Sita

__**This is Angela Sita's page.**__

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__**My primary learning style is:**__

**The Tactile/ Kinesthetic Learning Style**
You learn best when physically engaged in a "hands on" activity. In the classroom, you benefit from a lab setting where you can manipulate materials to learn new information. You learn best when you can be physically active in the learning environment. You benefit from instructors who encourage in-class demonstrations, "hands on" student learning experiences, and field work outside the classroom.


 * I knew that I was going to be in this group of learning. This is how I have been classified my entire life. I have always enjoyed physical activities like sports and other games. So when it came to learning, there was no surprise that being a hands on learner was my style.**
 * I do tend to usually sit in the front of the room and take notes throughout the class. In this way, I am able to make sure I am staying focused and learning all that I need to get from the lectures. I also do find flashcards very effective. I have to use them in order to study because reading straight from the book is challenging and makes me feel like I am reading just a bunch of jumbled up words.**
 * I would rather someone physically show me how to do something than have to read instruction. This is just the easier way for me to learn because I am not very good at words and I can learn quicker and more effectivel by seeing things done first hand.**
 * By learning this way, it does cause some problems because not every teacher is going to teach this way. You have to learn to change your ways to learn the information how it is taught and study it in your own ways. Highliting is a critical study technique that will help you focus on the important facts.**
 * Some good things about this way of learning is that you are able to pick up on things easier. By being a very visual person, you don't need to read everything to be able to accomplish the task. You see it done, and are able to mock the activity perfectly. This makes things quicker. But you have to be careful because there is more room for mistakes in learning this way, so be sure to recheck yourself constantly. One of the things that concerns me about hands-on learners is that some may have the tendency to rush through assignments to get the projects completed without taking the time to learn the content. It goes back to the instant gratification that seems to be the expectation for a new generation of learners. **


 * __Assistive Technology Reflection__**
 * Questions for reaction/reflection**:
 * 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?
 * 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?
 * 3) What promises/potentials does technology provide for students with diverse learning needs?
 * 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.
 * 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?


 * 1. I learned that there are many different websites and ways to teach individuals with special needs. You just have to use the websites and videos as a source of information and continue to let the students grow with each process. Some students will be better at things than others, but what is most important is that you find what works best for each student as soon as possible and continue with that source of educating them.**
 * 2. One of the sites that really impressed me was the Microsoft disability page. This was really surprising for me because I was not aware that they had adaptations for students with special needs in this program, and I will definitely keep this is mind when becoming an educator because every student should be able to use Microsoft. Another site that I found helpful was the Wiggle Works interactive reading site. This can be very helpful to the students who are struggling reading which I plan to be teaching because I will be in elementary education, therefore this is a very essential item to me. Yes, both Microsoft and Apple have assistive technology for their users - some of which is simply changing settings on the device so it can be viewed or heard more clearly. **
 * 3. Technology provides a source of filling the missing gaps for students with special needs. Where there is a problem, technology can most often solve it, or aid in helping it. Technology provides other options of learning the same thing. This is providing a different path for each student to gain the same success.**
 * 4. A personal experience with a person who uses assistive technology to function is my brother, Tommy, who has cerebral palsy. He cannot talk or walk but he can slightly move his hands to push prerecorded buttons that say yes or no. This is a very essential item to his daily functioning because although he cannot talk, he is able to voice his decisions through assistive technology. This is one of my favorite things about technology is that it is helping special needs children build a better future and show others that they can do almost anything a normal student can do with the aid of technology and others. How wonderful for your brother! I knew a young boy when I was growing up who had CP and, although he could speak, his speech was quite slurred and it took him a great deal of time to talk. I think, today, how he would function with assistive technology. Sadly, he passed away shortly after he graduated from high school. Often, people judge individuals with CP as being below average intelligence, but I have learned that's not the case. Most are of average or above average intelligence, but they need assistance in communication. **
 * 5. As I become a teacher, I plan to carry along a lot of the information that I learned through this activity .I have previous knowledge on this topic that others may not have because of my brother, but some of the websites were very helping in bringing out other kinds of help for different learning disabilities. I plan on doing whatever I have to do to make my students successful and I think that is what this activity was mainly about. By showing us ways technology can aid our teaching, we are more likely to have success in the classroom and more success with our students**.

__**CAST reflections:**__

Questions to include in your narrative: 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? 2. What was your overall impression of the CAST website? 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. 4. What was your reaction to the 2 activities in which you participated? Did you gain any new insight into your strengths and talents through these exercises? 5. Many of my students have responded quite positively to the materials at CAST. How do you feel about this approach to developing differentiated instruction? 6. What would you like to know/explore more at CAST?


 * 1) **I didn’t really learn a lot new information about my learning style. The information did confirm what I have already determined how I learned best though. The website did suggest learning with flashcards as a source of help which I never really considered because I do not like reading things over and over, but they do help to memorize the important facts in a small sentence, instead of a whole chapter in a book. It reduces the clutter, and that is very helpful to me.**
 * 2) **My overall impression of the CAST website is that it can be very useful for my educating future. I found at some points that it can turn something very simple into something very drawn out and complex, which I do not like though. But this may be what a student needs if they cannot do something the easy way, so I can relate to the focus of the website. It had a lot of good information and it is well designed.**
 * 3) **Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age was interesting because it really made me aware that we are the generation that will now have to educate in a completely different manner. Our students are not going to be interested in learning in the textbook and pencil and paper. I plan on changing my teaching by embracing technology as a helpful guide, instead of denying that it is everywhere around like most older teachers do these days because they are afraid of the new technology. What I like about the e-text is that it practices the principles of UDL in the way that the information is presented for each chapter. **
 * 4) **I found that the two activities we participated in are good at pointing out your strengths. Some of these activities were very repetitive though, which was annoying.**
 * 5) **I feel that the CAST approach to developing differentiated instruction was good at bringing up new ways that I would never consider. The materials in CAST were really helpful and I enjoyed this activity.**
 * 6) **I would like to know more about the recent updates to CAST considering that technology is always changing and growing, so I believe there is always going to be new updates that teachers should keep updated on.**

=__**Whaling Field Trip Assignment**__= = = Answer the following 2 questions about the whaling industry and submit. You may copy and paste your answers to in the box below.
 * 1) Describe 2 important benefits of the whaling industry to America.
 * 2) Describe 2 problems of the whaling industry.

1. Whaling was very important in the early industry in America. Its primary use was in making candles. These candles burned brighter than oil lamps of that time and were smokeless. This was a great improvement to technology because these candles burnt brighter and longer and no longer were causing smoke. They were also a lot safer. Another benefit of the whaling industry in America was that it led to a new form of industry for the New England area. During a time when people were usually farming, people now were able to go and find other jobs at sea, due to the great sea ports in this area. This enriched the economy in the area, allotted jobs for the seamen, and created a new way to fuel lamps and feed the starving with the meat.

2. Although there were benefits to the whaling, severe overkill to the whale population led in a drastic decrease to the whale population. Many whales were being killed for their resources, but many whales were not being born to keep up the population. After years of severe whale hunting, the population was so low that the seamen who were depending on this as a job were soon out of a job and some were in debt because they were so invested in the industry. Another problem of the whaling industry was that it was very dangerous. The crew had no modern technology and was risking their lives at sea every day. The risks at sea are very high. You can die from disease and starvation. Your boat can wreck and you will die at sea. The water was freezing and you would be cast at sea and die in the freezing water if you did know how to swim. You were risking your life for money to support your family and yourself. It wasn't a fun job that people loved doing, but they felt they had to do it.

__**FINAL REFLECTION EXAM**__
I feel as if technology will always assist and enrich the child’s education to at least some degree. We have learned in this course many different ways to infuse technology into our lesson plans and I feel that it is very important to do so. This will not only get the best out of each of your students, but it will offer diversity in the lessons and offer a sense of motivation. By teaching children at a young age to learn technology, they will be more ready for real world situations. Look around you in real life situations, and technology is everywhere, from the computers to calculators, to movies and film. Technology is not something you can avoid, and it is better to embrace and include it for the bettering of your students, that rather trying to run from something that can potentially aid in your teaching. Our role as a teacher is to prepare the students for life after the classroom, and by teaching them skills while using technology, you will be equipping them for their future, where technology will only continue to grow. Also by embracing the technology, even at basic levels, your access to information grows tremendously. By not taking advantage of all the information available to you as a teacher, you are limiting the education of your students. In the seconds it takes you to look something up on the computer, it could take you many hours to compile that information in the ordinary library textbook. Also, using online sources verses books, keeps your information up to date instead of having to buy new books every 10 years or so, with the click of a button you can refresh the information and it is readily available. These are just a few of the reasons why I believe technology is crucial to a growing classroom. Technology offers everyone a chance to learn beyond what they thought capable, and to better prepare you for the future, where technology will continue to expand and take over old ways of learning. It is best to take on the challenge now and learn the technology that to reject the technology and forever be behind.

Link to Learning Theory Glog

LINK to Digital Story by Angela Sita

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