Digital Equity

Digital equity by definition "is the goal of ensuring that everyone in our society has equal access to technology tools, computers, and the Internet, (pg.101)."  This states that everyone should be able to access computers, but unfortunately this is not always the case.  With the number of Americans living in poverty, the largest number in over 50 years, not all students have access to a the Internet, let alone a computer outside of school walls.  As a teacher designing a project for my students, one that requires research, I will need to plan the requirements so as not to leave anyone out.  I would never ask a student in front of the class whether or not they have a computer at home, nor would I assume everyone had one.  I would simply have the students answer questions regarding their projects prior to starting them, this will allow me to see who has access and who doesn't.  From there, I would require that the research be both Internet and book sources, not just one or the other.  Each student would be in charge of the specific content area, despite access to a computer outside of school.  The students would be given in class computer time to work on Internet sources, and would be assigned to research books outside of class.  This would allow for every student to be active in the process of the project, without discriminating against any one student.  It would also alleviate any embarrassment lack of a computer might cause a student to feel.

Post One

When "surfing the net," as I have always heard people say, I am not very creative in finding fun and new websites.  However, I was able to finally visit the website flickr.com!  I have heard of it before, have even seen a link to follow and I never have.  I went on and took the tour they offer and fell in love!  I love photography, and although I must admit, I am no photographer, I marvel at the art and worship those we can create a masterpiece simply by seeing the world differently through a lens. I had some fun with the site and shared it with my sister-in-law and she too fell in love! I'm sure most have been to it, and may even have accounts set up, but for those who have yet to try, now is the time!  The pictures people take and post are beautiful!!

In thinking about this past weeks reading, I have learned the many, and I do mean many websites for EVERY occasion.  I have always struggled with finding websites for research papers and for government and what not.  But the special section covered a wide variety of sites for every purpose.  Although I am not very technologically advanced, I am able to navigate my way through search engines to the best of my ability...which isn't great. 

I still wonder how it is that people can keep up with all the new and exciting websites available at our disposal!  Prior to this class I did not realize the amount of great search engines and cool sites I could visit! This chapter is full of them, and so how would I go about finding more as laid out in the text?  Had I not taken this class or read this chapter, how else would I be aware of these things?  I don't think I would have known about such sites unless someone physically showed them to me. 

Quiz contribution:
         When using a search engine, to make your search a success, what symbol would you use in order to find variations of words?

Using the Internet

When I think of the Internet and its uses, I think of entertainment, politics, news and shopping.  I think of facebook first, of course as I am always on it.  I also think of the many sites used for entertainment purposes, such as listening and downloading music, to watching missed TV episodes. 

There are many websites for news and politics as well, which I like to look through, because some sites like cnn.com allow readers to post their own thoughts on topics and allow others to respond to them.  These are always interesting to me, I can see exactly what others think because their identity has been withheld, so they feel comfortable enough to share their inner most thoughts. 

There are many websites to shop for things online, of my favorites, Amazon is top.  There are so many things you can buy other than just books and music which I had never realized until my brother bought his very first iron.  Since then, I go on to find old books, music, shoes, clothes and purses. 

There are many advantages, you can shop in the comfort of your own home, you can connect with friends and family all over the world which can be much easier than using your phone.  You have direct access to local and national news which is constantly being updated and you can hear about things before it hits the air.  With advantages, always come disadvantages.  There are always many people posting fictional information about themselves, and worse, other people.  It allows for a lot of people to give their actual feelings on issues and people and for the most part get away with it.  People can post just about anything on the Internet.  There are a lot of sites like craigslit.com which can be of great use for some people, and others take the opportunity and take advantage of the site.  Sometimes systems go down and go under maintenance, and other times, there are too many things out there which young people see which they shouldn't. 

Chapter Two Blog

Going through this weeks readings and such, I found that I really enjoy the idea of wireless classrooms and wireless school buses.  I plan to go into the field of Special Education, working with a wide variety of disabilities.  Many of these students will in fact be using many forms of technology, from their motorized wheel chairs, from their own boards that speak for them.  I love the fact that we have the capability to bring computers and such to them, right in their own classroom without having to do very much movement.  I also love that teachers can see where their students stand as far as grasping material with a clicker, allowing students to answer without having to feel embarrassed if they have an answer wrong.  The teacher is then able to adjust their lesson plans accordingly in order to meet the needs of everyone, especially those who may be struggling. 

The idea of wireless school buses fascinates me, although it does raise questions as far as the types of websites other than educational which could potentially be accessed while on the bus.  But this will give students a chance to continue with their work while it is still fresh in their heads.  It would also be great for those special needs students, drivers can promptly be made aware if they will need to be picked up or not, etc.  Technology is growing and we are finally able to give more students access to such great valuable tools, not just for the special needs students, but for the entire student population. 

Week 2

This week I interviewed my 13 year old nephew who attends Wauconda Middle School.  I asked him what types of technologies he used, and his list seemed endless for such a young person.  He uses his smart phone, almost obsessively, and can never be without it; a 13 year old, with a smart phone?! He frequently uses WIFI on his phone, as well as on his dad's laptop which he carries with him when he can.  He also plays PS3 on a near constant basis as well.  He uses wireless controllers for the game system, as well as a headset so as to be able to communicate with other players. 

He runs cross country, and plays soccer and works out as much as he can, working around his gaming time of course.  He has a watch that acts as a heart rate monitor which stores weekly exercises.  It's almost like a computer log on your wrist which helps him keep track of his past excursions as well as accomplishments and failures. 

I strongly believe that he is most definitely a digital student; the boy can hardly be without technology without going through some type of withdrawals.  He gets irritated if he is away from the game or his phone for too long.  He is very tech savvy as well, he fixes most of our technical difficulties at our house, my mother and I can never seem to do well with that part of the house. 

The name of the site I went to was called the Alliance for Technology Access,
 http://www.ataccess.org/
Their purpose is to inform both children and adults with disabilities to participate in their communities.  They want to empower those with special needs, and have the tools necessary to do so, the technology tools.  Their main goal is to make technology accessible to everyone, so they train and hold forums and events in order for people to learn more about them. They realize for the need for emergence of technology as well as the ease it is in accessing the technology as well. 

I firmly believe and agree that technology needs to be accessible to EVERYONE and EVERYONE should be knowledgeable on how to use the technology with students and adults best interest at heart.Technology is not always an easy language to be accustomed to, and through the ATA providing training is a huge plus.  This is a great community to be involved in, especially because I plan to go into Special Education, I will need to be aware and knowledgeable on how the devices of my students work. 

Introduction!

My name is Stacey and I live in Wauconda,IL.  I am pursuing a career in Special Education at the high school level.  My goal is to return to my old high school, Palatine High School and begin my career there. 

When I picture my future students, I see them using all sorts of technology.  Special needs students use a lot of technology both in and out of the classroom.  I know my future students will use many forms of technology, whether it be power chairs, talking boards, or those newer devicescan translate braille.  They will most likely be up to date as far as knowledge on the newest gadgets than I may be. 

While reading chapter one, there was a lot of terms that I have heard before, I just never put the word with what I saw.  I have used a computer as long as I can remember and I never paid much attention as to the actual things I have been using. 

I wonder how much more technology will grow just be semester end, what new gadgets will Special needs kids have in the classroom?  How will mainstream teachers incorporate more technology in their classrooms when the latest devices are able to be provided to the students due to lack in funds?  How can I prepare myself for such things in my near future?

Quiz Question:
What is the difference between hardware and software?