Guillen

__**Here is the link to my Towson Webpage**__: http://tiger.towson.edu/~jguill2/

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__**Personal Learning Style:**__ My Personal Learning style is Visiual/ Kinesthetic. This didnt suprise me because I have always been a visual and hands on type of learner. All throughout Elementary and Middle School I loved learning through films and presentations rather then being read to. I also enjoyed doing physical and hands on activities when I was little

__** UDL Reflection **__

1.From the learning survey I didn’t really learn anything that was new. I always knew that I was a kinesthetic/ visual learner from previous psychology classes that I took. There weren’t any suggestions offered to improve my study skills.

2.My overall impression of the CAST website was positive. I found this website to be very informative to future educators.

3.I found some very interesting information in the teaching every student in the digital age.

4.I plan on incorporating this information by educating students on what the digital age is and ways that students will be able to learn more efficiently in this age.

5.The two activities I participated in were great. I didn’t really gain any new strengths and insights from these activities though.

6.I feel like the approach to developing differentiated instruction has its ups and downs.

7. I would like to know more about learning in the digital age and ways to support every students different learning style.

__**Virtual Field trip assessment:**__
 * 1) Two benefits to the whaling industry are the resources that were gained back in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Whaling also was used for trade back in the day and in some Native American tribes currensy.
 * 2) Some problems that arose from whaling were conflict and scarcity of Whales.

__**Virtual Field trip reflection:**__ I feel that virtual field trips are an excellent alternative to use in the classroom. With how advanced technology has become, these virtual field trips can be a lot more interactive and help students to learn while having fun. Virtual field trips can also help where there are on restrictions on ability to provide actual field trips. These field trips can also allow you to travel to places that you couldn’t in an actual field trip. For example, lets say that you are teaching a unit on geography and want to show your students different geographical regions of the world, but don’t have the funds to go to all these places. With a virtual field trip you will have the ability to show your students these different regions from the comfort of your classroom. I would plan on incorporating this activity by using the example I have previously stated and applying to any subject that is presented in my curriculum.

__**Assistive Technology:**__ After viewing the websites and videos I was astonished to see how far we have come with technology and the ways that it can used to help the disabled. From these websites and videos I found that assistive technology is very crucial to have in the school and classrooms. It will allow for those who are disabled to interact with their classmates and peers a lot better and make it easier to participate in the classroom. The product that impressed me the most was the Alternative and Augmentative Communication device that Ellen was using in the youtube video. I was taken back as to how clear spoken the device was and how Ellen was able to use it with ease despite her disability. I feel that this type of equipment would be very beneficial in schools and classrooms and If I ever had a student like Ellen in my classroom I would definitely push to have that piece of technology in my classroom, not only to help Ellen communicate better but to make her feel apart of the classroom. Technology provides endless promises and potentials for students with diverse learning needs. Technology is only getting better, I can only hope that it will keep improving and give children with diverse learning needs the opportunity to be able to learn more efficiently. I personally have not had any interaction or knew anyone in my lifetime that used assistive technology to help them in their everyday life. From this assignment I have learned that the sky is the limit for not only non disabled children but children with disabilities as well. Thanks to assistive technology children with disabilities are now able to communicate clearly and efficiently. From this I plan on conducting further research on assistive technology to get a better grasp and understanding on assistive technology in case I have a student with any disabilities in my classroom in the future. Once you get into the classroom, you will most likely find that you will have a number of students with special needs included in the general class population. It is important to remember that there are resources available for these students and often you, as the teacher, need to be an advocate for these students. If you see that they could benefit from an assistive tech device, then you need to make the school aware of that to see if you can purchase or lease equipment. This is not only the Federal law, but it is a way that students who might not otherwise be included in education can come to school to learn. media type="file" key="jakeISTCpodcast.mp3" align="left" width="240" height="20"

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Here is the Link to my digital story: http://www.youtube.com/user/Csmith1345?feature=mhee