Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

After viewing the blog post provided by Paige Ellis, Peer Edit With Perfection, and What Is Peer Editing?, the point I most appreciated that was made was to stay positive and give compliments. Too many peers just jump into the editing process and spend all their time correcting errors that they don't take time to compliment the author's work. I know when I was in school compliments were rarely given. Students have this false mindset that editing is solely a correcting process; therefore, they just find all the mistakes they can then give the paper back to the owner. While it is very important to address the mistakes of the paper, it's also very important to encourage one another. Everyone has something he or she excels in. English and writing does not come easy to all students. If a student, who is already unconfident in correct grammar usage, gets a paper back from a peer that's just filled with red marks, it is just going to bring that student's confidence down even more. For this reason, it is also important in being nice when editing. Treating someone like he or she is stupid is not the way to go. For the most part, being wrong is embarrassing. Staying positive is the best way to critique someone's writing, and a fellow student will more than likely listen and seek your advice if it is given in a positive and kind way.

I loved the Top Ten Mistakes video! I know this video was probably made for younger students, but older students could definitely get something out of it. I would probably consider myself a "Picky Patty", however, not as picky as the one in the video! When I was middle school aged, I always tried my best to correct every mistake that was made. I will be the first to admit that I am not the Grammar Queen, but if I corrected every mistake I see on facebook, it would probably come across as that. I'm not super picky about mistakes while writing because I make them myself everyday, but there are just some words that a high school graduate should know how to spell. The same thing for comma placements. It's not that hard. I guess I have a little bit of "Mean Margaret" in me as well! With that being said, it made me very happy that I didn't notice any errors in my assigned C4C blog. However, if I would have found errors, it would depend on the types that were present that would have persuaded me to correct them publicly or privately. I'm not for public correction, but if it was simple mistakes the author probably didn't even realize he or she made, I wouldn't mind posting it on his or her blog. If the mistakes were huge and indicated he or she needed to go back to middle school English class, then I would more than likely sent that person an email.


Assistive Technologies

Until this blog post, I hadn't really ever put much thought into if a student of mine has a handicap like being deaf and/or blind. I always figured they would be put in a special needs class and never really spend much time in a normal classroom. I think the technology that is being developed to help children with the disabilities is really fascinating. The Mountbatten is probably the best device for a classroom that I've seen. With this machine, blind students can be more involved in normal classroom activities despite their disability. The machine is also very useful because a teacher who does not know braille can effectively communicate with the student. This would be very beneficial in a classroom because I know I will more than likely never learn how to use braille so it will give me the chance to communicate with a blind student, which I probably would not do very much if this technology had not been invented. I also believe that it's very important for children with disabilities to feel some sort of normalcy. The Mountbatten would allow them to interact with their peers and do assignments on their own and in turn boost their self worth and give them a sense of being a normal child.

After viewing these videos I will definitely use technology in my classroom to aid the visually and hearing impaired. The one thing I want to accomplish as a teacher is to make all my students feel like they belong there and are equal. One of my favorites uses in technology was demonstrated in iPad Usage For the Blind. I remember when I was in elementary school I always had reading assignments every night. With the iPad, blind students can now complete their reading assignments and not have to depend on a guardian to either read it to them or find the book in braille. This program will also allow the student to find the book, chapter, ect. on their own which will give them some independence.

I have never put much thought into how a blind individual learns math. I guess because I have my eyesight I never thought learning a simple math problem would be difficult. It's silly, but I also never considered the fact that the blind have to use braille for everything including learning math. Teaching Math To The Blind pointed out that because braille is linear, it's very difficult to learn math using this system of communication. The two dimensional model that Karshmer has developed looks so high tech and difficult to me; however, to a blind student, it is probably heaven sent. Karshmer states that this system of teaching math will give blind students a visual understanding of the problem and can help the students learn the basics of math. "Now they have a foundation for additional studies. Without that foundation the probability of getting into scientific careers is close to zero." With this device, so many more opportunities are opened up for visually impaired students, and I think it's wonderful that they now can have dreams and ambitions just like any other child that has his or her sight.

I was really intrigued by all this information so I decided to go to the app store on my iPhone and just snoop around at the apps they have for the blind and deaf population. A ton of apps came up but this particular app caught my eye. It is a bible for the deaf. It has the text for a deaf individual to read, but it also provides a person to sign the text to them instead of reading everything. It also has many other features of God's Word translated in American Sign Language. I have a bible on my phone, and I know I get tired of focusing on the screen at the words so I can't imagine what it would be like for that to be my only option. But with this app it would be just like watching a tv and is probably fast than reading. It makes me happy to know that technology is not advancing at a rapid rate and leaving the visually and hearing disabled individuals behind!


Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

While watching this video, it was very apparent that Vicki Davis has a passion for introducing her students to the technological aspect of our world. I admire when she stated that she learns with her students and that sometimes her students teach her things. I think it's refreshing to hear a teacher admit that she does not know everything about the subject she is teaching.

I explored the Edutopia website and found some interesting things. They have a section that focuses on keeping your students engaged and tips to help students stay focused on the work at hand. These engagement tips come in many different forms from technological engagement to social learning and project engagement. There is also a lot of information on how to introduce your students to technology and how they can use social media.