Education Weekly: iPads Become Learning Tools For Students With Disabilities

Teachers are finding ways to help students with disabilities communicate.  Students with severe speech difficulties (resulting in jumbled speech) are using iPads for communication.  These student draw a lot of negative attention from their peers because of their diverse needs.  These technology tools have not only helped these students communicate, but have drawn positive attention from their peers.  I have three students in my classroom with severe speech difficulties.  We use a Neo to help them communicate their desires and the students enjoy using this piece of technology.  To think a simple machine can make all the difference in positive communication for someone that has never experienced this.

ReadWriteWeb: Skype in the Classroom

I have not attempted or had the opportunity to use Skype with my students.  I know that some high school classes are utilizing this tool in their classrooms.  Students use it to connect with foreign exchange students that previously attended the school or the foreign exchange students use it to contact their families back home.  Some teachers have used it to bring guest authors into the classroom so students can interview them.  It has also been used for virtual field trips as well.  I think within a few years we will see this great resource in more and more classrooms.

Edutopia: Join the Movement to Transform Learning: A Guest Blog by George Lucus

George Lucus talks about how school is "locked in a time capsule" and a student will receive a diploma if "the student can spit back facts correctly."   Technology has changed learning drastically and if we continue to follow this old model for learning, it may begin to fail.  While textbooks are still being used as the main resources for teaching and presenting information, technology needs to enter the world of schools more rapidly.  Schools need to transform into the world of technology and one-on-one computing needs to continue to happen. We need to "personalize student learning" to meet the needs of our students.

Education Week: Value of College-Admissions Test-Prep Classes Unclear

I found this article to be very interesting, because there is so much emphasis on preparing for the ACT/SAT exams.  I remember myself trying to prepare for what I thought was the biggest test of my life.  The anxiety was unbearable and I felt like if I failed that I would never get into college.  The article talks about how much parents spend on tutors, prep courses, and/or prep materials.  They challenge that, this last chance attempt for preparation will probably not benefit students much if any at all.  The article also stressed that college entrance criteria is not solely based on this test, so parents and students need to put there focus on the whole "student package."

ReadWriteWeb: Twitter in the Classroom?

Another great tool that I wish I could use in my classroom.  It is great to see students truly motivated to learn.  There are so many great tools at our fingertips, yet it is discouraging not to be able to utilize them in our classrooms.

Edutopia: Differential Instruction Ignites Elementary School Learning

If only we had as much technology and training as this school is able to have.  Another problem our teachers face is that our common planning time across grade levels and subjects do not exist.  Due to cuts, teachers are asked to teacher multiple grade levels and subjects, which eliminates common planning time to collaborate.

Education Week: Psst! Anti-Bullying Quiets Playground Gossip, Study Finds

This article written by Sarah Sparks highlights that early intervention decreases the chances of bullying occurring in the future.  The article mentions that having anti-bullying programs help to reduce bullying within a school.  I can't walk down the halls in my school without seeing or hearing bullying.  What could be worse than the bullying itself?  Those teachers and students who ignore it!  Why does this happen?  I think students are afraid to stand up to the bullies because they do not want to be bullied themselves and as for teachers, there is no excuse.  Typically you hear a teacher say they don't step in because they don't know how to effectively handle the problem.  The hardest form of bullying to detect are those that spread hurtful rumors.  I wish all schools had anti-bullying programs, my school needs one.