Internet Safety Assignment

For this assignment I chose to read all 4 of the articles posted on the class website.  I was glad to be reminded of three basic principles that relate to keeping families safe from possible dangers on the internet :  that the soul is made up of the spirit and the body (DandC 88:15), that "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (women) to do nothing."  (Edmund Burke), and that nurturing implies protecting in a loving environment.

Remembering that the soul is made up of body and spirit shows how the two work together to create our whole selves.  It is critical that we protect each part from harmful influences.

It is important to stand up for truth and righteous beliefs as we live in the world, but try and keep ourselves unspotted from it.  Pretending that something is not dangerous will not solve the problem, whether on a grander scale, or just within the walls of our home.  We should not be timid in teaching our children and following up with them on family-decided rules regarding internet usage.

Understanding that the word "nurture" has an implication of protecting helps me to realize that in my role as a nurturer in my home I have a sacred responsibility to help protect my children.  This involves teaching them strategies to keep safe from cyberspace dangers and following up and checking in.

I watched:

http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm had a good video on cyber bullying.  Spreading rumors and lies about people online, which seems to be easier because it is not face-to-face and can easily spread, is the new form of bullying.

I also navigated around http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm to see what activities they had.  This was a fun website!


http://www.ikeepsafe.org/assets/videos/?vid=fauxpaw_video was also a very fun video.  It did a great job of teaching kids about internet safety.  The story was catchy for young kids and the message was firm.  I appreciate that as a parent.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/ was a very enlightening program about kids growing up online.  It was eye-opening to me about the way kids think that when they create an online persona it is innocent.  Making friends online is not though through in children as young as 7 or so.

I spoke with my husband about safe internet practices, and we discussed ways we might be even more careful with our children here at home in their internet usage. 

We decided that we would look more seriously into limiting time for our kids online.  Our computer sits right in the middle of the kitchen, so we find it easy to see what our kids are doing, but we could still do more to monitor time use. 

This was an important activity to participate in.  Online social networking and texting are not passing fads.  We need to be able to meet the children we live with and work with half way as we work together to keep them safe.  Just being afraid of technology will not solve any concerns, but learning about "their" world and joining them in discovering positive uses of the media is the answer.

Lesson Plans

I am currently working on three lesson plans that I will develop as fully as possible.  I want to get at least one all of the way completed and ready to teach by Thanksgiving.  This is a great assignment to get us excited about using technology in the classroom.  Self-directed learning projects would be really useful with kids in a resource classroom, and in case I ever end up working in that environment I want to get familiar with possible uses of technology.

Virtual Tours

I just took three virtual tours that my classmates set up on Google Earth.  This was a challenging but cool project.  I think kids in the classroom would really appreciate using this tool, and I plan on exploring it more and finding out interesting ways to incorporate it!

PRINT CARRIES THE MESSAGE up and running

I spent a few moments this evening mixing my sound file on Audacity, which is very easy to use. I got it lined up well with the video and published it to youtube and then to my wiki (see link on right sidebar). It was a really fun project.

Windows Movie Maker will be a tool I will use in the future both in the classroom and for personal projects.

Making a movie

I took my photos for the storyboard project this weekend and also have been playing around with Windows Movie Maker, which seems easy to manipulate. I am now working on saving some audio files to put with the photos. I am familiar with Audacity since I use it regularly.

It is nice to have an assignment where I am learning about new technology. I am already starting to think about ways I might use movie making in my classroom.

Prezi.com

See my tools page on my wiki (address linked in the right sidebar) to check out Prezi.com, which is a cool new presentations tool.

Functions of Behavior

There are three main functions of behavior are:

ATTENTION
ESCAPE
SENSORY STIMULATION

After a teacher identifies a behavioral problem a screening is performed to see if the behavior can be corrected with a simple intervention.

If necessary, the next step is to gather data, both indirectly with interviews and records, and directly with observations. This is the FUBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) process.

Following the Fuba the BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan) is developed.

TPCK

TPCK is the combination of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge.

In the time we live in, technology is no longer an outside possibility in the education process. If we are planning on preparing our students for the real world it is vital that they are familiar with web 2.0 and how the web can be used to help them determine their own educational goals.

Pedagogy is important because it is a fluid study of the best teaching strategies according to our understanding. It is the distribution of knowledge.

Content Knowledge is of course crucial to the good teacher. In order to use technology to its best potential and to implement current pedagogical strategies for the best interest of the student, the teacher must be comfortable and assured in their content knowledge. If this is the case, then the teacher can be more confident in experimenting with web 2.0 in the classroom.

RSS and web 2.0

RSS feeds are both a good way to keep updated on events that are important to you as the blogger and to inform your readers about the things you like to study and read about. This is a good way to network with people that may have similar interests to yours.

Web 2.0 is the newer, more interactive way of using the internet to teach and learn. Blogging, wikis, feeds, all lead to a chance for better learning as the student (reader) is able to contribute to the conversation.

As an educator I think it would interesting, and very useful, to encourage students to develop their own PLEs where they can interact with each other through commenting and collaborating on online projects. RSS feeds can be used to keep current on topics that are being discussed on a blog or wiki. It is a much better way of keeping the learning experience alive and growing.

ABC Reports for behavioral assessments

Antecedent, behavior and consequence are crucial terms when studying ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). Using the correct form, behaviors are observed and recorded, followed by the recording of preceding factors (antecedents) and following factors (consequences). Once enough data is collected, both by direct observation using the ABC method and by indirect research into historical documents and family background, a FUBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) is created and a BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan) is developed to help replace a targeted behavior.

Behaviorists believe behaviors are respondent and that behavior can change through appropriate reinforcement.

Definitions in Mild/ Moderate Disabilities

IDEA, first passed in 1975, reauthorized in 1997 by the US Congress, and reauthorized again most recently in 2004, defines who qualifies for special education.

Between the ages of 3 and 9 students can be identified as Developmentally Delayed in one or more of the following areas:

physical
cognitive
communication
social/emotional
adaptive

After age nine students qualify for special ed if they have been diagnosed with one or more of the following:

specific learning disabilities
speech or language impairments
mental retardation
emotional disturbance
multiple disabilities
hearing impairments
orthopedic impairments
other health impairments
visual impairment
autism
deaf-blindness
traumatic brain injury

The four high-incidence disabilities fall under the mild/moderate heading. They are LD, EBD, MR, and ADHD.

Teaching Strategies for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities, Mary Anne Prater

Assessments

Today we learned about different kinds of assessments and their purposes. Norm-based, Criterion-based, and Curriculum based assessments.

Norm-based assessments are standardized, more rigid tests used to compare students to the norm for their age group. They are summative tests that are strict and scripted. The Woodcock Johnson III falls under this category.

Criterion-based assessments are tests that are used at the end of a unit or grading period to assess knowledge of a topic that has already been taught. These assessments are also summative and are given in a group setting. The UBSCT, end-of-level tests, and CRTs are Criterion-based tests. In these tests students are compared to criteria. These are a bit less strict than norm-based tests.

Curriculum-based assessments are the most sensitive of the three kinds of assessments. They are formative and are very useful in helping the teacher assess the progress of the student while teaching is still in progress. This should be the first line of defense when there are concerns about a student's progress in the normal curriculum. CBAs compare students to the curriculum. They are given more often and test reading fluency. They can be made by teachers.

We practiced administering the Woodcock Johnson III Achievement Test in class. This test is a Norm-based achievement test which is extremely standardized. There is a strict script to follow, and specific rules for the administration.

New Media excitement

Today we spent time in my Instructional Psych and Tech class learning about using moodle. I am excited to learn more about new media because I am convinced it is so important in engaging students and in encouraging them to make their own classroom discoveries, both at school and at home on their own time.

I have been an avid blogger for a couple of years and have learned to appreciate technology and all that it can offer in both a social and an educational arena. I use Facebook and Twitter also, and have learned that these tools are much more than just social outlets. I am pretty comfortable with new media and am glad to learn more about its potential uses in the classroom.