Potter

=__**Personal Learning Style**__= My primary learning style is Visual/NonVerbal. This was not very surprising as I am very aware that I get very bored listening to instructions and do much better when given visual directions to follow. According to my inventory, the most effective methods for my learning include using flashcards, highlighters, pictures, diagrams, color codes, charts, graphs, and symbols. Although I enjoy kinesthetic activities, they are not essential to my learning.

=__Voki__= [] media type="custom" key="11004252"

=__UDL Reflection__= > Most of my Education classes have included a learning style inventory, so I feel as though I have a fairly good impression of my learning abilities. As a mainly visual learner, I need pictures and graphical representations for optimum understanding. I believe this is why I am a better Biology teacher than I would be a chemistry teacher. I can SEE biology, whereas chemistry is very microscopic and often times hypothetical. Color coding is a technique that I will try to incorporate more into my learning strategies as a result of this assessment. Makes sense to me that you would be working in a field that was more visual (you can "see" biology) because it appeals to your learning style. Differentiation is a key topic in education. At Lansdowne HS, we have had many trainings on this topic and I know that there will still be many in the future. I wish that more teachers would take these ideas seriously and incorporate them into lessons. CAST offered many useful strategies such as eTrekker and Book Builder. I am definitely interested in utilizing both of these tools in my classroom. 3. Did you find any interesting information in the electronic version of **//Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age//**? Describe how you might incorporate that information in your teaching. In Chapter 5 of this electronic source, the authors support the idea that teachers need to separate the traditional methods of teaching from their goals. I agreed that teachers need to refocus on the bigger goals of learning and understanding rather than tradition. After reading the chapter I realized that very few educators design goals based on the third brain pathway. We tend to focus mainly on Recognition and Strategic goals. This year I plan to incorporate activities that engage all 3 brain pathways 4. Many of my students have responded quite positively to the materials at CAST. How do you feel about this approach to developing differentiated instruction? So far I have appreciated all of the new technology introduced by CAST. I think that eTrekker is wonderful new tool that will help to keep students focused and engaged during their research projects. 5. What would you like to know/explore more at CAST? I will definitely by exploring the Book Builder technology for my keystone assignment and use in the classroom. I am hoping to make either a Cell organelle book or a book on Gregor Mendel and his pea plants!
 * 1) In completing the learning styles survey, did you learn anything new about your personal learning style, or did the information confirm what you have already determined about how you learn best? Were there any suggestions offered for improving your study skills that you had not considered before?
 * 1) What was your overall impression of the CAST website

=__Assistive Technology__= In general, assistive technology promises that students with diverse learning needs or disabilities will be able to participate in general education classrooms as part of their least restrictive environment. Ideally, this will help them both academically and socially. 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.e At Lansdowne High School, there is frequent use of the Kurzweil technology. This a type of assitive technology that aids students in auditory and visual reading comprehension. Specifically for state written Biology exams, students with certain IEPs are permitted to take the test with the aid of Kurzweil. It is fairly private and the student is able to perform at a higher level while I am able to still monitor my students. 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? Teaching inclusion is a difficult task. As a teacher you have to balance the pace of the class and the understanding of each student. With the use of assistive technology, that difficult gap can be closed. With assistive technology, disabled learners will be able to perform at a level similar to the other non-disabled students. This requires more planning and work on the part of the educator, but it is worth it in the end.
 * 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? At first, many of the websites I browsed were strictly for physical disabilities. I thought this was rather biased as I believe most of the assistive technology in classrooms today is focused for learning disabilities.
 * 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? I would like to make better use of technologies geared to reading to students aloud. I spend SO much classroom time reading to students who lack the skills to read effectively for themselves. JAWS for windows looked promising, however I am worried that the pronunciation of science words would be butchered.
 * 3) What promises/potentials does technology provide for students with diverse learning needs?

=__Virtual Fieldtrip__= I enjoyed the diversity of activities in the virtual fieldtrip assignment. Field Trips are wonderful for small groups, but the reality of most classrooms today are large sizes. It is very difficult for me to take my standard Biology students on a field trip, although I find the experience to be priceless. This activity could be an assignment for students not allowed to go on a field trip or as a before exercise for a field trip. Although the virtual fieldtrip is an exciting new idea, I don't believe that it is a substitute for the experience of a real field trip.Recently, I took a group of my students to the USNS Comfort, which is a naval medical ship that tours the Caribbean. Many of my students had no idea what a giant ship felt like and how one could actually function as a full hospital. A virtual fieldtrip could have shown them pictures and videos but it couldn't provide them the "feel" of being on a real ship. Howeverm I could see this virtual field trip idea as being highly effective in teaching body systems and organs. I would like for my students to have a more exciting way to explore the heart, digestive system, etc.

=__Teaching Styles Glog__= __(You must use Mozilla to view this Glog)__ =media type="custom" key="11401314"=

=__Digital Story__= @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyJoRNqARRo&feature=g-upl&context=G22dce8bAUAAAAAAAAAA

=__Final Exam Reflection__= It is essential for teachers to have access to and implement up-to-date technology into their daily lessons. I am a strong supporter of technology in the classroom as it supports the Digital Native type of student that we have in education today. These students learn in new and fundamentally different ways than their predecessors because of the plethora of new technology available to them since birth. Because of this upbringing, Digital Natives are now equipped with several new characteristics that affect learning, including the ability to perform several tasks simultaneously and the need for continual entertainment. Technology in the classroom provides students with opportunities to stay engaged and multi-task. It also allows students with different learning styles and preferences to access all of their brain networks during a lesson. In the UDL model, researchers agree that for effective education teachers need to create lessons that engage the strategic, recognition, and affective brain centers. Instructional methods such as interactive text with audio, digital stories, and vokis are excellent examples of technology that could be used in a classroom. I have held the same beliefs about technology in education before and after this class. However, this course has enhanced my understanding of why these strategies are important and has provided me with a whole new arsenal of tools from which to select. I hope that other educators will choose to implement technology into their classrooms but also that they practice with it beforehand. A lesson that is underprepared, especially that incorporates technology, will usually fail to accomplish the objectives and result in additional student confusion.