Planning with Technology

This week's lecture began with an intriguing thought: that sometimes the best learners are the worst teachers. I think this statement holds much truth. I remember when I was in an 8th grade pre-calculus class and my teacher told me that he was a "math whiz" and he was a member of Mensa. He was simply brilliant, and I do not think anyone denied that. However, he was not very good at explaining things in more than one way. Also, I think certain concepts were so basic to him, that he found it either unnecessary or difficult to teach them to people who were not familiar with them. As explained, this phenomena is very important for special educators, especially in reference to using technology. Teaching children who need technology to communicate or learn, may seem impossible for us, because either we are saavy with certain modes of technology or Web 2.0 tools, that we do not know how to explain them to children, or because we do not know how to explain simple concepts using technology, because these concepts seem so basic to us. This is why we need to become familiar and organized with technology.

When we learn about technology, especially if we are unfamiliar with it, I think we really need to keep ourselves organized - perhaps we need graphic organizers!? I tend to confuse different modes or their adaptations, which will be detrimental to me as a teacher in the future. I think as a teacher I will need to figure out how to effectively allow each student access the curriculum, with each respective form of technology. By having this organized in the beginning, I can really focus my comprehension and studying of the different forms of technology to better accommodate my students. Also, after I know which form is effective for each student, I can do research on similar forms, to see which new forms of technology may be developing that could be even more helpful for my students.

It is important to consider learning technology for both adapatational and instructional methods. I think knowing which form, and which tool works best for each student is key to a successful teaching session. If one student would benefit from Kurzweil and another from Titanpad, from the very same lesson, it is the teacher's responsibility to try to incorporate both modes. The ideal teacher will figure out a way. Further, the teacher may need Kurzweil as an adaptational mode of technology for one student because the bubble notes can provide scaffolding or structure, while another student may benefit from Kurzweil in more of an instructional way because text can be read aloud to him, the teacher has to figure out how to provide both forms for the student.

It is easier to understand how to plan technology when examining examples like the learning profiles. If a student like Sarah who has ataxic cerebral palsy, she may benefit from a mode of technology like Kurzweil because text could be read aloud to her and she would not have to hold the book. However, for a student like Jack, with ADHD, Smartnotebook could really be beneficial in capturing his attention due to its different features.

It is important to note that using too many modes of technology at once is another obstacle. A teacher needs to be streamlined and organized when instructing his or her students. This is why planning is key. For instance, if you have a student like Jack, so many different forms of technology being accessed at once by different students could prove to be very distracting.

Overall, learning how to use technology is essential for successful special educators. Shouldn't this be a mandatory aspect of our education? How else can we become the best teachers if we do not have knowledge of how to use all of the tools out there? Furthermore, don't all students deserve this?