Blast Off!

Children love to play games. A child's earliest learning experiences probably involved play. What better way to teach and reinforce content area material and skills than through playing games! There are a myriad of online games available for students. Our group (TJ, Martina, Yvonne and Ellen) evaluated the game BIDMAS Blaster. This game tests the student's skills with basic math facts and the order of operations. As you blast away rogue robots to help the planet, you're also blasting your way to better math skills. Here's our evaluation of the game.




References
Tobyrowland2. (2009, June 19). BIDMAS Blaster [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnrrovy8zEM

I Dwell in Possibility

In Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I dwell in Possibility,” she writes about the superiority of poetry in comparison to prose. To Dickinson, poetry is a house “More numerous of Windows—“ with an “Everlasting Roof “ that are “The Gambrels of the Sky—” (Dickinson). This is the house I have been forced to live in for the last two weeks. When assigned to design a lesson plan that would use the spreadsheet as one of its elements, I dwelled upon the impossibility of the task. What would an English teacher do with a spreadsheet? I had ideas about how to use it in other content areas, but ran up against a brick wall when it came to my content area of English. Then I remembered something that I always tell my students when we study poetry, “Step out of your comfort zone!” Creating this lesson plan has been a humbling experience for me, but also a chance to practice what I preach.

Because I have taught literature for the last 18 years, I have my go-to methods and strategies that are tried and true. Developing this lesson plan forced me to “implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning” (ISTE, 2000). Instead of merely telling the students about Dickinson’s use of common meter, students will be able to discover this themselves in their creation of the line graph depicting the syllable count for the lines of poetry. The use of the spreadsheet, as well as the inclusion of the audio resources for the music, and the animated video for the anticipatory set created a “technology-enhanced experience that address[ed] content and student technology standards” (ISTE, 2000). These resources also gave me the chance to “use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students” (ISTE, 2000). Once I opened myself up to the possibilities of what I could do with the spreadsheet, I thought of other ways I could incorporate technology into the lesson.

This experience has also taught me how difficult it is to be a student. I am learning so many new things in a very short period of time and am applying what I have learned to complete the assignments. Though I was excited to play with the website creators, it was difficult to abandon a website that I could not maneuver in despite the number of hours I had already invested in it. Again, if one dwells in a house of possibility, one must open the doors to all the possibilities and abandon others.

Every year I am faced with a group of 12th grade literature students who want to do anything but read poetry. I believed that I could write any other lesson plan but the one that was assigned. This assignment provided me with the opportunity to “dwell in Possibility” and to step out of my comfort zone. I learned how to blog, how to create a website, how to use a spreadsheet, but I also spent a lot of time making mistakes along the way. Overall, the experience has taught me that to dwell in the house of possibility is what every teacher should do for as educators our hope is that we can teach our students to “dwell in Possibility” (Dickinson) and be open to the opportunities that each challenge brings.

Dickinson, E. (1955). I dwell in possibility. Complete poems of Emily Dickinson. Retrieved from American Poems…Your poetry site website: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10609

International Society for Technology in Education. (2010). NETS for teachers 2000. Retrieved from http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm

Magritte, R. The human condition [oil on canvas] (1933). Retrieved June 11, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ren%C3%A9_Magritte_The_Human_Condition.jpg

Assess, Assist, Assign

Good teachers prepare their lessons with all of their students in mind. Because our classrooms are diverse, this might include modifications or accommodations for students with special needs. The Edutopia video, “Enabling Dreams” (2005) clearly portrays how special needs students use technology as a means of accomplishing their goals and dreams. Teachers must be more mindful of the unique challenges these students face in their daily lives and must also be creative in devising activities and assessments that are not only appropriate but also rigorous. In the ASSURE lesson plan the first step is to “Assess learners” (Heinich, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino, 1999). In the process of assessing our student learners, we must make sure that our special education learners are given the same opportunities for success.

This process of providing accommodations and modifications starts with planning lessons that are accessible to all. The teacher must assess whether the tools necessary for the lesson are readily available to all students. This may mean asking questions such as: Do all the students have computer access? Do all students have internet access? Do the students have the skills necessary to successfully complete the lesson? In terms of using technology, the teacher must also consider the ways in which technology may be able to enhance the lesson. If a student is blind, then what technology can the teacher use to make sure that the student will still be able to have access to the information needed to successfully complete the assignment? In many cases the teacher must think outside the box and conduct research to find the tools and gadgets (assistive technology) that will insure success for the special education learner. As stated in the Edutopia (2005) video, one of the reasons noted for why assistive technology is not implemented in some schools is because “people aren’t aware” of the technology that is out there. Teachers have to be the advocates for their students and search far and wide for the tools their students could use to be successful learners.

With or without these tools, teacher must make it a point to plan their lessons with the success of all students in mind. In most cases, the strategies used to insure the success of a special education student can be employed to also insure the success of general population students. Access to lap top computers definitely helped Susanna Martini who was born with cerebral palsy (Ellis, 2005). Using voice recognition software, Susanna is able to complete her university-level assignments. Lukas Bratcher, too, uses his computer to complete his assignments (Ellis, 2005). Technology definitely plays a central role in the success of these students and thus it is imperative that teachers realize that all educators must be aware that assistive technology exists to help them teach and to help the students learn.

The video of Mike Philips is yet another testament to the ways in which assistive technology has provided him with the means to better communicate with others, but also to hone his skills as a gamer, writer, reviewer, etc. (Assistiveware, 2007). Teachers must stop focusing on the limitations, but rather concentrate on the possibilities. As teachers we must enable the dreams of all our students.

What is important to remember is that teachers must strive to help their students to become successful learners. This does not mean that the bar should be set lower for the students, but rather that the teacher set the bar higher for him/herself to engage, inspire, and enthrall student learners.

Resources:
Assitiveware. (2007, May 30). One thumb to rule them all [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BhHwk9qSvI

Ellis, Ken. (2005, February 02). Assistive technology: Enabling dreams [Video file]. Retrieved from Edutopia website: http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Heinich, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino (1999). Instructional media and technologies for learning. Retrieved from The Assure Model website: http://www2.unca.edu/education/edtech/techcourse/assure.htm

Let's try it out!

Why are we here?
This blog will be used to post assignments and reflections for ED 609. Stay tuned for the view from all the way over here. Keep reading the posts to find out what I learned. See what's happening in the lab at SOE at UOG.

Where are we going?
Check out how I will use these new tech tools to enhance teaching and learning!