Exceptionally Able

Technology is all around us. It has definitely made life more convenient and has opened an entirely new dimension for us in which communication across the globe is only a click/call away and news updates are always up-to-the-minute, and even up-to-the-second. Technology has really enabled us to do amazing things, and it pleases me to know that individuals with exceptionalities are greatly benefitting from technology as well through assistive technology—“any item, piece of equipment, or product system...that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities” ("What is assistive," 2011).

“Enabling Dreams,” a video about assistive technology in the classroom, opened my eyes to what technology has to offer to all of our students. I saw in the video how teachers integrated the use of technology in their lesson in order to make learning more accessible to students with disabilities (Ellis, 2005). I saw how important it was for disabled students to have the right tools, whether it be a laptop, a touch screen device, or even a joystick-controlled horn, in order to be successful participants. Without these accommodations, these students will feel that they cannot do much in this world, which is very untrue because many of them are as equally brilliant as a “normal” person.

This caused me to think back to the different lessons I learned in class and even lesson plans I have written and realized that not many of these lessons accommodate all types of learners. What if a student was vision impaired? Hearing impaired? Then, they could not have participated much in the lesson and activity, which means they may not have gained much from the lesson as well.

It is saddening to think that teachers exclude disabled students because they are ignorant of what is available for these students. I do not want to repeat the same mistake, so I searched online and found this great site: Assistive Technology to Meet K-12 Student Needs. It has a list of alternatives according to the different needs of the students. If a student is blind or has low vision, assistive devices such as audio books and Braille printers are some great tools to help them. If a student has trouble with verbal communication, devices such as simple-voice outputs or talking word processors are some options that can be used. However, some of these tools are not readily available, so the website also suggested low-technology tools, such as incorporating more pictures and text to accommodate the deaf and hard-of-hearing (“Assistive technology to”, 2004).

Now that I am more aware of assistive technology, I want to find out what type of technology is available to my students before I create a revised activity because I want to be able to do an activity in which this tool can be fully utilized. I found that the Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education located at the University of Guam loans out different devices for free ("Guam system for," 2009). I will use the U.S. Department of Education’s Modified Academic Achievement Standards to check if my revised lesson/activity meets the requirements. One requirement indicates that the student must meet “goals that are based on the academic content standards for the grade in which the student is enrolled,” and if my revision meets this along with a few other requirements, then I know I am doing it correctly (U.S. Department, 2007).

In conclusion, although it may take more time and effort to create lesson plans that include all learners, it is the only way educators can empower each and every student with the knowledge and skill they need to prepare them for the future. 

Assistive technology to meet k-12 student needs. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te7assist.htm

Ellis, K. (Director). (2005). Assistive-technology: Enabling dreams [Web]. Available from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Guam system for assistive technology. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.gsatcedders.org/lending_library.html

U. S. Departement of Education, Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. (2007). Modified academic achievment standards Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/modachieve-summary.html

What is assistive technology?. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/asstive_tech/

Image from: http://www.disaboom.com/assistive-technology-general/top-6-assistive-communication-technology

Behind the Scenes of "Fractions and Brownies"

Throughout my entire grade school, I have written numerous stories, acted in a couple of plays, and even took part in a puppet show, but this was my first time having to create a digital story. “Digital story?” I asked myself, “Where do I begin and what will I use?”

Almost overwhelmed by this daunting new task, Dr. Cyrus showed us a sample digital story from last semester. I saw that at the beginning, a small dilemma was introduced in order for the lesson to connect with the story. I also saw that the lesson must be short and simple enough so that everything can be understood within three minutes. Gaining some insight from this example, I was able to have more direction for where I want my story to go.

Since I am a math major, I knew I had to teach something about math, but the subject is quite broad, so I did not really know what to teach just yet. However, when we were given a brainstorm session in which we could discuss with our fellow classmates about our story ideas, I was finally able to decided what to base my story on. Since I like baking brownies and recently purchased a new and innovate baking pan, called the Perfect Brownie^TM Pan, I thought why not incorporate baking brownies to teach simple fractions. With this idea in mind, I started the actual work.

At first, I just wanted to take the pictures right away, but I needed help from my sister because I needed her to take my pictures. Then she asked where my storyline sketch was, and I told her that I had it all in my mind. However, she said it would make my life much easier if I had a sketch of my story, even on paper. Hesitantly and hurriedly, I created a storyboard on paper (and what a great decision that was). Then, I ended up having to create a storyboard with PowerPoint in class.

I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. just trying to get the right pictures because somehow the pictures kept on coming out blurry and waiting for my brownies to actually finish baking. I really thought that this was the hardest part of the process, but then I started editing.

I would say that editing was the most challenging part of the project for me because I have never used iMovie before. I had to quickly learn what iMovie could do and could not do. The editing process was very meticulous. I had to enhance every picture using iPhoto to lessen the blurriness and improve lighting, ensure the pictures flowed smoothly by setting where every picture would start and stop panning, and also ensure that the text does not play too fast. I even had to edit my background music so that the ending did not just stop abrubtly. I relied on my storyboard a lot during because I was not able to edit everything in one sitting, so I kept referring back to my storyboard to where my story was going. I am so glad I listened to my sister and Dr. Cyrus and created a storyboard; it gave me one less thing to have to remember.

iMovie, iPhoto, and YouTube can be used across the curriculum, but one tool I used in my digital story that I believe that would really be beneficial to math teachers is Microsoft’s Equation Editor. I used this tool to create all of the fractions and equations in the story. This tool has all of the logical symbols, Greek letters, and other mathematical symbols I have ever used in my entire mathematical career thus far.

Another important lesson I learned from creating this digital story is how can I make this topic of adding simple fractions understandable to others? To my future students? Since I’m so used to working with fractions, I had to make sure that I could still explain the basics of fractions to someone who may have never worked with fractions before. Creating this digital story helped me evaluate and word my lesson in a way that can easily be understood.

I believe having students create a digital story that teaches a topic we learned in the classroom is a great way to assess their understanding because if they explain a procedure wrong, then they might not have really understood the lesson. In another light, students can present the lesson in a different context or explain what helped the individual understand the particular topic can really help others in the class who may not have understood the lesson before.

In conclusion, I am really glad that I have been exposed to this kind of work because I was able to use different kinds of technological tools that I have never used before. I would definitely give this assignment when I become an educator in the future. I would definitely require my students to create a storyboard first because it was a great help to me while doing this project. Also since I was not able to include voice over in my project, I would require my students to include different elements, such as voice over, other animation besides picture-panning, and a small video embedded in their project in order to make it much better than mine and to expose them to even more tools.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9JDSV6BCbQ

     

Rubric for Online Game

Rubric for Online Game

Name of website: Arcademic Skill Builders

Name of game: Grand Prix Multiplication

CRITERIA	POOR(0)	SATISFACTORY(3)	EXCELLENT(5)	SCORE
Accessibility	The game is difficult and confusing to find in the website, additional download was required and difficult to install	Some accessibility is unclear, additional download was required and easy to install	The game can easily be found in the website with no additional download	5
Visual Elements	There are few or no visual elements, layout is not appealing. Visuals have nothing to do with concept of the game.	There are some visual elements, layout is somewhat appealing. Visuals is somewhat related to the concept.	There are many visual elements and layout is very appealing. Visuals help students understand concept.	3
Navigation	Navigating the game is confusing and information cannot be found easily.	Some navigation is unclear, resulting in a few places where students can become lost.	The game is well organized and easy to navigate. Students can clearly understand where they are and where to go next.	3
Rules	Rules are not clearly stated.	Some rules are given, but there is missing information. Students might be confused.	Every rule is clearly stated.	5
Goals	Goals are vague or incomplete.	Goals are at least partially described.	Goals are clearly stated and measure what students must know and be able to do to accomplish the game.	3
Subject	The subject or topic of the game is vague or incomplete.	The subject or topic of the game is at least partially described.	The subject or topic of the game is clearly stated.	5
Difficulty Level	The game’s difficulty levels cannot be changed to fit the student’s ability.	The game’s difficulty levels can be changed, but it is difficult to do so.	The game’s difficulty levels can be easily changed to fit the student’s ability.	3
Feedback	There are few or no opportunities for students to receive feedback on their performance.	There are some opportunities for students to receive feedback on their performance.	There are frequent opportunities for students to receive timely feedback on their performance.	5

Total points:      32                Poor                        Satisfactory                        Excellent

Rating:

Poor: 0-23 points

Satisfactory: 24-32 points

Excellent: 33-40 points 

Additional Comments:

There is no pause button. It is hard to exit the game. There was immediate feedback while playing the game as well as overall feedback at the end. 

**Prezi presentation: http://prezi.com/5hlgu1m3qkqw/online-game-rubric/