Thoughts on Learning the Ropes

Hi, my name is Sarah Allen and I am in the ID/Autism program at Teachers College and am finishing my final semester. I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. I attended Duke University for my undergraduate degree, and studied Psychology and English. After college I decided to move to NYC with three of my close friends, in pursuit of a dream we all had to live “in the big city.” Looking back, I can’t believe we all moved here and were able to secure jobs (the economy was definitely in a better state then, than it is now!) I worked for two years as a paralegal (with the job description of a social worker) at the Legal Aid Society- Juvenile Rights Division, before deciding to go back to school. My job confirmed for me that I loved working with kids, wanted to be with them on a daily basis, and help them make positive choices.

Last semester I student taught at a District 75 school. It was my first teaching experience. I absolutely loved working with my students. All had severe and or multiple disabilities, and most were non-verbal. Therefore, I was introduced to a lot of augmentative communication devices such as the GoTalk. My Cooperating Teacher gave me a brief introduction to BoardMaker, and I learned how to program the devices for my students. However, I look forward to learning much more about it in this class!

I am definitely not the most technologically savvy person, and sometimes it comes as a struggle to me. I am glad that this course encourages students to “take chances” and “be creative” instead of just trying to be safe. That makes me feel more comfortable about making mistakes. I have never blogged before, so this is very new to me. I think learning how to use technology is very important for education, especially for students with disabilities. During the first semester of TC, I observed another classroom use a SmartBoard. It was also a classroom for children with severe and or multiple disabilities, and it allowed them to be so much more involved and stimulated! This really impressed upon me how important technology is in the classroom. As far as teaching people like me how to use technology, I think receiving explicit instruction and knowing it is OK to make mistakes are essential for students to learn how to successfully use it. Also, as a student, I think I need to be patient with myself.

In response to Martinez’s essay on problem solving, I feel almost more relaxed now that he mentioned the obvious: we already problem solve and we are born with problem solving skills. In fact, he hints that we used to be less stressed about making mistakes and engaging in the process when we were younger. This also puts me at ease, because I must be slightly more than a novice at problem solving, since I am 25 years old! I like how he pointed out that there is no obvious way to problem solve, because then it wouldn’t exist. Basically I expect this course to challenge me, and I will be caught off guard if there aren’t any problems. It’s a new way to approach our coursework, that is less stressful and more exciting. I liked how he explained several heuristics that can act as guides to help us problem solve. The one I most identified with was the “approximation approach,” because I use this often. I think this also speaks to what kind of a learner I am. I do best when I am given several chances to perfect my efforts! Overall, I am excited to start this course and become more technologically savvy!