Blog Post #3

Peer Edit

In the video, Peer Edit, the teacher narrating the video offered three steps into how to edit your peer. The first step is to always compliment him/her. You want to stay positive because how would you like it someone (your peer) commented on your blog and said "This is the worst blog I have ever read"? So you always want to compliment the writer and not criticize him/her. The second step is to make suggestions on how they could improve; as in word choice, organization, and topic. You might want to make a suggestion on how not to use a runon sentence or fragment.
The last step is to check for corrections like punctuation, grammar, and spelling. The main idea behind editing your peer is to always stay positive. If you are confused on how to compliment someone try using "I thik you used a lot of good details". The Big Ten on mistakes for peer review, as shown in Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes, are: being picky, saying whatever, being social, being a generalizer, or being mean, loud, pushy, off task, speedy, and/or defensive. If I can learn from elementary schoolers on how to comment on your peer's blog then I believe you can too.

Technology in Special Education

Technology in Special EDucation gave a few knowledgeable tips on how technology has helped both the students and teachers in special education. To name a few of the technologies used in helping them are: the iPod touch, powerpoint, and laptop. Without any of these wonderful technologies, life would be difficult for the students as well for the teachers.
With the Apple iPod touch, students who have a learning disability with reading, can use the iPod's audiobooks to keep up with everyone in the class. These audiobooks make silent reading exciting and independent and I can see why this would work for someone with a learning disability. Students that have a speech impediment are able to use a laptop to either spell out or have it say what they (the student) wants to say. When using technology it is almost effortless to captivate the student's attention and keep them interested and eager to work.

How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism

How the iPad works with academics for autism was actually quite interesting because before any of these fabulous technologies, children with autism did not have a fighting chance at surviving school without being behind all of their friends. Having a family member with autism can be difficult for the parents, but I think that with a few helpful hints about the iPad, it will make a world of difference to each of them. Apple has made it possible for any child with a disability to have a chance to succeed in life with the education apps that they have developed.
The education apps help the child learn to count by touching the item on the screen, and he/she instantly sees and hears the number being read to him/her. These apps also help with sight words, as in dad, like, and help. It also helps enable the child to write better by using a stylus because it resembles a pen or pencil. The app that I found that coud be using to help a child with autism or any other disability is called Alphabytes. This app teaches him/her the alphabet, how to write, spell, and memorize.

Hardness Your Students' Digital Smarts

In Ms. VIcki Davis' video, Hardness Your Students' Digital Smarts, she explains how you must teach them how to be comfortable with any type of technology. She also said that students should be thinkers. The two blog related websites that they use in her classroom were Digiteen and Flat Classroom Project.
With teaching the students how to be comfortable with technology, she explained how she teaches them to be interactive with other students their age from around the world. When she had mentioned that the students should be thinkers she was meaning that they should think for themselves and not have her think for them. Because she had said that she is learning something new everyday with them, and how they are using technology. Digiteen and Flat Classroom Project is how Ms. Davis keeps up with their blogs and to make sure that they are all on schedule.