Miller

Elizabeth Miller's pagemedia type="custom" key="10757768"

After taking the Learning Styles Survey, I found out that I am a tactile/kinesthetic learner. I have noticed this to be true, especially just in the past two years. In high school, most of my classes were very auditory. There was a lot of lecturing, and note taking. Although I was always successful with these classes, they were always difficult for me and required a lot of studying. However, this semester in college I am taking a physical science class that is almost entirely hands-on. Every lab we do requires us to actually do the experiments. There is very little lecturing, and so far, I have been very successful in the class. I received the highest grade on the last examination, and I feel that I understand and enjoy everything we cover in the class. It is interesting for me to review many of the study tips, because a lot of them are things I already do. For example, it suggests typing things into a Word Processing program on the computer to enhance touch while learning, and to copy new information onto an easel. These are both ideas that I use almost every time I study for a quiz or examination. Those ideas that I do not do sound like they would be extremely helpful for me. One study strategy I have yet to try is walking back and forth with my notes. I feel that this is a great idea because when I'm up and moving around I tend to concentrate more easily.

2. My overall impression of the CAST website was that it was a great teaching source. This website offers a variety of ways to read it. For those who learn better through the use of diagrams, diagrams are included in the reading. Also difficult words are bolded and are made so that when clicked on their definitions appear. I also liked the fact that the chapters were fairly short, and therefore did not contain an overwhelming amount of information. Reading from this text was definitely a good experience. 3. One of the most interesting things I found while reading, “Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age” was that although many students may not be good at one thing, they may be very good at another. For example, in the first chapter it talked about a student who was good at bottom-up processing, but was not able to figure out top-down processing. I learned that there are ways of teaching these students so to work around their disabilities. 4. While completing these activities, it was interesting for me to see how I zeroed in on certain aspects of the situations. When looking at the picture, I focused mainly on the feelings of the people in the room. I took note of the fact that they looked worried. Also, I noticed the child sitting alone. I got bad feelings from the picture. It is interesting to see that another person may have noticed only the piano, or other things in the photo. 5. I feel that CAST was a great way to introduce differentiated instruction. It was so interesting for me to look at all that the website had to offer. I learned a lot about catering to the needs of students who may need a little extra help. It was also helpful for me to see this in advance, before I have a group of students who I need to find solutions for quickly. 6. I would be interested in exploring more on the CAST website about actually catering to students needs. It would be interesting to look at some lesson plans or ideas that people had used in the past. I can see myself using these to develop my own lesson plans later in life when I am teaching at a school.


 * 1) From visiting the websites and viewing the videos in Part 1, I learned that many things are being done to help those who are disabled. Advancements in technology are allowing people to make extreme changes in things such as computer programs, computers, scales, and more. Each of these changes help to assist those who are disabled in one way or another, making their lives easier. It is amazing to see how much is being done today.
 * 2) I was particularly impressed by the scale that read the weight to you. This summer, I worked as a para educator at an elementary school for special needs students. When working with the students I realized that many of them had weight issues. This is unhealthy for them as small children and could cause problems for them in the future, as well. I feel that with a scale that read their weights to them, they would be more focused on reading the scale and may pay a little more attention to their weight so it does not become detrimental to their health in the future.
 * 3) It is amazing for me to see how much is being done for students with special needs today. As compared to years ago, it is almost unbelievable to see how much has been changed and adapted to meet their needs. It shows so much promise for the future that all of this has been done in the past years, because things are only improving. I feel that advancements will continue to be made to aid those with disabilities.
 * 4) While working at the special education school this summer, I watched a lot of students that used assistive technologies. One of the most interesting that I saw was used by a little boy. He could not talk, but his teacher told me he was very bright. Because of this, he used a piece of technology where he could press the words he wanted to say. When he was finished, the computer would read the sentence out loud, as if he were saying it himself. Because it was such a hassle to carry around, he did not keep it with him all day, but it was so helpful for him and for the teachers for him to be able to tell them what he wanted with this piece of technology.
 * 5) This assignment only gives me hope for when I am a teacher in the future. From completing this assignment, I have learned how much is available for disabled students. As mentioned above, it amazes me that all of this has been discovered over the past few years in such a short period of time. I am excited to see what will be created in the next few years. Doing this assignment has showed me that there are definite ways to aid students who may be disabled, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

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Virtual Fieldtrip Assignment

1. One positive thing that came from whaling is the fact that whale blubber was able to be collected, which was used to make oils. Also, the tube-like substances of whales mouths, otherwise known as baleen, was used in manufacturing products including women's clothes. Another positive that came out of it is the fact that many people were employed by the whaling industry and merchants and ship owners became very rich off of it. 2. One negative effect of whaling is the fact that crews caught so many fish that whales became almost extinct. Another negative effect is that the oil they were creating from whale blubber could be created in other ways.

Virtual field trips are extremely interesting. Before ISTC, I had never heard of them, and I was very impressed by what I saw. Ultimately, virtual field trips can be used to take students on field trips without the use of transportation. They are websites that guide classes through different museums, activities, and more, helping them to learn while engaging them. One of the most beneficial parts of these virtual field trips are that they can be used by students with disabilities. If students are unable to physically go on field trips, these online ones work perfectly. Furthermore, for regular needs students, they are quick and easy, requiring little planning or money. I feel that virtual field trips may one day become more popular than field trips outside the classroom because of their simplicity and low cost. It is so exciting to see all of the new technologies being implemented in the classroom today.

Here is the [|LINK] to my digital story.

Personally, I feel that the use of technology in the classroom is almost essential to learning. Especially today, so much of students’ lives revolve around the use of computers. They spend endless hours on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, send out hundreds of texts everyday, and listen to music on iTunes. As teachers, we need to adapt to meet the changing needs of our youth. Furthermore, the workforce is changing significantly and becoming more technologically-based. If students are deprived of classroom technology, it will only hurt them at the end of the day. Furthermore, if I have learned anything through my many years of school, it would be that all students learn in different ways. While some students learn best by sitting and listening to lectures by teachers, others need a more interactive lesson in order to grasp the information being taught in class. Technology allows for teachers to aid students who may need a more interactive lesson. Additionally, it allows for students with specific disabilities to be taught in an easier manor. For those who have trouble with seeing or reading, there are websites that read books aloud; for those who cannot hear, there are more visually appealing websites. The options are endless. I feel that the use of technology in the classroom both aids basic lessons and allows teachers to teach to all types of students regardless of what kinds of learners they are.

**From the beginning of the semester, I feel that my beliefs that technology is necessary to teach our youth have only increased. Throughout this course, I have been exposed to so many different online tools to aid classroom teaching. Also, through videos watched and listening to the teacher, I have been exposed to the fact that the youth is changing. While teaching without technology may have worked in the past, this is an entirely new generation – students spend more time online, and because of this will benefit more greatly from technologically-based lesson plans. While at the beginning of the semester I thought back to my childhood education and how little technology we used in the classroom aside from the projector, this generation is more technologically advanced, and therefore needs that extra technology in the classroom to satisfy their needs.**