Using Technology in Education to Aid Students with Learning Disabilities

What I Learned-
I learned that technology can be beneficial to students with learning disabilities. I also learned that dyslexia is a learning disability that affects rythm, meter, and word retrieval.I was also was  not aware that teachers were not trained to work with chldren with dyslexia in the 1950's.

Two ways to use technology to support children with learning differences-
By allowing students to type their assignments and use spell check they will be able to complete their assignment without as many problems because they will not be focused on the spelling mistakes they are making.
By using text reading systems students that have difficulty reading or are auditorial learners will be able to  listen to texts or information that needs to be presented to them for an assignment.

Resource- http://www.teachervision.fen.com/assistive-technology/teaching-methods/3791.html

Referances-

Behrmann, M. M. (1995). Assistive technology for students with mild disabilities. The ERIC clearinghouse on disabilities and gifted education, 529, Retrieved from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/assistive-technology/teaching-methods/3791.html

Jendron, J. (2011, October 14). Assistive technology and learning disabilities. South Carolina Assistive Technology Program , Retrieved from  http://www.sc.edu/scatp/ld.htm

Schultz, P. (2011, September 03). Words failed, then saved me. The new york times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html?_r=1

Website Evaluation

Website-The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Who-There is not a clearly stated author for this website but, it is associated with the Wild Haggis Conservation Society of Kelvinic University.
What-The information is biased because a conservation society is presenting this information which is about conserving a species that is not technically extinct. There is also a link to pictures of  the "actual" species and a picture that is a hoax. The language that is used is persuasive and is trying to bribe the reader for their support.
When- There is not a date of publication on this web page.
Where- http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
Domain Name- Zapatopi
net- indicates that anyone could have made this web site
Why- This information is easier to obtain online but, this information cannot be verified and is most likely false.
How- The author of this source is not listed and it would be difficult to verify this information.

The Internet and Social Behavior

Quote- "Despite early studies suggesting that internet use leads to anti-social behavior, later findings indicate positive aspects of engaging in online socializing."
Response- I am not surprised that the internet has a positive affect on socialization. By using social media people can interact with people everywhere and at any time. People that are already social are probably more likely to use this form of socialization. Social media could be considerd as a tool to enhance socialization among people and would therefore encourage interaction between people.
Social media has many postitive aspects which include being able to stay connected to others, as well enableing communication with people that live far away.This form of communication in popular in our society because it is simple, fast and an effective way to be connected to the rest of the world.
Realted Resource- This website elaborates on the positves of social networking
http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/a-social-society-the-positive-effects-of-communicating-through-social-networking-sites/
Referances-

Owen, L. (2009, April 23). Internet and anti-social theory unfounded [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://laura-owens.suite101.com/internet--anti-social-behavior-theory-unfounded-a111897

Wheeldon, E. (2010, April 25). A social society:the positive effects of communicating through social networking sites [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/a-social-society-the-positive-effects-of-communicating-through-social-networking-sites/

Japanese/American Math Scores

Quote-"We must teach communication comprehensively, in all its forms. Today we work with the written or spoken word as the primary form of communication. But we also need to understand the importance of graphics, music, and cinema, which are just as powerful and in some ways more deeply intertwined with young people's culture. We live and work in a visually sophisticated world, so we must be sophisticated in using all the forms of communication, not just the written word."-George Lucas

Responce-I agree. I think that these forms of communicatioin will get the students attention therefore getting them interested in their education. These forms of communication are also more appealing to other audinces as well.Acess to these forms of communication is easily obtained so there should not be an issue for educators to obtain these resources.
It is important for educators to undersatand that the world is changing and education needs to evolve simultaneously with the rest of the world. Students can not fall behind and ignore the advances in the world because it will affect them in every part of their lives and not just their education.
Related Resources- This site gives the definition of visual literacy as well as examples. It also provides e-books that promote visual literacy for elementary students.

Referances-
Black Cockatoo Publishing . (2008). Visual literacy k-8. Retrieved from http://k-8visual.info/

Daly, J. (n.d.). Life on the screen: visual liteacy in education. Eutopia, Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/lucas-visual-literacy

Voki Lesson Plan

http://l-www.voki.com/open_pdf.php?file=Dissecting Columbus Day _5th Grade History_.pdf

Teaching Philosophy

Unprepared Teachers

Quote- "Educators face enormous challenges in preparing their students to be critical online readers. For the most part, the teaching of critical-thinking skills is not part of the regular curriculum, and printed text is still considered the mainstay of school reading. Moreover, many recent studies identify persistent barriers to integrating new technologies into instruction, including lack of training and help for teachers and insufficient access to functioning technology (Cuban, 2002; Zhao & Frank, 2003)."- Jane David
Responce-
I think that teachers should be prepared to teach these skills. They cannot teach students the appropriate material if the teachers are not educated about these materials.Students are constantly viewing online material. These students need to be able read online material and understand what they have read.
Teachers could use online material in their classroom to their benefit.The majority of text books that most schools use in classrooms are outdated or are of poor quality. Texts books are also very expensive unlike most online material that is free.
The world of technology is swiftly changing and educators need to keep up in order to prepare their students for the future.
Related Resources- This article gives statistics that support teachers using technology in their classroom and also gives statistics based on teachers that do not use it.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/06/28/teachers-report-educational-benefits-of-frequent-technology-use.aspx
Referances-

Nagel, D. (2010). Teachers report educational benefits of frequent technology use. The Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/06/28/Teachers-Report-Educational-Benefits-of-Frequent-Technology-Use.aspx?Page=2

David, J. L. (2009). Teaching media literacy. Educational leadership, 66(6), 84-86. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book-author unknown

media in education

Quote- "Explicit teaching of 21st century literacy metaskills can position students to anylyze and evaluate news reporting in today' s visual drenched world."- Debbie Abilock

Response- I think that these skills are important for students to learn. Many students spend most of their time viewing various forms of media. What they might not know is that they can not believe everything they read or see in the media. I believe it is our job as future educators to teach our students how to seperate the truth from what is false. By doing this the students will be able to judge for themselves what is correct and what may be exaggerated. By teaching students how to do this educators may change the students perception of an issue or an event. The students will then be basing thier beliefs on the truth and not what the media wants them to believe.
Related Resource-This web site has alot of information and useful tools that are related to media literacy.
Referances-
Abilock, D. (2003). A seven-power lens on 21st century literacy. Multimedia schools, Retrieved from http://www.infotoday.com/mmschools
Action 4 media education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://action4mediaeducation.org/index.html