Orichowskyj,+Marissa

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My results from the survey showed that I am an auditory/visual learner. This seems to follow the way I have liked to learn. I enjoy demonstrations and hands on learning and I feel that this helps my understanding. It is difficult for me to sit and listen to just a lecture or just read straight from the textbook. I like being able to actually see things and the use of diagrams and pictures is very helpful for me. ======

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The CAST website was very informative and a great tool for teachers and students. I think that the technology that is available to students today is amazing and the children can only benefit from using it. The CAST website has so many different features that will help students and let them see things differently. ======

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I found many interesting things on the electronic version of Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. I think that the things that are available online for students are great and it is a different way to help students learn. I would use some of the information when teaching because every student learns differently. Having different ways to teach students will only help the students and the teacher to succeed. ======

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The 2 activities I participated in were very interesting. I thought that it was very cool that these kind of activities were available online for anyone. By doing these activities I realized how important visual aids are to my learning. I complete things faster and better when there are pictures or graphs. ======

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Many students have responded positively to the CAST website and now I see why. I thought the website was a great resource and it will help many students. I feel that this approach is a great way to help students learn. Everybody learns differently and now that there is the technology to create websites like CAST I think that students will only benefit from it. ======

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I think that the idea of virtual field trips and museums is great. There are so many schools that are low income and are not able to provide the funds for field trips. By having access to virtual field trips and museums, students can actually feel like they are there and experience the things they would if they were physically there. The virtual museums and field trips give all the students the same opportunities. Although one school may actually go to the museum and the other go to the museum virtually, the students are still getting the same information. ======

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**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?** ======

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//From visiting the websites and watching the videos I learned that there are many resources available to disabled individuals. There are many gadgets that can make life easier for individuals with disabilities. With the technology we have today//, //disabled individuals are able to have the same opportunities as people without disabilities.// ======

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**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?** ======

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//I really enjoyed the Wiggle Works site and found it very interesting. I will be working with infants with special needs so I liked the availability for many ages. I also found the assistive tech website very helpful. I think the products on the website are necessary for any special education classroom.// ======

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//Technology provides various opportunities for students with diverse learning needs. As technology becomes more advanced the potential increases. Technology allows disabled students to do things that they would never be able to do otherwise.// ======

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**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.** ======

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//I have an aunt who has special needs and she has always lived at home with my grandmother, because she cannot live on her own. In the recent years she has moved to a group home where she has more opportunities to do things on her own and be around other disabled individuals. My mom is also a speech pathologist and she works with computers that speak when you type on them.// ======

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**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?** ======

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//From this assignment, I will definitely incorporate websites into my lessons. By using websites, children with disabilities can do some things that they could not do regularly and the non-disabled students will also be able to use the websites. I will also have products that will help all of my students no matter what their needs are.// ======

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 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The article that I read was Virtual Success and I found it very interesting. The article focused on the area of technology and there was not a specific grade or age range that it centered around. This article discussed the use of virtual schools in our society today. I found the points that were discussed were very surprising in some aspects and very interesting. The article started off introducing the reader to FLVS, which stands for Florida Virtual School. This was the first public virtual school in the United States and came about in 1997. The educating that takes place in FLVS is unique and specialized. There is no set schedule or timing that the students need to be in class or at school. The students have the freedom and ability to do the work on their schedule and what timing works for them. The educators from FLVS realized that children today are more technologically advanced and the technology that they use everyday should not be taken away from them in school or learning, but it should be incorporated and used primarily to help them learn. While there were some arguments about technology not being able to help in major subject such as English or math, the teachers from FLVS use real life skills in their lessons. The students are able to get in touch with their teachers 24/7 and the students are able to learn at their own pace. Unlike traditional public schools, virtual schooling allows the learning to be based around each student and focus on their learning needs. The article also discusses studies that have shown that students enrolled in online classes performed better than those in traditional classroom settings. It was also shown that students in FLVS scored better on AP exams and had higher state assessment score than students in traditional public schools. The article states that this has happened because the educators and creators of FLVS have constructed the learning environment that focuses around things that children today use the most. I found this article to be very interesting and somewhat surprising. I was surprised that students who are enrolled in online courses do better than those in traditional schools. While technology is becoming more and more popular I did not think that it would have such an effect on learning. I am very intrigued about the use of technology in the classroom and as a prospective teacher I am definitely planning on using technology in my classroom. I think that the students today will only be able to benefit from using technology to help them learn. ======

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