Being Prepared For An Intruder

After reading the article "States Pressing Schools to Add 'Intruder' Drills" by Nirvi Shah, it occurs to me just how drastically our world has changed.  It was not that long ago that I was sitting in an classroom and having an intruder enter my school was they furthest thing on my mind.  It just was not something we had to worry about (or so I thought).  It is so sad to know that this is a real fear of students and teachers today.  When Newtown happened, I was eating dinner with my 4 year old niece and she was asking when this is going to happen in her school.  It was heartbreaking.  A four year old should not have to worry about someone entering her school like this.  She should feel safe and comfortable in school, not in fear.  Although it is great to see schools making sure that they are prepared for such an occasion, it is sad that this is something that they even have to worry about.

Teachers Saving Students

In the article "Teachers Credited With Saving Students In Ohio" by David Lieb, the author talks about how courageous the teachers were who helped to save their students at the risk of their own lives.  They went above and beyond their job description to protect their students and did so willingly and without hesitation.  Like we saw in Newtown, teachers are not just teachers.  They see their students as their kids and most would give their lives to protect them.  They build relationships with their students and care about their well being.  Unfortunately, so many people do not see their dedication in teachers.  It is often a thankless job, with numerous hours spent working to do the best we can for our students.  Seeing teacher put their lives on the line for their students is amazing and is a true testament to how important a teacher is in the lives of their students.

New Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

In the article, "Technology Gives Students with Disabilities Access to College Courses" by Michael Yudin, the author describes how online education is giving students with disabilities the opportunity to attend college when they might not have been able to in the past.  For a long time, students with disabilities might not have been able to attend college because you had to be on campus to attend classes.  With the growing amount of online courses and colleges, it is giving students a whole new avenue to obtain a degree.  This is opening new doors and opportunities to students who may have never thought of college as an option.

I have two cousins that at both autistic and they have both been able to obtain online degrees.  One of my cousins is great with computers and technology but has a difficult time in social situations.  He definitely would not have been able to attend college courses in person, but he was able to get a degree online in technology and now has a job that he works from home on the computer.  In the past, these would never have been opportunities he would be able to take advantage of and it is allowing him to live more independently and provides an income for him.

Online education is a great way for students who may not be able to attend classes on a campus still be able to obtain a degree.  It is opening so many doors for people who in the past might have these opportunities.

Math in the Arts

The article "Young Children Learn Math Through The Arts" by Doug Herbert, takes a look at a new approach to teaching math, specifically to children of preschool age.  There is a new approach that uses the arts to help students build a better understanding of math. It had students looking at the world around them and discovering how math is everywhere.  Math is usually a tough subject for students and we often see them struggle throughout their education.  This approach seems like a great way to make math real and practical.  As a former math teacher, I always struggled to relate the math to the students lives.  When students understand why you are doing something and how it relates to their world they have more of a reason to learn and apply the math.  This new way to teaching math to preschoolers would help to give students a good foundation to begin learning math and help them to relate it to their life.

Games in Education

In the article, Games Win Big in Education Grants Competition, it talks about how the Department of Education has announced the winner of the Small Business Innovation Research contract awards. Almost all of the winners were companies that developed programs or applications that make educational concepts into games.  The idea is to help make education similar to the games that students play at home.  It gives them a chance to use the same problem solving skills they have from video games to learn new concepts.  For example, there is one that is about growing plants and understanding photosynthesis.  Students have to make adjustments to many of the factors of growing a plant to be successful.  This really shows how the Department of Education is placing a focus on technology in the classroom and how important it is for our students.

Free Apps

I chose the article Free Apps to Support Vocabulary Acquisition by ELLs, because working at Apple, I am constantly being asked by educators for new app ideas. I always tell them go online and google it!  There are so many great apps out there to use in the classroom, all you have to do is a little research!  There are so many articles and blogs out there where other teachers and educators rate and review apps that they have used.  This article is a great example of that. This article gives great apps that can be used to ELL students to better learn vocabulary.  Bringing technology into classroom can be a difficult jump for some teachers and starting to try new apps is a great way for them to get started.  Most often you can get many of the apps for free, so unlike purchasing expensive software, teachers can test things out before they implement them.  

Bringing Education into the 21st Century

The article Nashville High School Has Record Label, in Education Week was a great example of how education is changing.  The article talks about how the Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School built a 1.2 million dollar recording studio for their students to work in.  Especially in Nashville, this would be a great way for students to build practical knowledge about what it is like to work in a recording studio.  They get to work with new technology and programs that give them real world knowledge.  Allowing students to be able to learn things that interest them and get them involved in school helps them build skills necessary in life.  Although most schools would not have the funding to build a studio like this,  working to implement new technologies into schools helps to bring education into the 21st century.

Teacher Appreciation

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!  (Although this should be everyday!) I found a great article that is a good pick me up for teachers, especially since this is the time that teaching can be the most difficult.  Students and teachers are both ready for summer and trying to concentrate can be a challenge!
The article Celebrating Unsung Heros, talks about how important teachers are and how difficult of a job it can be!  As you all know, it pays very little, and can often be thankless and endless hours of work.  Teachers work so hard for their students and it can be easy to forget how important that work is and what a difference they are making!  So take a moment to recognize yourself and know that you are making a difference!

Chapter 1

After reading chapter one in the textbook, I found it to be a great way to really see how far we have come with the implementation of the Internet.  It is hard for me to remember a time when we did not have a computer in our house or accessibility to the Internet.  I have been fortunate enough to be brought up where Internet and computers are something I am very comfortable with.  In today’s world, we are completely surrounded by it.   Most of us carry around a smart phone, which is essentially a hand held computer.  At any moment we have access to endless resources.  This is something that most of us all take for granted.  It was not very long ago when to be able to write a research paper, you had to spend hours researching in the library.  Most of that time was just to simply be able to locate a particular book or article. Now, we can type what we want in a search engine and everything we need pops on our screen. 

For businesses, it had given them endless possibilities to advertise and get their brand out there.  Almost all websites are now covered in ads and things to click on.  It has also made international business completely different.  Instead of flying across the globe, you can open a program that allows you to see each other and have a conference meeting right from your office. 

            In education, teachers can now create blogs, wikis and other virtual classrooms to reach out their students.  The possibilities are endless and it will be great to see how technology and the web changes the classroom in the future!