I was assigned to work at the sand art table.  At this table, I helped the children get situated  with a tray and I assisted them in picking an art design. Next, I helped peel off the sticky pieces on their design and I helped some of the students poor the sand on their art projects.  I interacted with one young boy in particular who had Autism.  I worked with him all the way through and he loved this activity.  He told me what colors he wanted and I helped him peel off the sticky parts so he could pour the sand.  His mom was watching as we worked and she was really appreciative of all of the help I was providing.  She commented on my Towson t-shirt and asked if I was studying to be a teacher.  I told her I was studying Elementary Education and Special Education and her face lit up when I said that.  She was such a nice woman and her son was absolutely adorable. 

         From working at this festival, I have learned that helping others and volunteering for a great cause is very important.  I’d love to come back and participate in this event next year. Events like this make me proud to have chosen to become a teacher. This event is also a time to celebrate every child regardless to whether they have a disability or not. This festival made every child feel special and it is such a rewarding and wonderful feeling to see these children happy and enjoying themselves. I hope this event continues for years to come.

Autism- This video modelled how to prepare a child with Autism for their first day of school.  They modelled how to do a proper introduction, and a proper goodbye. 

ADHD- this video modeled learning activities that also involved movement.  They used a hula hoop,  and they practiced counting going up and down the stairs. These activitites will keep the students focused and engaged.

Hearing Impairments- This video models how to introduce yourself to a child with a hearing impairment on the first day of school. They modeled finger spelling, and keeping good eye contact.

Intellectual Disabilities- this video demonstrates appropriate behaviors and methods for purchasing a drink  or food using cash. 

Multiple physical disabilities- this vidoe teaches a child with a physical disability how to shoot a basketball and how to dribble a soccer ball.  The teacher was very encouraging and friendly.

- Email: an email is a great way to check in with parents to see how their child is doing at home.  They can also be beneficial if you simply just want to send out quick announcements about upcoming events or reminders of when particular assignments are due.  

-Phone: A simple phone call can go a long way for a parent.  The people who spoke at the panel stressed that making phone calls to parents are very important and it is smart to call not only when something bad happened but also if a child does something great.  Parents love to hear positive feedback about their child, so taking the time to call a parent is critical.   

-Skype: Video chat is very popular to do with family and friends, but I think this would be a neat idea to use when communicating with parents.  This way, the teacher can see the parents face to face and this makes it a little more personal when sharing news about their child.  
2) Please blog about your personal reflections about the panel last evening, what impacted you, what “lessons learned”, “ah ha moments”, or for those of you from my families class, “golden nuggets” did you experience last night when listening to the families on the panel.

I was very touched to hear one of the guest speakers tell her story about having a visual impairment. She explained how her parents fought hard for her to get special accommodations in school and how at times, it was difficult for her to keep up in class.  She described one situation in particular when her math teacher in high school embarrassed her in front of the whole class and said blind people couldn’t learn math.  When I heard her say this comment, my mouth dropped.  I could not believe a teacher could say something like that and make their student feel so horrible.  The main point I took from this woman’s speech is when you are an educator, you must always look out for your students and put in extra time and effort to help your students achieve to the best of their abilities.  This woman said that she had another teacher a year later who put in extra time and support to meet with her and because this teacher was so wonderful, she improved drastically in her grades. Her grade went from a D- to a B+. This shows that having a great teacher who genuinely cares about their students can make all the difference in the world.

1. What are some features available to make the computer easier for students who are blind or visually impaired and students who are deaf and hard of hearing? 

2. What is one low tech adaptation that students can use on the computer?

blog about what you found and the uses of podcasting for higher education

1. After doing some research, I found that Podcasting is very popular at Penn State. Instructors, students, and staff all take advantage of podcasting and they publish their podcasts on Itunes and blog websites.  The instructors are using podcasts to deliver course lectures, show weekly reviews of course material, and to have conversations with experts in the field.  Students are working either independently or in teams to record presentations, reflect on course content, and conduct interviews with the local community. The staff take advantage of podcasting to promote events and help students learn about the programs they offer.

Search for Podcasts, watch a podcast on iTunes

Please search through the podcasts on itunes… what can you find for free that would be of use to you as …a) a college student?  or, b) a classroom teacher??  ….after you listen or look, tell us about it in your blog!

2. There are so many free podcasts offered on Itunes that both students and teachers could benefit from. I had never heard of a podcast before this course and I am so happy I now know they exist. I could not believe the wide variety of podcasts available.  They ranged from educational ones, to comical ones, to ones about sports, and so much more. I decided to watch an ABC News podcast with Diane Sawyer.  I think educational podcasts, such as ABC News, is great for college students and teachers because it keeps you updated on current events and what is happening in the world.  Teachers and students could have a class discussion about something they watched on the News podcast or a teacher could assign a particular story in the news segment that they want their students to reflect on.  I think podcasts are a brilliant invention and I would definitely use this in my future classroom.  

The podcast site I watched showed me that if a teacher is absent, they can record themselves on a podcast and leave the assignment for the students to complete.  This teacher recorded a bingo game and the students had to answer the questions  in order to fill out the bingo board.  The  UDL principle demonstrated on this site was Multiple Means of Engagement.

Standard 1.0 Skills and Processes

-Students will demonstrate the thinking and acting inherent in the practice of science.

INDICATOR- Raise questions about the world around them and be willing to seek answers to some of them by making careful observations and trying things out.

OBJECTIVES-

1. Describe what can be learned about things by just observing those things carefully and adding information by sometimes doing something to the things and noting what happens.
2. Seek information through reading, observation, exploration, and investigations. 

-”Setting clear goals for students is the essential first step in teaching.”

-”Students who understand the goals of their schoolwork are more likely to stay focused, monitor themselves successfully, and derive satisfaction from their progress.”

- “By making goals explicit for students, you give them the opportunity to monitor their own growth and the power to separate the relevant from the irrelevant, the useful work from the interesting-but-distracting work.”

-”When the true purpose of a standard is understood, teachers can explore the various means students might use to attain the standard and various supports we might provide to help them do so.”

 -”When students work with new tools and try new approaches, they need to know what they are trying to accomplish in order for the tools and approaches to have a positive impact on learning.”