Slide Share (Session 6)
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Presentation
16 years ago
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Digital Storytelling with VoiceThread & SlideShare
Digital Storytelling is a great way to get students actively engaged in material. Students in this day and age need to be challenged with technology, and incorporating it into their learning is a great way to reach them on their level. It gets them using their creative minds while learning content, and most students would be more engaged by this than lecturing or learning from the blackboard.
VoiceThread is a great tool and I can definately see how I would use it. As I mentioned before, I do not want to be a teacher, but instead a behavior therapist for children with autism. Nearly all the kids I work with now have significant speech delays. Some are nonverbal, and some are verbal, but sometimes their speech is broken and forced. One of my higher-functioning kids is verbal, but his speech sounds very forced and unnatural, and I don't think he is aware of how it sounds. For him I could create a VoiceThread for him where I ask him questions pertaining to his ABLLS (Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills) goals and he has to answer them through leaving an audio comment that he has to playback to himself. That way he is addressing his goals and targets, as well as learning how to make his voice sound more natural.
SlideShare is a very similar to VoiceThread, except without the option of adding audio. I chose to create a SlideShare and I made it into a sample probe of the goals and targets of a student. Like I mentioned in a previous post, generalization is the hardest thing for children with autism. Taking the goals and targets that are normally taught and probed at the table or desk, and putting them into a digital format for a student to read and answer would be a great way to help them generalize that task. Instead of being a "drill" it turns into almost a game or quest that child goes on the answer the questions before he moves on to the next slide.
SlideCast is closely related to SlideShare, except now you have the option to add audio and video to a slide. This tool seems amazing to use, and I would have chose to create a SlideCast, except I was sort of overwhelmed at first with all the different tools on SlideCast. But, I can definately see myself creating SlideCasts for my students with autism once I get a good chance to practice and play with all the different settings.
VoiceThread is a great tool and I can definately see how I would use it. As I mentioned before, I do not want to be a teacher, but instead a behavior therapist for children with autism. Nearly all the kids I work with now have significant speech delays. Some are nonverbal, and some are verbal, but sometimes their speech is broken and forced. One of my higher-functioning kids is verbal, but his speech sounds very forced and unnatural, and I don't think he is aware of how it sounds. For him I could create a VoiceThread for him where I ask him questions pertaining to his ABLLS (Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills) goals and he has to answer them through leaving an audio comment that he has to playback to himself. That way he is addressing his goals and targets, as well as learning how to make his voice sound more natural.
SlideShare is a very similar to VoiceThread, except without the option of adding audio. I chose to create a SlideShare and I made it into a sample probe of the goals and targets of a student. Like I mentioned in a previous post, generalization is the hardest thing for children with autism. Taking the goals and targets that are normally taught and probed at the table or desk, and putting them into a digital format for a student to read and answer would be a great way to help them generalize that task. Instead of being a "drill" it turns into almost a game or quest that child goes on the answer the questions before he moves on to the next slide.
SlideCast is closely related to SlideShare, except now you have the option to add audio and video to a slide. This tool seems amazing to use, and I would have chose to create a SlideCast, except I was sort of overwhelmed at first with all the different tools on SlideCast. But, I can definately see myself creating SlideCasts for my students with autism once I get a good chance to practice and play with all the different settings.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Internet Resources
Using the Internet to support teaching is a wonderful way to connect students to the material. Students in this era grew up with technology at their fingertips, and playing towards that talent would help students understand the information. There are so many resources readily available and free of charge on the Internet, and incorporating them will make the material more accessible to students. Some researchers say that students are becoming much more visual learners because of the onset of technology, so showing a short video about the information or having them find charts and images will help them grasp the concepts. Kid-friendly search engines are a great tool to use because it lets students "have a hand" in their own learning because they are the ones researching. Informative sites provide students with all kinds of information, as well as activities and ideas. For example, my unit plan was on citizenship and I found the website of a foundation calling Kids Making A Difference, which is a kid-led foundation. It shows kids how they can make a difference in their communities and impact the entire world.
My link to my works cited.
My link to my works cited.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Using Blogs With My Future Students
David Warlick - 2 Cents Worth
To be honest, I never wanted to be a classroom teacher. I never dreamed as a little girl that I would stand in front of a class, I never played "school" with my friends, and I certainly still do not want to be a teacher in the sense that most people think about. However, I want to work with children, and I want to teach them. Before I can answer how I would use blogs with my non-existent future classroom, I must first say how I got here.
I was introduced to autism at the age of 17 when I became a nanny for twin boys, one of whom was diagnosed with high functioning autism. Working with him was second nature to me, and his mom suggested that I look into the field of behavior analysis. My whole world changed then. The next year I was hired as a teacher at a learning center for children with autism that utilized Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA. I worked there for 2 years, then decided that I needed a change of setting. I was hired by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, or BCBA, to work with kids with autism in clinical and home settings, which is what I currently do.
But, blogging is something that I can still use in my future profession. One of the children I work with loves everything about computers and is a very strong reader and speller. I could definately use blogs with him. For example, one of his challenges is asking and answering "wh" questions, so to make it more motivating to him, I could ask him a "wh" question on the blog, and then he can answer it through the comments, and vice-versa. Besides using blogs with the children, I also work with a number of therapists. Blogging can be a great way to reflect upon each client together, since we all work with the same kids at different times of the day. We could blog suggestions, questions, and even words of encouragement, because even though this field is what we were all born to be in, it can also be extremely demanding and tough. We are all naturally reflective because we have to be. We have to analyze every single factor of the environment to draw a conclusion about why behaviors occur according to all the different stimuli in the environment.
To be honest, I never wanted to be a classroom teacher. I never dreamed as a little girl that I would stand in front of a class, I never played "school" with my friends, and I certainly still do not want to be a teacher in the sense that most people think about. However, I want to work with children, and I want to teach them. Before I can answer how I would use blogs with my non-existent future classroom, I must first say how I got here.
I was introduced to autism at the age of 17 when I became a nanny for twin boys, one of whom was diagnosed with high functioning autism. Working with him was second nature to me, and his mom suggested that I look into the field of behavior analysis. My whole world changed then. The next year I was hired as a teacher at a learning center for children with autism that utilized Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA. I worked there for 2 years, then decided that I needed a change of setting. I was hired by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, or BCBA, to work with kids with autism in clinical and home settings, which is what I currently do.
But, blogging is something that I can still use in my future profession. One of the children I work with loves everything about computers and is a very strong reader and speller. I could definately use blogs with him. For example, one of his challenges is asking and answering "wh" questions, so to make it more motivating to him, I could ask him a "wh" question on the blog, and then he can answer it through the comments, and vice-versa. Besides using blogs with the children, I also work with a number of therapists. Blogging can be a great way to reflect upon each client together, since we all work with the same kids at different times of the day. We could blog suggestions, questions, and even words of encouragement, because even though this field is what we were all born to be in, it can also be extremely demanding and tough. We are all naturally reflective because we have to be. We have to analyze every single factor of the environment to draw a conclusion about why behaviors occur according to all the different stimuli in the environment.
Inquiry- and Project-based Learning
Throughout history, education has changed and evolved. Inquiry-based learning and project-based learning are two similar educational approaches that are old ideas, but are becoming more and more popular through the technological revolution. Both these approaches rely heavily on technology to make education child-centered and meaningful. They encourage children to be the advocates of their own learning. They detest the old style of fact recall, and instead center learning around the quest for information. Students need to know how to find information and draw conclusions based upon that information; not just memorize the information. All too often, students make it all the way through high school and enter college, where professors are seeing a huge lack of motivation and knowledge of how to research and answer questions insightfully instead of just rote recalling of facts.
The field of behavior analysis has historically gotten a "bad rap" for creating rote learners. ABA is a very specific type of teaching, and there is an incredibly fine line between teaching to rote and teaching to generalization. The hardest part of the learning process for most children with autism is generalization. For example, a child may learn that a toy car is a car. But, if they are only exposed to that one car being a car, they will most likely think that toy is the only thing called a "car." So, as a behavior therapist, you must expose them to all kinds of cars, including different pictures, different toy cars, and actual cars. You must also ask these questions in their natural environment. All too often, a child can label and identify all these things at a table, but when you ask them things while not at a table, they look at you like your speaking German. Generalization is often the missing link in the learning process, and when taught, the child usually becomes more responsive across the board. Essential questions and unit questions require a more sophisticated type of thinking. Even though a child with autism may have knowledge well beyond his age level, he may have an incredibly tough time communicating what he is thinking to you, so instead of an answer, you get a blank stare or a punch in the face. In my field, we can only address behaviors that are observable and measurable. Therefore, the behavior of thinking cannot be analyzed because it is not measurable. So, before we can ask questions that probably will not evoke a response or will evoke a response of frusturation, we must first teach and reinforce communication.
I did my EQ on citizenship, but I would probably use a different EQ with children with autism depending upon their level and behaviors. For example, if a child had a hard time making friends, which is typical of these kids, I would probably state an EQ of "What is a friend?" But, the process of answering this question would be to help the child first understand the word "friend." Then I would help him think of qualities that make good friends. He will probably need varied levels of prompting to lower his frustration level and set him up for success. My original EQ and UQs are:
EQ= What makes someone a good person?
This question meets the constructs of Essential questions because it is open to different opinions and does not have one right answer. Students can think deeply about this question and define their own idea of a good person. This question is very broad and open to discussions, and it is also a good question to break down into subjects.
UQ1= What do you do to be a good citizen?
UQ2= Which person who is known for their good citizenship do you look up to most?
UQ3= How can you promote and encourage good citizenship in America?
These unit questions meet the constructs of Unit Questions because they are all open- ended and thought-provoking. They require that students think about the question and encourage
exploration. It is also good for students this age to begin thinking of their own values and learning what makes a good citizen. They also let students see that even they can make an impact in the world. It also aligns with Bloom's/Gardener's view of learning because this one subject can be stretched into linquistic, visual spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and bodily kinesthetic. It can be linquistic by having kids list characteristics of a good citizen and writing a letter on what it means to be a good citizen, for example. This one topic can be stretched into a number of activities in which students are actively engaged and take part in their own learning.
The field of behavior analysis has historically gotten a "bad rap" for creating rote learners. ABA is a very specific type of teaching, and there is an incredibly fine line between teaching to rote and teaching to generalization. The hardest part of the learning process for most children with autism is generalization. For example, a child may learn that a toy car is a car. But, if they are only exposed to that one car being a car, they will most likely think that toy is the only thing called a "car." So, as a behavior therapist, you must expose them to all kinds of cars, including different pictures, different toy cars, and actual cars. You must also ask these questions in their natural environment. All too often, a child can label and identify all these things at a table, but when you ask them things while not at a table, they look at you like your speaking German. Generalization is often the missing link in the learning process, and when taught, the child usually becomes more responsive across the board. Essential questions and unit questions require a more sophisticated type of thinking. Even though a child with autism may have knowledge well beyond his age level, he may have an incredibly tough time communicating what he is thinking to you, so instead of an answer, you get a blank stare or a punch in the face. In my field, we can only address behaviors that are observable and measurable. Therefore, the behavior of thinking cannot be analyzed because it is not measurable. So, before we can ask questions that probably will not evoke a response or will evoke a response of frusturation, we must first teach and reinforce communication.
I did my EQ on citizenship, but I would probably use a different EQ with children with autism depending upon their level and behaviors. For example, if a child had a hard time making friends, which is typical of these kids, I would probably state an EQ of "What is a friend?" But, the process of answering this question would be to help the child first understand the word "friend." Then I would help him think of qualities that make good friends. He will probably need varied levels of prompting to lower his frustration level and set him up for success. My original EQ and UQs are:
EQ= What makes someone a good person?
This question meets the constructs of Essential questions because it is open to different opinions and does not have one right answer. Students can think deeply about this question and define their own idea of a good person. This question is very broad and open to discussions, and it is also a good question to break down into subjects.
UQ1= What do you do to be a good citizen?
UQ2= Which person who is known for their good citizenship do you look up to most?
UQ3= How can you promote and encourage good citizenship in America?
These unit questions meet the constructs of Unit Questions because they are all open- ended and thought-provoking. They require that students think about the question and encourage
exploration. It is also good for students this age to begin thinking of their own values and learning what makes a good citizen. They also let students see that even they can make an impact in the world. It also aligns with Bloom's/Gardener's view of learning because this one subject can be stretched into linquistic, visual spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and bodily kinesthetic. It can be linquistic by having kids list characteristics of a good citizen and writing a letter on what it means to be a good citizen, for example. This one topic can be stretched into a number of activities in which students are actively engaged and take part in their own learning.
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