9) Microsoft Excel

What you need to know about Microsoft Excel:

It provides a visual representation of data that makes it easier to analyze.

Excel reduces the difficulty of plotting data and allows students a means for interpreting the data.

Excel can easily convert any chart or data set into a web page, making it very easy to share information among groups.

Excel's ability to dynamically generate charts and graphs in seconds makes it easy to quickly demonstrate relationships between numbers

As a teaching tool, students can see how different types of graphs and charts can be used to represent the same series of data.

One of the best things is that you can use Excel to create timelines and seating charts.  It is not just a tool for numbers.

 

However, many students have little prior Excel experience and for that matter, any application similar to Excel.  It is one of the more difficult Microsoft tools to use and it would be beneficial to include Excel into a K-12 program in such a way that no one grade level/subject area is solely responsible for introducing students to Excel.  It would be good to start using the basic functions of this program with students.

 

The bottom line is there is no doubt that, used proactively and effectively, applications like Microsoft Excel can enhance a learning environment.  It can help students look past crunching numbers and really start to interpret data and organize thier materials.  But just like any other program, once you start using these types of applications in your teaching, don't forget to look back and ask yourself if this is making your teaching better.  Technology is a lot of things, but it shouldn't take the place of well-polished, traditional methods of teaching and learning.  It is meant to enhance teaching and learning, not replace it.

8) Research Paper

I wrote my paper on how technology is transforming education, with specific focus on Web 2.0, Social Media, and Blogging.  The best way to summarize what I wrote about in my paper is to read part of my introduction:  As humans, the greatest trait we possess is the ability to be able to adapt to the constant changes around us.  The same should be said about education.  The times are rapidly changing as are our methods of communication and the environment we work in.  So it only makes sense that our education system adapts and changes with our society.  Technology is an extremely important aspect of our society today and in order for our education system to stay afloat and succeed, we must bring that technology into our classrooms.  Technology is not a fad.  Whether everyone likes using technology or not, it is definitely here to stay and its prevalence and importance in our world will only continue to grow as time goes on.  It does not matter if a teacher or an administrator agrees with technology being used in the classroom.  Education is and always will be about the students, and if technology in the classroom engages them and helps them relate more to the content, then who are we to deny them that opportunity.  There is no doubt that technology is transforming education, and there are major components of technology in the classroom that are revolutionizing the way we teach and learn.  This is where I dive into talking about Web 2.0, Social Media, and Blogging.  Basically, I talk about how Web 2.0 is changing the way we use the internet and how it can be utilized in the classroom.  That leads into the sections on social media and blogging.  I discuss ways that social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter could be used in the classroom and then how blogging can be used as a writing and reflective tool in the classroom as well.  I also warn that in order to be effective, they must be used correctly.  To end my paper I stated:  Generations of students in schools now and students to come will rely on technology as part of their everyday lives and it is time to bring that technology into the classroom and to the forefront of education.  Technology is here to stay and it is all around us.  Of course critics will argue that every type of technology related educational tool has a chance for problems to occur, but they are worth that risk.  The benefits of technology in education will always outweigh the issues.  Web 2.0, Social Media, and Blogging in the classroom create tremendous possibilities for education.   If incorporated into the classroom effectively, these technological tools will engage our learners, revolutionize the way we teach, and transform the future of education.

7) "How Hard Can This Be?"

The purpose of the video “How Difficult Can This Be,” was to teach people who often deal with children with learning disabilities what it feels like to be learning disabled. It also gave some insight into many misconceptions about learning disabilities.

Those with learning disabilities are not intellectually disabled, emotionally disturbed, or those with little opportunity or drive to learn. Learning disabilities are not just a school problem.  They are struggles that affect every aspect of the lives of those who have them.  These people deal with frustration, anxiety, and tension every single day.  They are not out to disrupt class or to cause problems for their families at home.  Because children with learning disabilities have trouble processing information, the regular pace of a class may be too fast for them.  When asked a question, immediately the mainstream children begin to process the answer; however, the child with a learning disability is still processing the question.  The result from this is that the child may seem disruptive in the classroom.  If you know that a child has difficulties, try to work out a system that they may be comfortable with.  If you call on the child, try to make sure that you are asking a question you are sure the child can answer.

In all honestly, however, this video taught me nothing that I already didn’t know about having a learning disability.  Why is that?  Simple; I am an individual with learning disabilities.  For my entire academic career I have had to work with both of my learning disabilities.  These include ADD and Dysgraphia; which is a processing disorder in which my brain processes information faster than it allows my hand to receive it.  Teamed together, these disabilities were often lethal through middle and high school.  By having trouble paying attention while also not being able to keep up with writing down notes often worked against me in class.

Still, despite my struggles I was able to be successful and learn to work with my learning disabilities, not have them work against me.  You need to remember that a child with a learning disability has to deal with their difficulties day in and day out.  There are 3 major things you must remember when working with a child with a learning disability; these are things I’ve learned first-hand as a student with learning disabilities and as an educator working with them.

1.      Remember that the greatest gift you can give a child with learning disabilities is time.  School can be frustrating and often causes a great deal of anxiety and tension.  Don’t stress them out more than they already are.  Give them ample time to answer and let them know when they are going to be prompted for an answer so they have time to prepare.

2.      Remember that these children often do not understand what they are doing wrong.  Do not tell them to look harder, bribe them to get an answer, threaten them by telling them that you will take privileges away, or blame them for their behavior by telling them they are not trying hard enough.

3.      Never put a child with learning disabilities under pressure because it does not help.  Do not tell them that the task they are struggling with is easy because it may not be for them.

The only true way to understand a student with learning disabilities is to have been a student with learning disabilities.  This is why I relate to them so well as a special education teacher.