Course Reflection

           I have learned so many great things in IT 365. The things I have learned are great to take with me as a teacher for use in the classroom. I have learned to make a blog, website, movies, and use tools Google has to offer. I also learned to use web tools and Turnitin, which is a great plagiarism tool. My favorite thing I learned was how to make things easier for students with impairments.   

     My favorite assignment in the class was to make a movie on a personal experience or trip. I just had a great time making my movie. Once I learned how to use the moviemaker it was defiantly an eye opener. Teachers could use moviemaker for great ideas. Some of the ideas I thought of were an end of the year movie of how far the students have come, graduation parties, experiences that the class has had as a whole, and there are so much more. I also loved learning about the tools Google has to offer. I did not realize how much you could do with a Google account and it was free. Google has slides, docs, blogger, sheets, sites, and so much more. Everyone loves things that are free and both teachers and students can use these tools on Google at anytime. You can even allow people to see and edit your documents on Google.

My weakness in this class would be the website and blogger. I work at a school now and the school does not require or encourage teachers to have their own website. Teachers are so caught up in work and teaching that it is hard to fine time to manage the website and blog. The school has a website, which I love and it is great for parents to find out information. I think teachers would have a hard time managing time to create and update a website. I also did not like the blogger. Teachers in today’s world can only talk to parents through phone calls, conference meetings, or emails. There are so many rules, that teachers have to abide by.

I think that working in a school setting and seeing what teachers are doing in the classrooms is why I have weak points. I think everything that I have learned, in this class, are wonderful ideas though. I could improve on my weaknesses by giving ideas and pointers to help make the school website better and easy to access. I could tell other teachers about the advantages of blogs. I think that blogs are a great idea for high school and college students to keep track on what projects, assignments, and homework they previously had to work on.

I think every student should learn how to use technology, but only in positive ways. I remember when I was in pre-k three I learned how to play educational games on the computer. I also would play on the computer when I was at home. I have learned a lot more about using computers and different programs in this class. Exposing children to great tools such as computers, technology can brighten and give children experience. Students can write papers, track grades, make PowerPoint presentations, and learn how to search educational information on the Internet. I think every student should be required to take a computer class in high school.

When I become a teacher, I will use technology a lot. I love using Promethean boards because they are interactive and it allows the children to become plugged in and allows the students to learn from other students. Teachers can create interactive documents, notes, study guides and so much more using Promethean boards. I think every classroom should have interacted boards. They are fun for the students to use and easy for teachers to use.

This class has taught me so much and I cannot wait to use what I have learned in the classroom. I am glad I took this class and it allowed me to learn new fun and creative ideas that I can use now and in the future. I am very grateful about learning on how to make tools available for disabled and impaired students. My dream is to be a special education teacher. The parts of the chapters that talked about students with impairments and disabilities really impacted me and helped me understand different options and settings and tools that are out there for these children. Learning about those tools made me happy knowing that these children can do things like other students.

 

Assistive Technology

           The assistive and adaptive technology assignment was a great eye opener. I loved how we learned to change the settings of the computer to accommodate the student’s needs.  Since I work with special needs children this is a great tool to use and learn about before I let our students in my class use it. These tools can help the hearing impaired, visually impaired, and the physically impaired.  I think that every teacher should learn how to modify lessons, projects, and activities for students, who are having difficulties reading, seeing, and hearing. The knowledge of knowing how to use and where to find tools to help students achieve their goals is a great feeling as a teacher. In this lesson we learned how to use print screen, change page contrast for visual impaired, use magnifier, and ToggleKeys which made caps lock make a sound when it was turned on. We also learned how to use visual flash alerts, keyboard shown on the page, put sound clips and pictures on a page for hearing and visual impaired, sites with sounds and pictures, and learned how to fix the mouse to different settings. Learning how to use things on a computer for students with impairments and difficulties is an eye opener. It helps a teacher learn how to motivate the child and have children involved. These tools are great for special needs children and it’s easy to teach the students how to use them.

            Assistive and adaptive technology can facilitate and inspire students through learning and creativity. Teachers can teach and learn through technology to promote, support, and create experiences for students to express themselves and encourage them to learn in fun ways using technology. Teachers can inspire students in many ways. Teachers should always encourage the students to be themselves, to be creative, and to never give up on their hopes and dreams. Teachers are there for students whenever they are down, need help, and need a mentor. Students are egger to learn when the teacher gets them involved and when the teacher comes up with fun, interactive ways to remember important information. Technology can help teachers find “catchy” songs, games, and clues to remember information. Technology is a great way for teachers to express themselves and for students to become creative.

Assistive Technology PowerPoint

Web Sities and GoogleSites

            Websites are a great tool for educators. Websites are a great way for teachers to be creative and show their personalities to the parents. Websites help the parents stay up to-date with the class. Parents are able to see important dates that are coming up, personal achievements of the teacher, a biography of the teachers, and find a description of the class. Websites can be a great source for parents who like to stay involved with the school and with the class.

            GoogleSites are also a great tool for educators. GoogleSites have wonderful tools that the teacher can use to make documents, slides, calendars, sheets, blogs, and so much more. GoogleSite is a great place to use these tools and it is free. All you have to do is create a google account and you will have access to these things and an email account. GoogleSites will also have the information you have created, like documents, sheets, and slides, saved under that category. Once you have created documents, slides, or sheets you can change to a PowerPoint, Word, Spreadsheet, Rich Text, and other types of formats.

            Teachers can exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers can do this by using blogs, websites, and GoogleSites. Teachers can collaborate with students, parents, and community members by using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. Websites and GoogleSites can have access to a calendar that parents and students can see what is happening that month and what assignments are due. I think parents would like that access because sometimes children leave planners and homework sheets at home. I think this would help everyone by keeping people informed.

Website Link:  https://sites.google.com/site/msashliesspecialeducationclass/

GoogleGroups

           Online social networking, such as GoogleGroups, is a great way for teachers to use in education. Teachers should always make sure that the school approves the use of this material. GoogleGroups is an excellent tool for students. Students can work in group activities together. An example of the students working in groups would be using the doc option in GoogleGroups. Students can write their part of a story or project and once they are finished someone else in the group can continue writing. Googlegroups allows whoever is in your group to see what you are doing on a paper, PowerPoint, website, etc. The owner of their group can allow their settings to let the people they invited to edit material on their page. I think this is a great tool for students to allow them to help each other on a subject, paper, etc. This allows the students to interact with each other and get to know one another.

I think teachers should allow students to use GoogleGroups. It is easy to use and it is free. Teachers and students could benefit through GoogleGroups because it has much materials students and teachers can use. They could use Docs, like Microsoft Word, Slides, which is like PowerPoint, and sheets, which is like Excel. GoogleGroups could also be used by a teacher and could be shared with another teacher. Teachers could add others to their group. This would allow teachers to proof read documents, slides, papers, etc. for one another. This is a great tool to communicate and learn more about students in a classroom setting.

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology, to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. I believe that teachers can use GoogleGroups to express all of these characteristics. Teachers can show their creativity through teaching and learning many things that GoogleGroups has to offer. I think that if teachers used GoogleGroups they would see more learning and creativity through the students. I also believe that a more stable relationship within the students would continue to grow with one another.
 

Parts of a Plant