Walsh,+Timothy

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After taking the Learning Survey, my results came out and insisted that I am a Visual/Non-Verbal learner. For the most part I agree with my results, however, some of the things I do not agree with. I do enjoy looking at charts, graphs, videos and diagrams for information; however, I am not an artistic person who likes to work alone in a quiet room. One major way that I like to study is with another individual or with a group. I am a person who likes to learn from others and when other people test me on material, it helps me to memorize it. One thing I do agree with however, is the fact that I have a photographic memory. I can remember an answer that I saw on a flashcard, or saw in my notes rather than just having the knowledge. I also do make charts in my notebook, with key words to help me memorize information and often use highlighters and colored pens to highlight important information. This survey was correct for the most part, there were just some basic information that does not fit my personality.


 * CAST WEBSITE**

After completing the learning survey, my learning style was confirmed. I already had some kind of idea that I was more of a visual learner. I never really classified “non-verbal” with visual learning, however, so I guess that was new information I learned from the learning survey. Some new study techniques that I can do which I gained from the survey are things like using highlighters to mark key notes and to make charts and graphs in my notebook instead of just writing the information down.

After looking over the CAST website, I was really impressed. This website had so much useful information that I can utilize when I enter the education field and every topic was easy to find and comprehend.

Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age was a very interesting chapter. It showed me that not all students have learning disabilities; however, every student’s brain just works differently to understand an idea. All of this information from this website is going to be useful in future years and even today, because school districts and classrooms are going to start with full inclusion and teachers are going to have to be able to relate the topic to each and every individual.

I think I learned a great amount from this book. I was not really sure about the whole concept of UDL, but after looking it over and reading it, the concept has become a lot clearer. I also was able to see how different students are affected on different teaching styles, so when I am teaching, I now know that I must incorporate all kinds of different activities and styles for all my students to enjoy. The classroom situations also helped me grasp the knowledge more clearly and see what I can do when I get into the classroom as a teacher.

I liked the materials presented through the CAST website. I believe that differentiated instruction is going to be a key aspect of teaching in the future. With that being said, every teacher needs to start learning and incorporating different ways to teach so that once they step foot in the classroom they are familiar with it. This website is a great place to get ideas from and learn from. Once it is learned every teacher will be more affective in their classroom and students will gain much more knowledge.


 * Virtual Museum **
 * My response to the virtual museum assignment. **

Looking through the virtual museums was very fun and interesting. It is unbelievable to think about this technology advancement and how you can look at all kinds of museums right on your computer screen. Since many schools have lost money, and are no longer able to take field trips to these type of museums, teachers can now pull up that website on a projector and the kids can see everything in the museum for free. It allows students to view history but in a more technologic way, which is what they enjoy anyway. I think using these virtual museums is even better than visiting the museum itself, because kids would rather use a computer to view everything rather than a tour guide lecturing them. Students can look at what they are interested in, and gain knowledge about those topics. I think virtual museums are a great learning tool for history teachers to utilize, and students can get much more out of them for no cost.

1.After visiting these websites and viewing the videos from part I of this assignment, I learned that there is so much more technology and aides that students with disabilities can use that I have never known about. Without visiting these websites and reading about the aids I would have never known about some of the helps for students with disabilities, such as a video phone. It is important to be aware of these aides because all of these materials can be extremely beneficial to students with disabilities. 2. The one that stuck out to me the most is Cheap Talk 8 Communicators. These devices store short messages which help teach communication and can be helpful in aiding students with language or speaking disabilities. As a special education major, I want to be aware of different technology that will help my students. I want myself to be aware of all the options that will help my students succeed in their everyday activities. 3. Technology provides students with diverse learning needs a way to learn like every other “normal” student. It gives students with disabilities a device that can work with the students’ disabilities and make-up for the lack of knowledge they have to complete a specific task. Technology helps students with disabilities feel like every other student in the class because they are able to complete the work with proper assistance. 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. The only personal experience I have had with students with disabilities was slightly deaf students. These students would have hearing aids in 24 hours a day so that they could hear everything that other students and teachers were saying. I observed how much more they had to pay attention and how little they would get distracted in class. They would also ask frequently if the teacher could repeat the question or statement that they had just said because they did not fully understand it. The teachers were always helpful and made sure the student understood the assignment. 5. One thing I learned from this assignment is to be open and to always make sure that the students with disabilities understand my lesson. I will be sure to have any aids that they may need so that they can complete the assignment just like any other student. I was very unaware of how many aids there was for each kind of disability. For students who are non-disabled, I will be sure to not take up to much of their class time explaining assignments to disabled students, however, I will also make sure that these students understand the assignments and know that I will be there to help them out if they need it.
 * Assistive Technology Assignment Questions **

For my Digital Story Board, I wrote a poem describing my life. I included pictures that describe me and my life up to this point. It is soley based around me and the things I have done throughout the 20 years I have been alive. Enjoy!

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Annotated Assignment

Reading/Reflection File