Khan Academy-Journet-Week 5

Salman Khan Founder of Khan Academy

It is truly inspiring to see how Khan Academy started and grew into this well known non-for profit organization.  I was introduced to Khan Academy in the 8th grade math class where I worked as paraprofessional.  I immediately saw the benefits and realized that it is a great tool for all learners.  I liked that it doesn't let the students move forward until they've mastered the skill but it still keeps them engaged.  When students are at home and don't understand a homework assignment they can easily watch a lesson on the material so they can better understand it.  They are also able to stop, rewind and pause it as needed.  The software gives the students many opportunities to practice.  The teacher can track each students progress.  They will be able to see where they are struggling and provide face to face support.  The students that have mastered most skills can be pushed as well.  It allows for all students to grow.  I will be taking more math classes soon and although I feel very comfortable with math I will surely sign into Khan Academy if I need extra support.

I'm a strong believer and supporter of the Flipped Classroom and blended learning.  Khan Academy is perfect for both of theses types of classrooms.  Students can see the lecture at home for home work and when they come to class they can be ready to dive into classwork, discussions or projects.  This saves time and the teacher can serve more as a facilitator of learning instead of spending too much time on the lecture.

Like I mentioned earlier resources like The Khan Academy benefit all types of learners in different ways.  The students that need extra support can review the lessons and videos at their own pace.  The students that are ahead can continue moving forward at their pace and will not be restricted to waiting on the rest of the class to catch up to them. The group in the middle of this spectrum will also keep moving forward.  Khan Academy can be used as a virtual tutor.  Many parents and adult students spend alot of money on tutors.  Khan Academy serves as a tutor and it is world class teaching which is free to everyone.  That fact that it is free for everyone restores my faith in humanity on a larger scale.  Free for the students whose parents cant afford tutoring.  Free for kids in other countries that can't afford schooling or tutoring.

It is my opinion that it is a great time to be a student and an even better time for future teachers like myself to learn the art of teaching.

The Flipped Classroom Method-Week4

I learned about the concept of a flipped classroom from a friend who is an amazing teacher.  At first I thought it was turning a traditional classroom into a technology based classroom.  I thought its interesting but what happens to the teachers role if we rely on technology to teach our kids.  I didnt grasp the full concept of a Flipped classroom until I an saw example of teacher made lectures that were custom made for the classroom.  I was was very fascinated by the idea of it.  I did a little more research and learning about it in the week 4 resources brought it all together.

It makes completes sense.  In a flipped classroom the teacher prepares his/her own lectures via screencasts, videos, audio, slides etc.  or they can use resources that are all ready premade such as articles, movies or presentations from websites.  The teacher assigns these resources to be viewed as homework by the students.  They may be required to take notes or answer a few questions as proof of viewing the assigned material.  When the students come in they have been introduced to the subject or topic so there is no need to have teacher spend time on a lengthy lecture.  Instead the class can dive into a discussion, a project,  an experiment, in class work etc.  Students can work in small groups and the teacher can serve more as a learning coach and support the students as they move through the activity.  The kids will have the background knowledge because they viewed the assigned material and at school they will put it all together in a class activity.  Working in small groups will help the students collaborate and problem solve together.  This inspires deeper critical thinking from the students.  The teacher moves from group to group weaving in questions and making sure they are all understanding and applying that knowledge.  The teacher can support the students that may have a little trouble understanding.  Also because the lecture and examples are online the students can also go back and preview the material if they do get stuck on something.

It is like a hybrid classroom where technology and face to face learning/teaching is happening.

Most of us are familiar with the traditional method of a classroom.  Students go to class where the teacher lectures on a subject.  The teacher assigns homework.  At home students do the homework or the project assigned.  They don't have the teacher to help them at home if we they get stuck or do not understand the assignment.  If they do not have an adult that can help they may be left to fend for themselves.

I do not think that the method of a Flipped Classroom is just a passing fad.  I think it is a a revolution in the education field.  It is useful and beneficial to all types of learners.  The students will be far more engaged and eager to learn.  I plan to incorporate the this as a teacher in my future classroom.

Week 3 Digital Story Telling

Digital story telling is a way of telling stories using graphics, sound effects, our voice, music and video clips and combining them to tell a story.  When someone sees the digital story it stirs up more than one of their five senses.  They have the visuals and the audio along with the emotions of the story.  People can use digital story telling in a variety of ways.  Teachers can make them for their students to teach new concepts.  They can reuse them.  Parents can make them for their children, they can be replayed, saved and treasured.  Students can make their own to showcase what they have learned.  When reading about the digital stories and viewing some examples of them, I immediately thought of making one for my personal children.  Maybe telling them about when they were born and facts about their infancy and early childhood. I thought about it because they love hearing about when they were born and the silly stuff they did, it is like writing a story but much better because it will be told by me (their mom) and it will be all about them.  This is something they can treasure.  

My next thought was to make one for my inclusive preschool classroom that I work with.  I thought of telling a story using the students as the characters in the pictures.  For music we can use a nursery rhyme or other sound effects.  The story teller will be myself or a combination of 4 teacher voices that they are familiar with.  The story will be very personal to them.  I can’t imagine the excitement on their little faces as the see and hear a story were they along with their classmates are featured.  After we are done with the digital story we can showcase it to the parents during a parent night.

As a future teacher, I can see digital story telling as a powerful tool in my classroom.  The students will benefit and hopefully be excited about learning with each story.    

Digital Storytelling Resources for Teachers

Week2 Resources- Assistive Technology- Journet

PECS Sentence Strip

When I read the Week 2 Resources I was very excited to see the technology and resources available for students with special needs.  I work with students with special needs and I am familiar with the PECS, Picture Exchange Communication System.  It is a system of signs and symbols printed out into cards which can be combined into a sentence strip so that nonverbal students can use to communicate.  I put together a small example of a sentence strip that I would use if I had to order a cold or iced latte at a coffee shop.  It reads "Hello, I want to drink a cold latte."  The PECS was created for students in the Autism Spectrum Disorder but can be used with other students as an alternative to sign language and other methods of communication.  Some kids do well with sign language and some don't.

In the week 2 resources I viewed the link about the Apps for kids with autism.  The apps are a digital form of PECS.  The students were far more engaged than using simple paper.  We saw the little girl crumbling up the paper when her teacher was trying to show her the number 1 and 2.  When the teacher presented the numbers through an app in the iPad the student was very engaged and focused.  In this video I learned that students with autism are very receptive to learning apps on the iPad.  They do admit that iPads are not for all students but for the students that do respond well it is life changing.  Parents talk about how certain programs have given their kids a voice.  They knew that their child had a personality and feelings and thoughts.  However they were not able to express themselves until they were taught to use certain assistive tech devices like their iPad apps or Dynavox devices.

Dynavox-Tobbi

We saw a video about Lianna Bryant who has cerebral palsy and uses a Dynavox device to communicate.  This Dynavox device uses the same type of PECS sign and symbols.  The pictures are similar but they are used in a device that looks like a tablet.  However, when the student clicks on it, they are able to manipulate it to form sentences and then they can play their sentence using a digital voice for others to hear.  This device works as their voice.  It is also personal to each individual.  They are able to save custom sentences that pertain only to themselves.  For example it can say.  My favorite color is pink. I like to eat pizza."

I have worked with non verbal students and it can be very challenging trying to understand their needs.  Usually they point or make gestures and become frustrated to the point of tears or tantrums if we don't understand.  I have used PECS and have used Ipad apps as well.  I did however try to download the app proloquo2go for one of my students but I personally could not afford it at the time.  It cost over $200 dollars.  If the family can afford it and their child does well with an iPad I would recommend it.  It is similar to the dynavox device.

I am amazed to see how all of these devices, apps and resources are giving nonverbal students a voice.