Rickards,+Nicole

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Kids Know It Website **[]** This website has a variety of games and activities for students to participate in the classroom or at home. It also has a variety of fact sheets for t eachers and students to use based on subject areas. It is a great resource for pre-service teachers to use and to provide to their students.media type="custom" key="8617456" **Thoughts on Learning Styles** After taking the Learning Style Survey, my results revealed that I have a balance of learning styles. I completely agree with the results of the survey because I have never found that one particular learning style has fit me 100%. I believe that my results are a prime example that it is important to always appeal to all learning styles when teaching a classroom of students. Not only will there be a variety of students with different learning styles, but also because there may be a few students, like myself, who benefit from every style of learning. Depending on the situation, visual cues help me to remember information more effectively, while other times, hearing someone say something out loud allows important facts to stick. There are many instances where I learn best working in a study group or with other peers, while other times I feel that I can finish a task in a more timely manner if I complete it on my own. Developing a universal design for learning in every lesson that we teach is extremely important in the education field and I hope to use it as much as possible when I become a teacher. **Thoughts on Virtual Field Trips/Museums**  ﻿ Virtual Field Trips and Museums are great ways to provide students with an interactive lesson that they may not have the chance to experience on a regular field trip. Because of the cost of traveling and the stricter policies on taking students on field trips of greater distances, it is important that students still have the opportunity to learn about certain topics in a more interactive way. Students can become very bored in a regular classroom setting where they sit and take notes on the information the teacher feeds them. Virtual Field Trips are much more engaging for students and can provide rich details that a typical lesson may leave out. I would definitely take advantage of the variety of virtual field trips and museums that are available to our students because they not only provide great information, but they also break up the monotony of the classroom environment. Virtual field trips can motivate students to explore new information on their own as well. ** Thoughts on 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? **  After visiting the websites, I realized that there are a lot of different programs and/or devices that disabled students can use in order to communicate or learn concepts better. **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? **  The Scholastic WiggleWorks program was a great website for students to learn how to read and write interactively. I would most likely use this program in my future classroom when I become a teacher. Technology provides students with the opportunity to communicate their thoughts and ideas in ways they may have never thought possible. I watched one particular video about how a girl with Cerebral Palsy communicates about how technology has impacted her life. Individuals with such implications may have thought they will never be able to communicate with others, but with the help of technology, it can become possible. **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 interaction I have had with a student who has used assistive technology was a 5th grade student in my internship classroom last year. She was legally blind and used a special computer screen and device that allowed her to enlarge the font from textbooks and worksheets to a size that she could read. Although the device took some time to get used to, she eventually mastered the hand-eye coordination that she needed to use it to its full potential. She still needed extra time to complete tests and worksheets but the assistive technology made it possible for her to complete her assignments on her own. **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? ** After this assignment, I will remember to always be patient with students that need more assistance with their school work and to provide as many opportunities for students to succeed on their own. I believe the biggest challenge of meeting the needs of special education students is to allow students to be independent with their work. Most students with special needs rely on the help of mentors, teachers, or other students in order to get though their regular classroom activities. It is important that students take advantage of assistive technology in order to realize that they are capable of the same things other students without disabilities are. **Podcast For Education**   **My name is Nicole Rickards and this lesson was designed for students in grades 5-6. In our lives, despite our age, there are many obstacles we are expected to overcome. While some may seem relatively simple, others can seem very challenging and maybe even impossible. The purpose of this assignment is to remind students that there isn't anything they cannot do and that it just takes a little motivation and determination to get through the most difficult times.** media type="file" key="istc podcast2.mp3" width="240" height="20" align="center" media type="file" key="Digital Storytelling.WMV"
 * 3. What promises/potentials does technology provide for students with diverse learning needs?**