Barber

**Stephanie Barber's page**

media type="custom" key="10757764" align="right"

My personal learning style is visual/auditory, which makes sense because I tend to learn better by seeing and hearing the material. I do better in classes where the professor lectures the material and I can take good notes. I do not like when the lectures are full of irrelevant information and I have to read the textbook to understand the material. I would rather use the textbook as a supplement to what I have already learned from the lecture rather than as the primary source of my knowledge. When I do have to read textbooks, I find it easier to read the review questions from the end of the chapters first so I know what information to look for and then read the chapter out loud so I can focus and pick out what is essential. As far as visual learning, I always use flashcards to study large amounts of information. This helps me memorize the material more efficiently. I also use mnemonics and abstracts phrases that use the first letter of what it is I am trying to remember. During the test I will read the question, picture the definition or mnemonic in my head and then read the multiple choices to figure out which one is the best match to the definition. I often do better studying with a buddy or in groups because it helps me increase my understanding to teach someone else. I also have my friends quiz me on test material because it helps me to say the answers out loud.

__**Universal Design for Learning (CAST) Reflection**__

====My overall impression of the CAST website was phenomenal. I thought it was rich in content that appealed directly to me as an aspiring educator and related to me as a student. It was full of resources to accommodate the unique learning styles of all students which made it easy to maneuver the site and understand the information. The orderly structure of the material made for easy reading comprehension and application of material in the classroom setting. Being able to access the book electronically gave more opportunities from online resources. By being able to watch videos, see pictures, or have the text read out loud to me, I was able to appeal to both my auditory/visual learning style to master the information. I found the ‘Web Link Indicators’ throughout the book very interesting because it gave readers an opportunity to receive the information from a different source. For students who do not understand the material by solely reading it from the website, this variation in presentation provides an alternative way to understand the information. As a teacher I might provide web links to supplement homework assignments so if the students are stuck on a problem and did not understand how I taught it in class, can access the web link and see it presented another way. ==== ====While I was reading I chose the option to turn on the glossary. I really liked this tool because in my assigned chapter there was some terminology I was not immediately familiar with. This was an easy way to gain an understanding on what the word meant without having to disrupt my reading by looking up the term online on my own. Another activity I used when reading chapter 2 was the images of the brains that explained how individual differences affect the learning brain. This visual was excellent for me to see the changes from brain to brain and have a prior understanding before I read further along in the chapter. Since I am a visual/auditory learner, both of these exercises appealed to my visual learning style and reading the definitions aloud strengthened my auditory understanding as well. The information that appeared in large paragraphs without any images, made it hard for me to stay on task and really comprehend what I was reading. ==== ====The approach the CAST website has used to appeal to the various learning techniques of students has not only proven to have a positive impact but also to be essential within classroom instruction. The CAST website is easy for students to learn from and also to feed their technological abilities. By relating to students this way, teachers can teach students on the level in which they are becoming more and more comfortable at processing information (technologically). This approach is able to reach students more effectively and efficiently while also appealing to their individual needs teachers must fulfill for their students to succeed. As a future special educator, I would like to learn more about websites similar to CAST that would assist students with special needs. I would like to find ways to incorporate technology into the special education classroom so that it is efficient and effective for all my students to succeed. While this assignment was just a "taste" of UDL principles, I hope it is a resource that my students will use repeatedly as they continue in their teacher preparation programs and in their own classrooms as well. There continue to be more and more tools and resources added to the website. Keep checking in! ====

__**Assistive Technology Reflection**__

====After reviewing the websites and watching the videos on assistive technology, I learned how vast this concept it really is. When I initially think of what assistive technology is, I think of all of the physical components that help students move around easier or help with physical disabilities. This information exposed a whole new side to assistive technology which makes for more opportunities to be able to accommodate the diverse students in my classroom. Instead of just physical assistance, assistive technology can assist students with speech disorders, learning disorders, or even just someone with a difference (too tall, too short, etc.) One site I found particularly impressive was the AT Basics site by the University of Buffalo. The appearance of the site was immediately gravitating by the information being fun colors and neatly organized. The content was laid out in well identified categories as an effective way to research efficiently. It also provided the viewers with an overview and purpose to explain how this particular mean of assistive technology was helpful. It then provided examples in which that product/method was used and showed pictures. These aspects made the site easily navigable and really captured the essence of aiding all students through varying means of technology. Through use of up and coming assistive technology, new potentials are being provided for students with diverse learning needs. These students are able to receive a comprehensive education using the same state curriculum (possibly with slight modifications) and with the same opportunities and resources in the classroom as their non-disabled peers. This guarantees an equal, quality education to all students despite what they may lack. ==== ====As a Behavioral Support Counselor with the Abilities Network, I work with students with disabilities (Autism) to help them achieve set behavior goals. Many of these students use different means of assistive technology to help them in the classroom and in their everyday lives. One boy I work with is non-verbal; in order to communication we use some sign language and picture communication. The picture communication is very effective because I am able to identify exactly what he wants or how he feels using the pictures as a direct message. Another little girl displays negative self-stimulatory behaviors, such as running and rocking back and forth at inappropriate times. In order to help her receive some of the sensory stimulation she is seeking while engaging in these behaviors, she wears a weighted vest while completing particular tasks. This helps decrease the behavior and allot more attention to the lesson. Something I will take away from this assignment as an educator is ways to use assistive technology with all of my students- not just those with disabilities. Even if a student does not have a disability, he/she has strengths and weaknesses in the varying academic areas. I could use assistive technology to strengthen the students’ weaker areas and therefore put all of my students on a common level. If my non-disabled students were to come across Helen using her Alternative Augmentative Communication devices, they will not find it strange or feel they is above her because ====

media type="custom" key="11863142"

__**Virtual Fieldtrip Reaction**__

====Virtual fieldtrips are an excellent way for teachers to appeal to all three learning styles (visual, audio, kinesthetic) in a fun, engaging way for students. I feel this type of learning is essential to schools with a strict budget or do not allot for too many off-site field trip opportunities. Virtual fieldtrips provide the students in these schools the opportunity to learn in a non-traditional way that will ignite excitement about learning. This type of learning can be used to teach content rich lessons that are not as appealing to students or to teach a fun assignment after a more difficult one (like an incentive/motivator). Virtual fieldtrips are an innovative way to bring traditional classroom learning to life. I like the possiblities of virtual fieldtrips as another way to provide a multimedia learning experience for students. ====

====Here is a [|link] to my Digital Story I made using Windows Movie Maker. It's called //Stephanie Becomes Specially// //Involved// and is about how much I love my new job working with students with Autism. Check it out! ====

__**Final Reflection**__

====Over the past 10 years, there has been such a significant shift in technology usage in our society. Ten years ago, I remember schools having one or two computer labs and students only using the computers sparingly. Teachers had a personal computer in their classroom (big, white, block computers) that they only used for administrative purposes. Lessons were taught on chalkboards, overhead projectors and printed worksheets. Personally, I remember my mother signing me up for a typing class outside of school because that was not something taught within the standard curriculum. Only about 7% of my class had a cell phone and “smart phones” were not even a mere concept. As quickly as the developments have come since your days in k-12 school, you can be sure they'll continue to come more quickly as new developments come in technology. ==== ====When I look back on this sort of educational environment, I cannot help but to chuckle a little to think that I ever learned in a classroom like this. It is not suggested but rather mandatory that teachers upgrade their teaching styles as technology advances. There are so many resources available to better lesson plans and to make learning more effective and efficient. As technology evolves, so do the students. This future generation of learners demands so much more from teachers because of all of the opportunities available. It is so important to incorporate advancing technology into every lesson possible to keep learning fresh and exciting for students. This generation needs advanced technology in order to stimulate their minds because they are born “hard-wired” with high technology skills instilled in their brains. They do not know what overhead projectors are, and that sort of instruction simply will not do. ==== ====Advanced technology in the classroom is also a perfect way to encompass the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through UDL teachers differentiate their method of instruction in order to accommodate the diverse learning styles their students. Technology has provided the resources (computer magnifiers, hybrid courses, virtual fieldtrips, glogs, digital stories, etc.) for this to be possible. Students now have a variation in the way they can receive the information appealing to visual learners, verbal learners, kinesthetic learners and students with exceptionalities. This provides an equal opportunity for students to learn in a way that is interesting for them, personally and efficient for teacher instructionally. Similarly, integrating developing technology into lesson plans can compensate for strict school budgets providing students with rich experiences from right in the classroom. ==== ====Taking advantage of technology in almost every learning situation helps students express themselves through each lesson plan and provides them with the opportunity to make the best out of their educational experience. As technology advances, so will our students. It is essential that we are open to experimenting with new ideas to keep our teaching innovative and enriching to both our students and ourselves. ==== ====Before taking ISTC 301 I maintained a similar belief about why I felt technology is important to incorporate in the classroom. Over the past couple of months, what I have learned from this course has given me more insight about how I can specifically use different types of technology to appeal to unique individual learning styles of my students. I had considered assistive technology for students with disabilities, but through this class I was able to gain an image of UDL and how it appeals to all students (not just students with disabilities). I have found a way to insert technology into lessons for students of all different age groups (even activities that would not be too technologically challenging for younger students). ISTC taught //me// new, fun ways to apply what I have learned into outside scenarios. I feel everyone should be required to take this course- //not just educators//- to learn more about how to use everyday technology to enhance their personal learning. ====