Blog #11 Non-Computer Tech use in Classroom

"No-tech solutions are strategies such as teaching a person to use his or her own body in a different manner to minimize impact of an impairment." I feel that an important tool that is no-tech would probably be the over-head projector. Honestly, it is the easiest way to display information to students, and you can have students interact with it. There is so much you can utilize with it and it is so much more cost efficient, especially for schools who are low on funding. I feel that this is something that schools will never really get rid of anytime soon, and that can always have a way to help students learn.

Blog #10 ERIC presentations!

After listening to majority of the ERIC presentations it really helped me to relate to using technology in the classroom a little more. I always had this feeling that how can we be teaching technology in an elementary setting when the technology they do have, if they have any, is outdated? I found some of the presentations helped to show that when it comes to technology it does not necessarily have to be the best of the best that is on the market, but what you do with what you have. I found it interesting that there are so many websites out there that one of the groups discussed and showed on the teacher who had started a blog for her class and then how the class took it over. I thought it was neat, becasue they were able to have a learning environment that allowed for so many different aspects of learning to be put into one project. Also, even though their resources for technology were limited it was the teacher thinking outside the box that came up with the way to make it happen, and change the way of learning for those students. After the ERIC presentations I had more information than I did from before and I found them to be helpful. I am not sure as to whether or not some of the material covered will ever be utilized in my classroom, but I at least see what can happen with some hard work and creative thinking when trying to incorporate technology into the classroom! :o) Good Presentations!

Blog # 9 Online article

Basically the article I found called, "Effective use of technology with young children" describes the past fears of incorporating technology or even yet assistive technology with young children, as well as the new positive with it to. The article discusses how assistive technology has changed over the years, as they said, "In the past several years, however, changes have occurred which have made computer technology more accessible to early childhood educators, therapists, parents, and children. Equipment is now more affordable, a wide range of developmentally appropriate software is available, and a variety of response modes have been developed which allow almost any child to access a computer (Burkhart, 1980; Charlebois-Marois, 1985; Goossens & Crain, 1987)." This means that in the classroom especially teachers will be able to be more knowledgeable of what is available and the materials that are available to the children will be much more developmentally appropriate and effective without the problems of cost and availability. The article also desribes the benefits of using assistive technology and the skills that it helps to develop in young children as well. It covers so much concerning that of motor skills, visual and perceptual skills, cognitive and language skills, and even social and emotional skills. I found the article to be very interesting, because I think it is very helpful to show future teacher or even current teachers and parents that assistive technology can be used at a young age and that there is nothing to fear when a child is using it. I also liked the fact that is gives so many helpful points and actually tells you what areas technology actually helps a child in. Besides that it gives you tips on how to choose developmentally appropriate toys and how to apply to them to your child and basically how to start introducing technology to a child. I think this article is very helpful, because it gives you some ideas and pointers when working with children who are young and are in need of assistive technology, and I feel that that is an important issue in elementary schools today. I liked the article and think it would be good for others to read as well.

http://www.parentpals.com/gossamer/pages/Detailed/912.html