EDM 310 Blog Post XII

Yesterday, my EDM 310 class was treated to a presentation by Dennis Campbell. The subject was Assistive Technology and its implementation in the classroom. Assistive technology is defined, in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as any “item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially…or customized that is used to increase, maintain, or improve capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”

Mr. Campbell provided a wealth of information on Assistive technology. He explained the different levels of assistive technology and provided examples of each. He also discussed the effect new technology has had on accessibility to tech for students with disabilities. My favorite part of the presentation was when Mr. Campbell related his personal experiences working with children who have disabilities. His optimistic candor was refreshing and encouraging. Along with the video presentation we watched last week and Mr. Campbell’s presentation, I feel better prepared to use assistive technology in the classroom. 

EDM 310 Blog Post XI

This week, in EDM 310, we watched a video presentation by Margina Busby from the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. The presentation was titled “Overview of Assistive Technology and Implementation.” It is designed to give background information prior to an in-class presentation next week. Assistive technology is defined, in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as any “item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially…or customized that is used to increase, maintain, or improve capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”  This definition includes a wide range of devices, for example: pencil grippers, powered wheelchairs, closed captioning, and touchscreens. These devices may seem dissimilar, but they all share the same purpose of providing access to education for students with disabilities.

Margina Busby explained that very few students with disabilities are educated solely in resource rooms. Most students with disabilities are educated in regular classrooms. This concept is called full inclusion. This means every educator will have students with disabilities in their classroom at some point. As a future educator, I believe it is important to be informed on the use of assistive technology so I can effectively use it in the classroom.

I hope to ask Mrs. Busby two  questions in the upcoming presentation. First, I would like to ask what percentage of the annual education budget is allocated for assistive technology. Second, I would like to ask her view on future development of assistive technology, considering the rapid pace of overall technological development

EDM 310 Blog Post 10

            This week my blog is about using the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) to locate and design a lesson plan. Once I created an account, I was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of lesson plans available. ALEX made searching for an interesting lesson plan easy. There were a variety of lesson plans for my educational focus in social sciences. The ALEX website also features a podcast library with hundreds of useful podcasts. ALEX also lets you post your own podcasts and lesson plans to the site.

            After spending time exploring the ALEX website, I found a number of useful lesson plans. The lesson plan I chose was titled “From the Trenches of WWI”. It is intended to help students gain a better understanding of the soldier’s experience of trench warfare during WWI. The lesson plan involved using first person literary and audio accounts to show the extreme human experience of modern war.

            The students would compose a letter to a loved one from the perspective of a soldier engaged in trench warfare. Then the student would record the letter in the form of a podcast. This would be an excellent exercise that would reinforce what the student learned about the realities of trench warfare. The ALEX website makes it incredibly easy to find and utilize lesson plans for any classroom. Every educator should make use of this helpful tool.

Link to lesson plan:  http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=22529

EDM 310 Blog Post 9

In my previous blog, I told you about the process of making an interactive video with Edpuzzle. This video is designed to be used in the flipped classroom model. My groupmates, Chelsia and Brooke, also made interactive videos with Edpuzzle. As an exercise, we watched each other’s videos and took the associated quiz.

            Chelsia’s video was about strange historical facts that aren’t well known. I could see using this video to create interest in history for students. I’m not sure how you could transition from this video into class discussion. It’s a fun video to watch for entertainment’s sake, but it probably has little to contribute to the classroom.

            Brooke’s video was an introduction into the history of the Bubonic plague. It was very interesting and educational. The video follows the migration of the Black Death from its roots in Asia to Europe. The video would be fantastic as an introduction to more in depth discussions in the classroom. When the students have the basic backstory it makes it easy to expand on or clarify concepts in class. You could even spend class time talking about the effects the plague had on society at a micro level. As a future educator, I see a huge advantage in the flipped cl assroom model. Edpuzzle makes creating interactive videos simple and quick. 

EDM 310 Blog 8

                Recently, in my EDM 310 class, we were tasked with using EDpuzzle to create an interactive educational video. The video is intended to be used in a flipped classroom model. Flipped because traditional classwork/homework roles are reversed. Students watch short lesson-based videos for homework, while time in class is spent in discussion and class work. Edpuzzle is an easy-to-use website that assists educators in designing custom lesson-based videos.

            My experience using EDpuzzle was a pleasant one. Finding an appropriate video was easy because EDpuzzle allows you to pull videos from multiple sources, like YouTube or Khan Academy. EDpuzzle also allows you personalize the video by adding audio notes to the lesson. Recording the audio was accomplished easily, but I wish they would add an import audio option to the site. I really like the option to imbed questions into the video. This is a great way to monitor that students are actually watching and understanding the video. As a future educator, I am very interested in the flipped classroom model. I think it would be extremely beneficial for students. Homework is minimal, consisting of watching short videos and answering questions. Class time can then be spent in more thorough discussion of topics and classwork. I definitely plan to incorporate EDpuzzle into my classroom.

EDM-310 Blog 7

                  Recently, my EDM 310 class completed a group video project intended to address issues in education. My group consisted of Chelsia, Brook, Christian, and myself. We decided our video would focus on the importance of incorporating technology into education. We made use of dual perspectives, teacher and student, to demonstrate the benefits of technology in a classroom. Our group worked together to design, script, film, and edit a 5 minute educational video. Unlike my past experiences with group projects, this experience was actually enjoyable and educational.  

            I was pleased with our group’s video, but was most proud of how well our group worked together on this project. While we gained much needed experience with technical aspects of shooting video, the more valuable experience was in learning to work with a group towards a goal. Each member contributed in their own unique way.  It was also highly intriguing to see what other groups chose to focus their videos on. I feel I gained something from each group’s perspective. As a future educator, I believe it is important to be as informed as possible on these issues and to use the information to better serve our students.