Digital Safety Issues: Group Presentation

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Online Game Presentation

Group Presentation #1, in which we reviewed "My Reading Tools," can be viewed below:

Online Game Review: "My Reading Tools" from Tabitha Espina on Vimeo.

Keeping Kids Connected: Providing a Lifeline through Assistive Technology

The Enabling Dreams Video begins with a powerful and thought-provoking statement: “For disabled students, like Susanna Martini, technology is all of those things [allowing students to research, explore and create] and much more. It is a lifeline” (The George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2005). The profundity and ramifications of such a statement remain immense, especially for educators. By utilizing assistive technology in the classroom, teachers ensure that students with disabilities are given the opportunity to interact and learn, just as their non-disabled peers do.

When a lesson plan is revised to include opportunities for students with disabilities to become successful participants, it entails proper consideration of the specific needs of each student. The Disabled Students’ Program at the University of California at Berkeley suggests that teachers “[g]et more disability information” and ask the students themselves how they learn best (University of California at Berkeley, 1999). I believe that a thorough student profile is essential to a revised lesson plan, as it helps guide and direct the means of accommodation. Just as instruction throughout the lesson must reflect accommodations for students with disabilities, assessments must also be appropriate. Alternate assessments are necessary for students who are unable to participate in regular assessments and ensure educational accountability for all students (National Center on Educational Outcomes [NCEO], 2010). These alternate assessments can then be used for diagnosis to improve instruction or as culminating evaluations of students’ understanding. Alternate assessments can also utilize technology, in order to be more appropriate for students with disabilities.

I have witnessed – and even executed – lesson plans that did not consider the needs of students with disabilities and did not provide accommodations. The result was that some students remained uninvolved in the learning process and are, therefore, unable to fully benefit from the lesson. Moreover, when alternate assessments are not used, students who have difficulty with regular assessments tend to do poorly and their results may not be an accurate reflection of their understanding. When students with disabilities feel marginalized, it inhibits their learning and can be detrimental to their overall self-worth. Although providing accommodations requires additional effort and careful consideration, it remains an important responsibility of an educator.

Activities that use assistive technology can include media and devices that allow for students with disabilities to better process information, as well as better express themselves. Technology can be advantageous for both students with disabilities and those without, so by incorporating technology, digital media/devices, and Internet resources within a lesson, teachers are broadening the ways in which all students can learn. For instance, activities that require reading and discussion can use Text-to-Voice software and all students can benefit from the use of supplementary pictures or video.

Because the task of creating an appropriate learning environment for diverse learners with diverse needs can seem daunting, Carol Ann Tomlinson, one of the world’s most renowned experts in differentiated learning research, has enumerated six assumptions to consider when designing or planning activities:

1. Instructional design (“One size” does not necessarily fit all.);

2. Good teaching;

3. Time on task;

4. Flexibility;

5. Different ways to learn;

6. Culturally relevant and important (Pittman, 2008).

Adherence to these considerations can ensure that a teacher thoroughly evaluates if the lesson is conducive for all types of learners.

Therefore, assistive technology provides a gateway and connection to a world of information and learning that may have otherwise remained undiscovered. Conversely, if teachers do not take advantage of available assistive technology, students with disabilities may be deprived of learning opportunities, isolated without a connection, and detached without this lifeline. As an educator, it is therefore imperative that our lessons and instruction accommodate for the diversity of learners present within the classroom to ensure that every person is connected, involved, and has their needs provided for. Students with disabilities should be participants who actively contribute to and benefit from the learning process. When evaluating the effectiveness of a revised lesson plan, educators can assess if each student’s needs have been met and if each student was able to succeed because he or she was given the opportunity to do so. Just as learning is a unique experience for each student, the methods of teaching should also be unique and diversified to ensure that each student is provided a quality education. Assistive technology can provide that unique, individualized means that connects a student to others, as well to the world around them.

References

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2005, February 02). Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

National Center on Educational Outcomes [NCEO]. (2010, November 29). Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/TopicAreas/AlternateAssessments/altAssessFAQ.htm#why

Pittman, Joyce. (2008, May). Meeting Needs of Diverse Learners with Technology. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from Didactics World website: http://www.didacticsworld.com/feature/index.php?pid=010804

University of California at Berkeley. (1999, August 30). Disabled Students' Program - Teaching Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://dsp.berkeley.edu/teachstudentswithdisab.html#5

Images (All photos are screenshots from:)

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2005, February 02). Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Online Game Rubric: "My Reading Tools"

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Building Solid Foundations for "Guam's Next Rock-Star"

Storytelling has been a versatile tool used for centuries – from ancient civilizations recounting their history and transmitting their culture through oral tradition, to today’s teachers sharing anecdotes or allegories to inspire interest in a lesson. With the innovations of technology and the development of diverse methods of media and communication, the ways in which stories are told have also evolved through the years. I believe that the utilization of technology to tell stories through digital storytelling is one of the most significant contributions of technology to the classroom.

Upon embarking on this particular assignment, the concept of digital storytelling was quite familiar to me, as I had created several digital stories in the past, as well as attended a conference session on digital storytelling. Therefore, my challenges involved ensuring that I developed my skills in digital storytelling, progressed in my understanding of its uses, and explored different media tools that I had not used prior. I wanted to ensure that the digital story that I created for this course indicated improvement and progression - not simply convenience.

At the beginning of the process, I benefited greatly from dissecting Christine Borja Mallari’s digital story on S-Q-3-R, prior to creating my own story (Mallari, 2010). I was able to gain a better sense of organization, as well as explore the different ways in which voices can be portrayed. It also inspired me to see the various possibilities of using fictional characters to relay factual information. With a newfound sense of clarity, I decided to create my digital story on the three different types of rocks, entitled "Guam's Next Rock-Star" (Espina, 2011).

However, my biggest difficulty was that I also had to be acutely aware of my timing. Although timing may seem like a tedious detail, it proved to be one of the most difficult aspects in my digital storytelling process. Timing pervaded my thoughts at the beginning when formulating my storyline, and it remained a driving force at the end while I did the final editing. I had to consider the appropriate amount of information and detail for three minutes and decide if time was better spent in a transition or in teaching content. Needless to say, I obsessed over every second.

Once I was able to decide upon my topic, consider my timing, and formulate a storyline, the actual process of creating the digital story began. Quite honestly, although the video was only three minutes, the amount of thought required was exhausting. I had to first research my topic and ensure the accuracy of my information. I then had to creatively transform these facts into an entertaining story and simplify scientific concepts. Therefore, by working so closely with this information, I was able to learn more about my topic of rock composition and formation. Additionally, because I also had to ensure the appropriateness of my information and make certain that it would be understandable for young students, it was also necessary that I reviewed teaching pedagogy and exercise metacognition. I gained a better understanding of how to embed information into a story to make it more comprehensible and memorable for students.

When considering the various options of tools and resources, I knew that I wanted my digital story to resemble an actual television show as closely as possible. I needed a tool that could incorporate perspectives, transitions, and zooming, so that my digital story would not simply look like a slideshow. Moreover, the deciding factor in my use of iMovie was its extensive audio capabilities (Apple, Inc., 2011). Because music was such an integral part of my digital story, it was imperative that I maintained critical control of the audio.

If I were to adapt this digital storytelling assignment for my future classroom, I would need to further simplify the requirements for elementary students. Because the amount of available digital storytelling mediums can be overwhelming – even for an adult – I would probably only indicate one specific tool to use and would conduct an extensive class tutorial on how to use it. Although I would allow them creativity in choosing a topic for their story, I would guide my students through the process of writing their story. I would offer suggestions as they brainstorm ideas, assist them in creating a storyboard with detailed written descriptions, and help them review and revise their drafts. I would also greatly assist them in their timing and transitions. Such a project would require a considerable amount of time but would be an effective form of assessment, for instance at the culmination of a unit.

Thus, the use of digital storytelling in the classroom revolutionizes the ways in which educators describe information and broadens the ways in which students process information. Incorporating digital storytelling into teaching pedagogy can prove highly effective, as "people of all ages find it easier to remember information when it is encoded in a story" (Campbell, Campbell, & Dickinson, 2004, p.9). Overall, digital storytelling extends creativity and ingenuity by incorporating technology and enables students to create meaningful learning experiences.

References

Apple Inc. (2011). iLife - iMovie - Learn about movie trailers and more new features. Retrieved from

http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

Campbell, L.,Campbell B., & Dickinson, D. (2004). Teaching and Learning Through Multiple Intelligences. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Espina, Tabitha. (2011, February 21). Guam's Next Rock-Star

[Video file]. Retrieved from http://http://vimeo.com/20199229

Mallari, Christine. (2010, December 17).

Easy as S-Q-3-R (with music)

[Video File].

Retrieved from http://prezi.com/wpfjieqju5zk/easy-as-s-q-3-r-with-music/

Images

All images used are original images taken by me, Tabitha Espina.