Pinterest in the Classroom

1.What did you learn from the PINTEREST activity?

I use Pinterest on a daily basis, so this assignment was a review for me. However, I have learned that there are so many resourceful teaching boards on Pinterest. The possibilies are endless because there are so many people pinning about education advancements, technologies, and resources.  

2.How do you believe you will utilize PINTEREST as a teacher?  

I think I will use Pinterest mainly for lesson planning because there are so many creative and unique lesson ideas on Pinterest available to teachers. There is still not a lot I know about technology in classrooms, so I will probably use it to research that.

3.What are the strengths of PINTEREST?

One strength of Pinterest is that there are hundreds of thousands of people pinning so there is limitless information available to you in seconds. You can find people based on their interests, occupations, and skills with a quick search. Also your friends on pinterest can suggest pins and send them to you if their similar to things you normally post. I often get sugggested pins from some of my friends who are teachers. Another strength is that Pinterest is very user-friendly and self explanatory. Whenever the app/webpage updates, it gives you step by step instructions on how to use the website/application. Pinterest is great for teachers when brainstorming on what they want to teach. Teachers can also include their students in pinterest by having them create boards for projects and portfolios.

4.What are some of the challenges of PINTEREST?

Some of the challenges are that often their are broken links connected to some pins. A user has removed a webpage, copyright issues, or inappropriate content to name a few problems. Another challenge is that as far as social media goes, there is not a whole lot of options for communicating with others, but that is not really the point of Pinterest. Pinterest is more for personal inspiration and imagination than communication. You also have to be careful who you follow because some users load up their Pinterest accounts with spam posts.

5.What comments, questions, thoughts, opinions, and/or feedback do you have about PINTEREST?

Questions:

Is Pinterest appropriate for young children?

Is there a way to block certain pins/boards that would not be appropriate for children?

Are there any top kindergarten boards I should look into?

Is there a way to report broken links or inappropriate pins?

Comments:

Pinterest is very addicting!! 

Pinterest is also very resourceful to just about anyone.

I think it would be great if there was an application/website that is like Pinterest but specifically for teachers.

If teachers do allow there students to use this application, make sure you are monitoring there searches. There is a lot of freedom with this application.

Khan/Koller Review

          I was really surprised when I visited Khan's site. I had no idea that there were even sites like this that offered free education. I actually plan on using this site to brush up on my math skills for when I have to take the next Praxis test. I think this would be a great tool for my students to use. It is a way for them to receive the instruction I give in a different way, but more importantly they can go over a topic as many times as needed. I think the videos are very helpful. He gives the student's several different examples to help them understand whatever concept they are learning. Yes, I agree with him that we will rely more on credentialing through online courses. People are often required to have full-time jobs and skip school all together. With online classes those students who normally would never been able to graduate, now have that chance. This education is great for full-time workers, parents, disabled people, as well as many others. This also makes it great for people who do not have transportation,  because almost everything can be completed at home.

         Coursera seems like a great resource as well. However, it was more difficult to navigate than Khan's site. I had trouble finding the free courses. Every course i looked into appeared to cost money. After spending some time on the website, I did find some interesting courses. One course that I would try is "Clinical Psychology of Children and Young People." Columbus State does not accept Coursera classes because the courses are not credited classes. Some of the courses definitely seem more advanced and some I would not even begin to comprehend, like Data Science for instance. These courses range in difficulty I think. The science courses definitely seemed geared towards those who excel in science, maybe even graduate students. However, there are plenty of classes that I would try, a lot of the education classes looked manageable for me. I don't know that I would consider MOOCs the future of education. I personally like to have a more personable touch to education. Yes, online classes are convienent for many, but I prefer face-to-face interactions. I think online classes benefit full-time workers the most.

Blog Evaluation Activity

1. What is the name of the blog you reviewed? Please include an ACTIVE link to the blog here.

The name of the blog I reviewed is called "Katrice in the Classroom" To access her blog click the following link: http://mskatrice.blogspot.com/

2. Is the style of the writing in the blog you reviewed suited to the blogger’s intended audience? In other words, is the writing professional enough for a teaching blog?

Yes. I think that the writing used in this blog is appropriate for a teaching blog. The blog uses correct grammar and complete thoughts as she addresses different topics. 

3. Are the colors/fonts appropriate? Are there things that are distracting about the blog that need to be changed (ie. Pictures/images too large or too small, hard-to-read font, distracting backgrounds, etc). Are Vokis in the right place (they should be only on the sidebar).

The colors in the blog are simple but still appropriate. You are able to navigate through the blog without difficulty reading the fonts or understanding the organization of the blog. I personally like blogs to have a bit more color, but this blog works perfectly fine with the colors chosen. The images and pictures on the blog are just the right size. Nothing is too small to see or too large to the point of it being distracting. The Voki is in the correct place and has a simple and welcoming introduction to the blog.

4. Is the spacing and layout easy to navigate? Are there “repeats” of posts? Does the flow and direction of the blog make sense?

The spacing and the layout makes it really easy to navigate the blog. There are not any repeat posts. The direction of the blog makes sense and is user-friendly.

5. Are correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar used? 

There is correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar used for the most part. I only caught 1-2 mistakes. Very minimal things, overall the professionalism of the blog is great.

6. What is your overall impression of the blog?  (Include any suggestions you may have for improvement. If you have any questions or additional comments, please include them here).

I think overall the blog looks great. It is professional and user-friendly. I find it easier to read blogs with a colored background as opposed to white, but that is just my personal preference. The only thing that she may want to fix is her GoAnimate video. I could not get any sound to play on her video. That, however, may have been an error with my computer. But, also, the actual video moved way too fast and I could not read the dialogue fast enough before the next character was speaking. So just a small bit of advice to change the GoAnimate video. The actual blog looks great and she is doing a good job with it so far!

Ohio DL Schools

After reviewing the five schools, I think I would pick Ohio Connections Academy. The website at first glance was visually appealing. I was immediately drawn in. The informational video made a big difference too. I had goosebumps by the time I was done watching it. It made me wish I had gone to an internet school rather than public. I think the personal stories really sold me. There is so much information available about the school at first glance of the website. I like that the school emphasizes the focus on the students. Their FAQs page answers really important questions. It discusses standardized testing, students with learning disabilities, and how this school differs from others to name a few. I like that the website also has a tab on proven results of their program being successful. All these factors considered, I would pick this school.

The school that impressed me the least was the Virtual Community School. The website was not well-organized and did not seem to provide nearly as much information as the others. It also appears to not have a FAQ page. I liked the informational videos that gave each of the schools a personal touch, and were all on the home pages. On this website, the video did not really grab my attention like the other ones did. It seems like they quickly threw the website together. For being an online school, you would think that the school's website would be a first priority. Parents like to have their questions answered right away. With the other websites most all questions they have could be answered on the website. With Visual Community Schools, parents would have to request more information to get a better idea about the school. This is why I would not pick this school.

Assistive Technology for Students with Emotional Disturbance

Some characteristics of emotional disturbance include being depressed, having poor social skills, having below average academic skills, and exhibiting impulsive, often inappropriate behaviors. Depression frequently decreases emotionally disturbed children’s’ interest in the day’s activities, which can be stressful for both the child and the teacher. Secondly, children who have poor social skills tend to struggle significantly in school. Being social is one of the most important skills a child needs to function and make friends. Being anti-social can be very isolating to children. Having academic skills that are often a grade or two behind a child’s current level can be endlessly frustrating for that child and cause them to get overwhelmed quickly and give up all together. This is why it is important that an individual education plan is put into place while the child is young. Lastly, emotionally disturbed children can display impulsive and inappropriate behaviors. This can be stressful and dangerous to both the children and the teacher’s, depending on the child’s specific case. It is important that teacher’s know how to handle aggressive and quick-acting children so everyone remains safe. These children are often frustrated because they do not know how to communicate their wants and needs. I think frustration is one word that sums up how emotionally disturbed children feel on a day-to-day basis. There is however, assistive technology to help children who are emotionally disturbed communicate their needs, as well as relieve their stress levels in the classroom. There are three levels of assistive technology used in classrooms today. These include low-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech tools. There is a variety assistive technology in each of these levels. Depending on the needs of the child, some may only need to use the low-tech devices; whereas other children may require the use of all three levels of assistive technology. There also may be some future directions for these types of technology in education as well.

A common low-tech tool used in assistive technology is point sheets and behavior charts. These charts help children meet goals they have by documenting their accomplishments throughout the day. Seeing the point sheets and charts in the classroom gives the children the motivation to pay attention to their behaviors throughout the day. These charts can be organized and arranged according to the children’s ages and abilities so that they are able to understand and use them.

For more information on behavior charts and point systems:

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ801236.pdf <-- this link is to a research study on    the use of behavior charts and point systems and how if implemented correctly, can be a great success in the classroom environment.

http://parentingwisely.com/media/uploads/cms/pdf/POINT_SYSTEMS.pdf <--this link is to general information on point systems and is geared more towards parents who don’t have the time to do a large amount of research but are interested in testing out the point system

There are a variety of mid-tech tools available to students with emotional disturbance. One tool is called The Motivaider. It is much like a classroom timer where it buzzes after a certain period of time to help children stay focused. This tool is great for children who normally would feel very dependent on their teachers. The buzzer reminds them to stay focused. Not having to constantly get reminded by teachers on what they should be doing will make them feel self-sufficient. A second device used that most anyone has is an iPod or some form of e-tablet. Children are always so consumed by any technology you place in front of them, so this is great for concentration. There are many education applications out there for children as well as audio books for students to interact with. Using these devices could be a good way to calm down an otherwise restless and stressed child.

For information on The Motivaider:

http://www.motiv-aider.com/ <- This is a link to the main website that the tool can be purchased from. (However, there are other websites that sell this product, like the link below) This link would be mostly for teachers or parents interesting in purchasing the tool.

http://habitchange.com/ ß this link is to a website that discusses uses of the tool and offers a selection of videos on the successes of this tool. This link is great for parents and teachers who are interested in learning more about the product before purchasing.

For information on the iPod:

https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ ß this is a link to the actual apple site. They have an accessibility section which includes an overview of how their products can be used as assistive technology, their vision, information on assistive technology with hearing, physical and motor skills, and language and literacy.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/iPod <-- this link is to a website that discusses the how iPod’s and devices like this can be used as assistive technology, and even addresses specific disabilities.  

There are many high-tech tools out there for assistive technology as well. One option I found interesting for emotionally disturbed children is the use of Wii gaming systems. Many of the games require turn-taking, which promotes students’ social interaction skills. This game is also great because it has a gross motor aspect as well. Almost all the games require the player to move around with the controller. This tool would be great for those with pent up frustration.

For more information on the Wii:

http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/index.php/Wii_accessibility This link is to a website that discusses the kinds of assistive technology Wii has to offer.

There are all kinds of assistive technology tools available for students with emotional disturbance. I discussed a few I found most interesting. The list of assistive technology does not end there. Depending on what the child needs, there are a variety of tools out there. I found the use of the Wii system most interesting. People are always bad-mouthing game systems and how children are becoming brain-washed by video games. It is nice to see there are some positive uses to gaming systems, especially for children with disabilities. There have been many advancements in assistive technology over the past few years. I could not find any information specifically on emotional disturbance. However, ever since the smart phone, e-reader, tablet, etc. era has started, there have been great advancements in assistive technology. Whereas before teachers and parents could find no way to get through to the children they were working with, these devices are offering an outlet. These devices are used as stress relievers for those students who are emotionally disturbed, a concentration tool for those who are on the autism spectrum, and even as an alternative learning tool for those students who struggle with language and literacy skills. I think that these devices are just the beginning for what assistive technology has to hold. As we come out with new and improved devices and technologies, we will come out with new ways to assist the disabled.

           

         

Resources:

http://www.do2learn.com/disabilities/CharacteristicsAndStrategies/EmotionalDisturbance_Characteristics.html

http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance

http://at4schools.wikifoundry.com/page/Technology+Aided+Strategies+for+students+who+are+Emotionally+Disturbed

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ801236.pdf

http://parentingwisely.com/media/uploads/cms/pdf/POINT_SYSTEMS.pdf

http://www.motiv-aider.com/

http://habitchange.com/

https://www.apple.com/accessibility/

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/iPod

http://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/

http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/index.php/

PicMonkey

My experience with PicMonkey was good. I have used other websites like it. I used to use picnic.com before it was bought out by google. Now I use Perfect365 mostly. PicMonkey is almost identical to picnic so I like that. The one thing I didn't like was that I had my frame a certain color and wanted to change it and couldn't figure out how. I ended up having to start completely over, which was kind of annoying. Other than that, the website was fun to use. There are a lot of limits to it though if you don't have premium. A lot of the neat edit tools are not available free. However,for basic picture editing it is great!