Kloepfer,+Jaime

VISIT MY TIGER PAGE!

media type="custom" key="8404976" width="125" height="125" align="right"

media type="custom" key="8614742" width="71" height="71" align="left"

**VIRTUAL FIELDTRIPS** ==== Virtual field-trips and museums have become a beneficial tool for teachers in the world of education today. Field-trips are wonderful, especially for young students because they take learning to the real world. Through field-trips, students can relate and extend what they learn in the classroom to places and people in the outside world. Children also get very excited about taking a trip somewhere knew which makes the learning enjoyable for everyone. Unfortunately. field-trips cost money to both the school and the students individually. In today’s economy, field-trips may be cut from school budgets because of their cost. When student’s do not get the opportunity to go o n these field-trips they miss out on fun educational experiences. ==== ==== Through virtual field-trips students are able to see real world applications of their learning through the computer. Virtual field-trips and museums are interactive in a way different from physical trips. Although students are not riding a bus and visiting a s ite, they are still being interactive with their learning and exploring. Although is it negative that the students do not get to be in the real world experiencing activities. I think that children should get an opportunity to attend a field-trip at some point to gain the many benefits that they offer. Some of the websites described as virtual field-trips involve games and other interactive pieces that young students find fun and exciting. Virtual field-trips are a great alternative to those classrooms that do not have the resources to take trips away from school grounds. ====

**ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY**

1. From visiting the websites and viewing the videos in Part I of the assignment, what information did you learn about assistive technology for disabled individuals?  Since I am not a Special Education major I have not been exposed to all of the wonderful technology that is available for disabled students. After visiting websites and watching videos that illustrate the assistive technology that is available for students, I am amazed that technology has come as far as it has. I have learned that there is technology to assist every kind of disability. I watched a video about a young girl with Cerebral Palsy who could not speak but was able to communicate through pressing buttons with the parts of her body that she had the most control over. I saw a similar video which featured a young boy who had the most control in the movement of his eyebrow. His teachers were able to develop a technology that enabled him to type and speak through the use of his eyebrow movement. I also learned how important it is for these students to have these technologies and learn how to use them at a young age because they are incredibly beneficial and allow disabled students to do the best that they possibly can.

2. Were there any sites, products, or resources that particularly impressed you and that you want to remember as you prepare to become a classroom teacher?  As a mainstream classroom teacher I do not suspect that I will have students in my class that will need as much assistive technology as the students that I learned about in the videos that I watched, but while browsing one of the websites I realized the importance of using the computer everyday in the classroom. Some students may learn better through visually seeing something animated on a computer or being able to listen to a lesson on their own time. I plan to always remember that each student learns differently and it is important to differentiate my teaching in order to make sure that every student is succeeding.

3. What promises/potentials does technology provide students with diverse learning needs?  The promises and potentials that technology provides for students with diverse learning needs is endless. So much technology has been introduced in the recent years and there is on saying what will come in the the future. Diverse learners benefit so much from technology because it can usually be adapted to fit their specific needs. In today’s world, students with diverse learning needs have the ability to learn along with their peers, due to the technology that we have. In years past, they would be left behind which proves how much technology can really help.

4. Have you ever had a personal experience with a student or other person who has used some form of assistive technology to help them function in learning or everyday life? If so, describe what you observed from that experience in terms of meeting the special needs of those individuals. When I was in elementary school, there was a student who was hard of hearing. He was not deaf, so he was able to communicate without sign language but his hearing was very poor. He wore hearing aids to assist in his hearing, and in fourth grade a new technology made his life a lot easier. His fourth grade teacher wore a small microphone around her neck everyday. The sound from the microphone only traveled to Jason’s hearing aids, so that the rest of the class was not listening to a teacher on a microphone. This enabled Jason to be able to sit wherever he wanted in the classroom and be able to hear his teacher loud and clear. At a young age, I did not understand the importance of the teacher wearing this microphone but I realize now how much that assistive technology helped Jason to learn and to feel more comfortable in his classroom.

5. From this assignment, what will you carry with you as you prepare to become a teacher - one that will, most likely, face the challenge of meeting the needs of special education students along with non-disabled learners? I have learned how much assistive technology has made the lives of diverse learners easier. I have also realized how important it is to have assistive technology because it helps those students to stay on track along with their peers. I understand that it is important to treat every student equally and every student the same opportunities to succeed, and assistive technology makes that possible.

This is my Article Reading/Reflection !
media type="youtube" key="8DAZyXdi9SY" height="349" width="560" align="center"

This is my Digital Story! This video shows the story of my friends on a service trip to New Orleans during our Spring Break 2011.