencing of simple sentences and pictures. Since differentiation and Response to Intervention are central themes in today's school, I think we may be seeing teachers use a lot more technology to meet the needs of unique learners!
I worked as an assistant teacher at a not for profit Birth to Five school, in New York, about 15 years ago. I worked with 3 students who were nonverbal. Two of the students have cerebral palsy and the other suffered from spinal menengitis as an infant and had paralysis on the left side of his body, including his vocal chords. All three students used a modified see n say computer that spoke for them. Pictures of the most common situations and needs were installed in the computer. The students just needed to touch the picture and the computer spoke the words for them. Some of the pictures included; toy, eat, drink, book, and bathroom. It was a joy to see them go from no spoken language and using signs to communicate to pressing a picture and hearing a voice! They were so proud of themselves.
ReplyDeleteNot only did this computer help them speak, but it helped them to read. The pictures also had the words written out. As they became familiar with the picture and the word, the pictures were removed and replaced with just the word spelled out.
FM Trainers are another type of assistive technology I have used. The FM trainer amplifies sound to a student via a microphone and a pack the size of a walkman, worn by the teacher, to an ear piece worn by the student. This helps isolate the teachers voice and filter any peripheral sounds. It is great to use during all school assemblies as well as classrooms.
It is truly amazing what assistive technologies can do to help our students succeed!