Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

I am very thankful for Paige Ellis' Blog Assignment and for sharing it with Dr. Strange. I have had some bad personal experiences when it comes to being corrected by my peers. I am not a very strong speller and I have had classmates of mine in the past that have made me feel very uncomfortable and embarrassed for my mistakes. This is why I have always been very hesitant when it comes to correcting one of my peers. I am afraid that I will come off rude. Plus, I never quite knew the proper way how to handle correcting someone's mistakes until now. 

I learned a lot from watching these videos. I learned how to present myself in a positive manner when correcting someone's work. First, always remember to start off with giving compliments. The next thing to do is to give suggestions, and not to be afraid to do so if needed and last, finish by giving the actual corrections.

Assistive Technologies 

My heart has always hurt for those who are unable to see because they do not get the same opportunities as people who do that can. They have been limited in the past because of the lack in advance technology. However, thanks to brilliant and creative people like Art Karshmer at The University of San Francisco, who make it is possible for blind students to succeed in subjects that they were unable to before such as math. His touch pad allows blind students to be successfully educated in math, from basic beginner problems all the way up to beginning Algebra! The iPad with voice audio and the Braille writer are also brilliant new advancements that allow blind students to interact with their classmates and experience learning as their peer's do, that do not suffer from being blind. 

All technologies should be welcomed in a classroom. It is our job as teachers to use every available resource to educate our students no matter their disability. The iPad voice audio allows blind students to be able to research, read, take notes, etc. this will be a must have in my classroom. Plus, I think that it is important to have these resources available so that parents, guardians, and other students can learn to operate them as well so that they are able to aid him/her if needed.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I loved this video! I like how she is not afraid to teach her students new software and exposes them to different media tools. I also like how she is introducing her students to a world beyond the four walls of her classroom. By watching the video and watching her students interact and helping one another you could tell that they were all interested in class and looked like they were having fun. Also, she is very hands on, which I like. 

The one thing that she did say that really stood out to me was, "I don't have to define everything...; they should be thinkers". A teacher's job is not to give the students all the answers to everything. It immediately reminded me of the "burp back" education example that Dr. Strange gave to us on the first day of class. I also noticed that her classroom was full of high school students, which is awesome. I wish I had a class like this and a teacher like Mrs. Davis that I was required to take back when I was in high school.