These past few weeks in EDUC 204, students had the diverse tasks of organizing and creating technology for students in the classroom. As a class, we were expected to individually or partner up and design our lessons that students in a chosen grade level will be able to create instruction for future students in their school. The WebQuest allowed students to engage in creating a lesson and readings that assessed the many ways that accommodations can be made in the curriculum for students with disabilities. Moreover, digital field trips presented students with a virtual reality that shows developing teachers the strategies that we must provide to our diverse students. Lastly, Dr. Ikpeze challenges students to think of the varying commercially based technology use that can benefit students in the classroom. Technology plays a major role in our lives creating amazing opportunities for schools and teachers to make teaching and learning more effective. WebQuests for students WebQuests are “an inquiry-oriented activity in which learners interact with resources on the Internet” (Skylar, Higgins, & Boone, 2017). WebQuests encourage students to interdependence in the classroom by providing specific tasks to each set of designated activities in the assignment. They can be used to teach content to all students from varying needs in the classroom. Students can browse through the criteria located on the resource guide to review and produce authentic experiences. Each WebQuest has six key components: an introduction, the task describing the activity’s end, a process clearly defining steps to complete the activity, provided resources for completing the expected tasks, an evaluation to measure the results of the activity, and lastly, a conclusion to sum and reflect on students performance. WebQuests support student collaboration within the classroom through the use of technology. After reading about WebQuests, students were expected to revise and recreate a new WebQuest for their designated grade level on a Word Doc. The revision and recreating of a new WebQuest gave opportunities for students to recreate learning experiences to foster ideas in later teaching years. The knowledge and understanding of WebQuests connect to ISTE-Student Standards 3c for students curating information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods because students in class when revising their WebQuests were to gather information and background for their developed tasks in the activity. Students were expected to create accommodations that could be used for students in the classroom by underlining, incorporating visual aids, and fundamental notes that students with varying needs. I can implement WebQuests in my future classroom by using WebQuests to differentiate learning for students with varying needs. Such as if I had a history lesson there could be different learning levels for students. Students more advanced in the material can get another activity while those struggling can receive materials to help them achieve the basics. Not every student is the same, nor learns the same. Thus, creating different tiers or levels of student learning through WebQuests will attain the understanding of lesson materials at the student’s pace. Another way I will incorporate WebQuests in my classroom by allowing students to research and answer questions for a lesson activity, such as science. Students can go through the process on the website and answer the varying questions for an activity. Students could choose one theme that they will want to research and answer the following tasks about the activity to foster critical thinking skills and collaboration. I can plan out an activity using all Internet sources, or I can accommodate students’ needs into the WebQuest, whichever its form it’s a great template to use in the classroom to guide student’s learning. Digital Field Trips Another lesson plan that we learned and discussed in EDUC 204 was digital field trips. Digital field trips are a great learning experience for students in the classroom. The presentations allow students from anywhere in the world to explore a site, country, or building anyplace in the world to engage children in the fabulous power of technology. A digital field trip brings the experience to life through the varying sounds, pictures, and infographics students can explore in the layout. It incorporates technology in the classroom for students to visually deepen student’s understanding of what they are learning in their current content. In EDUC 204, students created their digital field trips integrating anyplace in the world where they would teach their grade level students. Digital field trips connect to ISTE-Teachers Standard 3a. since educators (us) develop learning experiences authentic for student's use. By incorporating digital field trips, they are demonstrating the knowledge of new technologies and how to use them. For example, a teacher's use of infographics in field trips explores the valuable artifacts associated with the chosen location for students to investigate. Students can investigate and locate essential information that is related to the explored site. Teachers are modeling their knowledge in using field trips in the classroom to guide student's pedagogy. Moreover, students in the class became creative designers to select and use tools to plan their process (4b.). Students were to create a digital presentation that lessened the burden of costs to actually attend field trips. They carefully planned lessons that students would developmentally understand at their age. Incorporating digital field trips will be accessible in an elementary classroom because it is a fun interactive learning experience that students can engage in. I could use a digital field trip to teach students about plants and their uses in our society. I can have students interact in a group lesson and ask them to guide questions about the curriculum. Moreover, I can incorporate a digital field trip as a small group or individual assignment for students to create their own. Students can choose a topic, such as our class performed and present their trips to the class for a social studies project. Students will use different tools to include in their digital field trips, such as infographics, videos, and pictures that all relay their information on their topic. Rethinking Technology in the Classroom Technology in the classroom is vital for all learners. Whether students are typically developing or have disabilities in the classroom, digital tools can supplement paper-and-pencil tasks that inspire student creativity and learning. This past week in EDUC 204, students learned the variety of digital products that are truly useful in their environment. Commercially off the shelf products, such as iPads, iPods, and pen readers, are substantially useful for students with learning (or physical) disabilities. Schools often are telling students that these devices are not allowed in the classroom, but tools such as these digital devices can provide a means for students to listen, write, and read in their learning environments. Students once engaged and knowledgeable of their rights to use commercial products, will not abuse their privileges as many may think. Assistive technology is a wide range of technologies and can encompass any kind of device that is on the shelf. Moreover, commercial products are often more mass produced and cost-effective than technologies that are intended, specialized equipment. Any technology product in the classroom is useful and guides student’s learning if it is appropriately fitted to their needs. The use of commercial products connects to ISTE-Student Standards 2b. because students will be engaging in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology devices. Students with physical ailments can use iPads in the classroom and Word Processor to assist in their daily writing. Moreover, students can use programs and resources to supplement learning activities through games on the iPads. I can implement commercial products in my classroom if my school permits iPads to assist students in the classroom. Students will engage in online resources that can track their learning levels in the curriculum, such as Fast Math. Fast Math is an excellent tool in the classroom for students who are at different speeds in math. They can use the program on their iPads and complete the tasks that are met at their mathematical capabilities. Furthermore, I could use a commercial product reading pen to assist students who struggle in the classroom with reading and taking notes. Students with IEP forms will benefit from this inexpensive tool in the classroom, by the device assisting students with reading comprehension. The digital tool even monitors the progress of student’s reading capability like their reading speed and amount of time spent reading books on the software. Students are accessed with a wide range of books to choose from and, it is easy to transport for daily use. Commercial products give students the advantage that their peers have and eliminate the shame that comes along with specialized equipment. It’s a great addition in the classroom, and students in their environment will be encouraged to use the new digital tools in their environment!
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