Final Reflection

Not many of my thoughts have changed since I wrote my first blog post in EDM 310. If I could build a school, it would still be the one I imagined in week one. My ideas were all about how to get the students to enjoy learning and make it more fun. Even though my ideas are the same, EDM 310 has introduced many resources and tools that will make my job a lot easier. I decided to re answer the questions from blog post one for my final reflection. 

What do I want my students to know?

I want my students to know how to properly take care of their bodies for the rest of their lives. It's easy to get a student to exercise in my classroom, the challenge is to help them want to continue when they go home that day. It's even more challenging to push them to continue after you are no longer their teacher. I want my students to know how important physical education is. The decision to start making healthy choices will help students continue healthy lifestyles when they reach adulthood.

What would I want my students to be able to do?

I want my students to be able to know that there is more to physical education that just games and sports. When I was in PE, my teacher just took us outside and let us run loose for an hour. I want to teach my students skills and techniques that they can continue to use. I want them to  know that technique is more important than just doing something. What I really want my students to be able to do is know the difference between just playing and exercising and being healthy.

What will be your primary way of teaching?

The way I plan to teach my classroom is very simple. I want to provide my students guidance instead of just telling them what to do. I can't just tell them the right answers all of the time. I want to help guide them to figure the answers for themselves. I also plan to teach using project based learning. One of the projects I will definitely try is having students create exercise videos. I will have them split up into groups and make a collective video. Each student will contribute an exercise or stretching portion to the video. After they make the video, I will make copies to give the students to keep and use for later. I will also keep a copy to show future classes. I think that when students see them it will make them excited to make their own videos.

What role will students play in my classroom?
How will they participate in the learning process? The way students will play a role in my classroom has not changed. I plan to have students create their own exercise plan that they will use everyday. They will be able to choose the way they exercise during a time during class. I think it is a great way to allow students to show that they can make healthy decisions. Their opinions about things that I teach will also influence me when I am teaching. I don't want to teach something that they hate doing unless it is absolutely necessary that they learn it that way. I want them to be able to learn in the most fun way possible.
What tools will I use in my classroom? In my 1st blog post I said that I would not be able to use a lot of technology in my classroom. I thought that there was no use for Ipads or computers. Since I have been in EDM 310, I have found many apps and programs that I can use when I teach. My favorite is Daily Fit Log. It helps students create fitness plans and record their progress. This is definitely going to be part of my teaching plan. I also still plan to use the Wii and other kinds of games. 

Project #16 Prezi

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?

I always thought that iPads were overrated and too expensive. I definitely changed my mind after I watched Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child Is Learning On the iPad. As I future teacher, I realize how important it is to be able to teach every student in the best way you can. With tools from Apple and other programs, teaching the deaf and blind have become much easier. The video shows how you would use an iPad if it was set to use as a deaf or blind person would. When you slide your finger over an icon, you would hear the name of that application. You would double tap the icon to open the application. 

The Mountbatten is braille writer that allows tactile and audio feedback to students. As the student types in braille, the machine produces the braille and announces what the student is typing. It is a very advanced machine that can save files and send and receive files form a computer. The Mountbatten is great in classrooms for teachers and students that do not know braille. It also allows blind and deaf students to participate. As a student types in braille, the machine can mimic and convert to print and display it on a screen.

Raven Williams


In Art Karshmer's video "Teaching Math to the Blind" he addresses the issue of how teachers teach basic mathematics to blind students. This past semester I've been taking Math for Elementary Teachers. In this class we have studied different ways to visually show students how basic mathematical principles work, such as counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Throughout the entire semester of drawing pictures and diagrams illustrating the problem I did not think about how a blind student could learn these ideas. Art Karshmer opened my eyes to the dilemas that special needs students would have with any subject. In his video he shows one tool that has been proven useful to blind students. He uses small blocks with numbers written on them in both print and braille. Students can put these blocks onto a grid so that the problem can be set up the same way that any student would set it up on paper. This may not seem to be a very advanced technology tool, it helps many students learn mathematics.

In today's world there are numerous tools that teachers can use in order to help special needs children learn any and every subject. It is important for any teacher, whether specializing in special ed or not, to know the different resources available and how to use them in order to better the life of all students.Sarah Irvine Belson lists a few tools that help blind students learn mathematics.

Audio Aids help students who cannot see to read the problem. This is computer based and will simply read the exact problem to the student to hear. The only problem with this tool is that as the problems get more and more complex students have a difficult time solving the problem after just hearing a computer read it to them.
Tactile Representations show the problem through braille. Like Art Karshmer said in his video, the problem with using braille to show a mathematical equation is that braille is linear, meaning that while most students set up math problems vertically visually impaired students will be at a major disadvantage in learning.
Tonal Representations show graphs to blind students by playing musical tones. This is a great way to represent data that is typically limitied to visual aids. The problem with this tool is that, like tactile representations, it is not very effective with more complicated math problems
Haptic Devices are ways to show as shape to a blind student. This can be used for both two-dimentional and three-dimentional shapes. While this tool is an excellent way to show non-numeral data to visually impaired students, it is very expensive and many schools cannot afford this technology.
Sarah Belson states on her webpage that these tools and methods can be used together based on each individual student. This is true for any student learning any subject. While this list of tools ranges from very technologically advanced systems to braille, these tools allow for visually impaired students to learn math with as little extra difficulty as possible.

http://www.unclegoose.com/products/braille-math-blocks/











Being a teacher in the 21st century means that there are an infinite amount of assistive technologies available at our fingertips. This neat video, demonstrated by Wesley Majerus, is titled iPad usage for the blind. Wesley gives us an insight on what it's like for a blind person to use a new technology on an iPad made specifically for blind people. This software allows Wesley to control the iPad primarily with his fingertips as he double taps and uses swipes of his fingers to move around. This software is something effective that any teacher could have in their classroom if they have a blind student. It would be useful when the other students are using computers or iPads so no one is left out. 
While researching the topic of assistive technologies, I came across this TeachThought website. The author has complied a list of 8 helpful assistive technology tools for the classroom. 

- Screen Readers: These are described as programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer. 
- Word Talk: This program can read aloud any document written in Word and create audio files that can be saved. Students with reading disabilities can use screen readers to help them understand course materials. This is free. 
- Word Prediction: Available to help students with writing challenges. 
- Supernova Access Suite: A complete screen reader with natural sounding speech and integrated screen magnifier with Braille display support. 
- Video Magnifiers: Sometimes described as a form of closed-circuit television that uses a video camera to display a magnified image on a monitor or television screen. Students with low vision can use them to read their course materials with greater ease. 
- Close Captioning and Subtitling: Enables deaf students to watch the same online video material as their colleagues. This makes it easier for them to participate in online courses that offer video lectures of their professors. 
- FaceMouse: For students with limited mobility, FaceMouse turns a standard webcam into a mouse operator, allowing students to use their head and facial gestures to perform a number of tasks, including pointing the cursor, clicking on sites, or typing on the keyboard. 
- Sip-and-Puff Systems: Makes computer use easier for students with mobility challenges, including paralysis and fine motor skill difficulties. Sip-and-puff systems allow users to control a mouthstick, similar to a joystick, using their breath. Students can direct the mouthstick to click on web pages, type, and perform other functions. 


Any of these tools could be useful in any classroom that has students with learning disabilities. All you have to do is a little research and you are guaranteed to find something that works in your classroom. 

A. Teaching Hearing and Vision Impaired Children 
By: Kayla Szymanski 

While researching Teaching Assistive-technology To Students Who Are Bling or Visually Impaired, I found they have an abundance of resources. When you go to the site they have the following choices you can read about: CSB Assistive Technology Center, Environmental Considerations for Assistive Technology, Overview of Assistant Technology, Principals of Assistant Technology for Students with Visual Impairments, Special Education Technology British Columbia Index, and Virtual Instruction. What is Assistive Technology? Assistive Technology can be defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." (-National Institute of Standards and Technology) Basically the goal of assistive technology is to give students with disabilities access to literacy and communication in their school, home, and community. While teaching it is essential to have background information on each student. Do they have medical eye conditions, or other diagnoses? Have they completed the Learning/ Literacy Media Assessment? Have they completed the Vision Assessment? Also before teaching your students make sure the classroom environment had adequate lighting, positioning, glare, and contrast control. If students are having trouble with text make sure the following steps are properly followed: font style, font size, color, boldness, and the layout of the font. Here are some characteristics of a student who might be a likely candidate for a print reading program: Uses vision efficiently to complete tasks at near distances. Shows interested in pictures and demonstrates the ability to identify pictures and or elements within pictures. Has a stable eye condition. These students may use optical aids such as eye glasses, magnifiers, or telescopes. Using computer technology is great for assisting students with disabilities. We now have access to enlarging software, called Zoomtext. Screen Readers is another great tool, this tool is a text to speech program which reads text aloud to students. Another tool is Tactile Access, this is a refreshable Braille displays they can be hooked up to a computer and it then displays a line of braille.