Rotberg

Jessica Rotberg's Page

Scenario/ Final Reflection: Technology is the new gateway to educating children; textbooks and lectures do not cut it. Students need interactive and engaging activities to further their education. This generation of students has grown up with technology. They know and understand technology better than any other generation. It almost seems foolish to ask them to learn in a different way than what works for them. It is obvious that there are different types of learners; there are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners, etc. A teacher could never expect the visual learners to excel in a class solely taught by lecture; therefore, how can teachers expect this generation to still be taught by paper and pencil when they could much more easily excel by being taught with technological materials. Other real life companies and activities are starting to turn towards technology because it is easier and saves time. One educational step up towards technology is standardized exams. Praxis exams are not offered online as well as paper/pencil version. It is noticed that the younger students taking the praxis prefer the online version where as the older persons taking the exams prefer the paper/pencil version. It saves time because the exam is graded immediately after the student has taken it. It is also easier on the student because the online version tells you which questions are not answered where as on the paper exam the student must search for the unanswered questions. There is less room for human error on the computerized exam. These are some positives to technology and these advancements in technology are only going to increase
 * Earlier in the semester my belief of incorporating technology into classrooms was the same, the only difference is my reasoning for incorporating technology. My reasoning is stronger and supported by the many activities we did in class that are fun ways of educating students. The Keystone project really gave me the opportunity to apply all that we learned about technology. It was one of the best activities because it was a sample of what I will be doing; writing lesson plans while adding new interactive twists. The importance of technology has stayed the same, my reasoning has only strengthened.**

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The results of the test really do match my personality; I am a very visual person and I scored the highest in the visual category. My next score was in the kinesthetic category; that also matches my personality. I would much rather learn with pictures and graphs than read a textbook. By visually looking at a graph, it is easier to comprehend the information. I also learn well by watching movies or having movies integrated into the classroom/lesson. This is a good quality to possess because I will better be able to connect my lesson plans to the youngest generation of students. This youngest generation needs technology in the classroom and with my strong desire to use technology in a lesson, I really could relate well to these students. Some strategies that I noticed I use for studying are flash cards or quick fact pages. Flash cards are the best way for me to learn and this test stated that I should use flash cards while studying. The test also told me to color my notes with highlighter as a way of keeping organized; and to use graphs when taking notes. Being a visual learner is just incorporating visual methods of learning into the classroom. This is definitely my style of learning/studying.

Assistive Technology:
 * 1) Something that I never realized about Assistive Technology was that it needs to be updated frequently. I am such an advocate for assistive technology; I always felt that it is vital for the school to provide the resources for that student. I never realized that it was so expensive to do so and that it would be difficult to maintain the technology and software up to date (depending on the technology); I just assumed that it would automatically happen.
 * 2) The product that I found most interesting was the page turner. I had never seen anything like this before; all the student has to do is push a button and the button flips the page of the book. I thought this was so creative and I think that this could be very useful for a student with a physical disability with their hands. I was very impressed by this invention; I know someone who could have used this in Elementary School when they were trying to learn to read and could not hold a book because they only have one hand. When I am a teacher I will do everything I can to make sure that all the students who need assistance will receive it because it is so hard to learn when there are physical obstacles.
 * 3) Assistive Technology promises to provide equality for students with disabilities. These students are mentally capable of keeping up with the other students in the class, the only challenge they have is a physical disability. This physical obstacle is slowly becoming more accepted into classrooms because there are these technologies helping those students. These potential technologies are really helping these students in the classroom and help keep those students up with the curriculum. Since there are so many technologies and so many disabilities, there are great possibilities for these students with disabilities and many opportunities for them to be successful in the classroom.
 * 4) There was only one time that I witnessed assistive technology being used; it was in Elementary School. This boy in my class was having a hard time hearing the teacher when she was teaching. The boy got hearing aids, but that did not help. The teacher then started to wear a mini microphone that she could clip onto her shirt and the sound was sent via wavelength to the hearing aids. The microphone only made her voice louder for that student, not for the rest of the class. This assistive technology did not make a difference for every other student, just for the one boy.
 * 5) After reading about assistive technology, I will accept and make appropriate accommodations for that student. This student is in the class because they are academically fitting for that setting and the only accommodation they need is a physical accommodation. This can be arranged for them and from there I can continue to challenge that student appropriately. I must remember that without those accommodations, that student might face some challenges until the accommodations are made. In the event that the accommodations cannot be made immediately, I can make other adjustments until their official assistive technology is available for them.

UDL Part 3: 2. The CAST Website shared some interesting information that is going to be beneficial to my future career. I really thought the information about Bottom Up/ Top Down Processing was very useful in explaining how external stimuli affect one’s mental processing is understood. Another area of CAST that was informative was how to apply UDL to the classroom. The website was mostly about UDL and how important it is to have Universal Design incorporated into the educational world. This information is necessary for a classroom and it is imperative that educators understand UDL and how to apply it; which this website explains explicitly. 3. The most interesting information that I learned from //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age// was information interpretation through UDL; using flexibility in the presentation in the classroom. Flexibility with presentation options caters to a larger group/ different types of learners. That is why it is vital for teachers to vary their lesson structures so that all students can be successful in the classroom. It is very simple to incorporate flexibility into the classroom; all the teacher has to do is add variety to their lesson plan. Flexibility also includes the technology used in the classroom; the technology can be used for a visual learner while just speaking to the class can cater more toward the auditory learners. 4. These activities are an interesting way to apply UDL however, at first I did not understand how UDL was applied. After I figured it out, I did not learn anything new about my strengths and talents because of these activities. I think the explanation about the three brain networks is really helpful in explaining UDL application. Overall, this activity was not the best to represent UDL- in my opinion. 5. I think that differentiated instruction is beneficial for students. It is the only way to truly make the information accessible to the entire classroom. UDL caters to different learners with disabilities that might block that student from learning. For example, a student with a visual disability can get a new textbook written in Braille so the student can be an active participant in the class. This universal acceptance is so important and I believe that UDL is a wonderful addition to the education curriculum / standards. 6. I would like to better understand the different types of learners. I understand that there are those who are typical learners and those with disabilities, but I also would like to understand the differences between those different disabilities and how I would need to adjust the lesson to cater to all of their needs. I also would like to know what resources I would need to have available for those students.

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Virtual Fieldtrips and Whaling:

I think that virtual fieldtrips are extremely beneficial. I think that it is an amazing way of integrating technology into the classroom. This gives students a chance to individually explore certain aspects of the lesson that appeals to them. It also gives students more opportunities to interact with a place or resource that is far away. They can legitimately interact with these pictures; this is a great way for them to learn or further their knowledge about a subject. These pictures will share information that can spark the students’ attention in ways that a textbook no longer can. I think that this is a great way of integrating technology into the classroom while still sticking to the curriculum guidelines. Whaling questions:

a. How did the early settlers find out about whales? What was the name of the tribe of Indians that inhabited the New Bedford area in colonial times? What was the religiousgroup that settled in New Bedford and later controlled the whaling industry?

The name of the Indian Tribe that lived at the epicenter of the Whaling industry was the Wampanoag. The Religious group affiliated with that area was Quakerism. Early settlers found out about whaling by journeying to the new land and encountering the Native Americans. The Native Americans expressed their usage for Whaling and the Early Settlers then took those uses and brought some prior understanding from their ancestors to create new uses for Whale carcass.

b. The whaling ship, Bartholomew Gosnold, made its first voyage in 1832. What material was this ship made from? How many whaling voyages, **total**, did this ship make?

Bartholomew Gosnold made a total of ten voyages. The ship was made from bark to withstand strong winds and rough sea waves. It also contained other materials specific for whaling such as cutting rings for processing blubber and brick tryworks to control oil on the deck of the ship.

c. Describe how a whale would be captured. How did the sailors get to the whale in the water? How was the whale brought down (killed)? What happened after the whale was killed? What is the name of the tool used to boil down the whale blubber into oil? Where would the processing (boiling) of the whale blubber take place on a voyage? What did the sailors do with the oil after it was produced? What is the name of the tradesman who made vessels to store the whale oil?

d. How long was a typical whale voyage? What was a sailor’s life like on a voyage? How would a sailor pass the time when he was waiting for a whale sighting? What is the name of the “art” that crew members practiced with whale teeth while they were at sea? What other items were whales’ teeth used for?

Typical voyages for larger ships were at least one year long; some lasting about three years long. The life of a sailor was slow, when waiting for whales. They would write songs, poetry, make tools and utensils from whale bones and art called scrimshaw. The space that the sailors lived in while whaling was cramped; they shared space with others and slept on uncomfortable bunks.

e. What kind of food did a sailor eat on a voyage? What character traits do you think a sailor (man) might have to be a successful crew member on a whaling ship? Do you think you would have what it takes to be a whaling ship crew member?

Typically the sailors ate salted beef with bread. They were not allowed to eat vegetables, potatoes (vegetable) or milk. The sailors had a limited supply of food and to prepare food they used flower. I think a sailor would need to have a calm stomach, easy going (in the sense that they are living closely with each other for years), flexibility and a keen understanding about whales. Possibly the sailor should also know a little about boating considering that they are likely to encounter situations with the ship that might inhibit their ability to catch whales. I know that I do not have what it takes to live in those situations. I could never live off of an all beef diet, live in close quarters and I definitely need sanitary living conditions. I do not have any interest in whaling or boating and for that I will not do well on a voyage like this.

f. Did women ever sail on a whaling ship? Explain.

Originally women were not allowed to sail, but after some time, some Captains were allowed to bring their family; women and children. They were allowed on the ship if they paid extra for the women and children. Sometimes the price was as high as $1000 for a three year journey. Only the Captains were allowed to bring family; but the typical whaler was not allowed to bring family- especially women and children.

g. What types (species) of whales were hunted for their blubber? What is **//krill//**? Briefly describe the sounds whales make. How big is a blue whale? How much does a blue whale’s tongue weigh?

The Sperm Whale was originally hunted, but then the sailors upgraded to Grey Whales as well. These whales seriously diminished in size after the hunting of these whales; now they are protected because so many were killed. Two others species of whales were the right whale and the bowhead species. Krill is the small protein critter that whales typically eat. Krill were used as bait in the whaling process. The Blue Whale is the largest whale.