Overall I was impressed with what the article had to say. The Programmers section was not as interesting and useful in my eyes, but the Collaborators section was! In this section the idea of students learning together and from each other was stressed. I have always been a supporter of inclusion of special needs studnents because I believe these two populations, mainstream and special education, can learn from one another equally. On page 9 of the article it goes into the benefits of collaboration. First of all, the idea of peer editing increasing student's motivation is extremely true. I know as a student in younger grades if I knew the teacher would read it I would do my best, but if I knew my peers would read it I would try even more. This idea of the effects of peers is along the same lines of the articles idea of writing to an audiance. If you know your peers will be reading your work it not only increases motivation, but it also increases student's interest in their work. Finally, the idea of connecting with other students and professionals in the "real-world" is great for students to further their understanding and learn about specific topics of interest. Overall, I think technology makes communication and learning between individuals more meaningful and easier to access.
As I began tackling the newsletter assignment I had no idea where to start. I began reviewing all the samples and the guidelines. Now that I have actually started creating my own newsletter I realized once I got started it is an easy, surprisingly, and quick way to get information out to parents. I also learned a few little tricks in Word, such as how to wrap around text. I have inserted graphics into text before but never knew that you could or how to wrap the text around so it does not stick out like a sore thumb! I hope to continue to learn and discover new skills and tricks with technology for my future and current goals!
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4 comments:
I agree with your view on including special needs students with traditional students. However, I do think that there are certain cases where special needs students need to be segregated for their own benefit where they can learn at their own pace and not feel inadequate.
I can relate to learning new things in Microsoft Word. It's fun to find new features. It's funny because we have all been using the program for so long, but there are still things that we overlook.
Hi Angela,
I also thought the collaborators section was great. It's nice to see students working together toward a common goal. I am also a big supporter of mainstreaming. I think mainstreaming is a great way for those with special needs to be around all of their peers. I also think that students in "regular" classrooms can learn a great deal from people with special needs. The idea of peer editing is a great way for students to learn from each other. Many of the school's I have been at have reading buddies, where a fifth grader works with a first-third grader on their reading. The connections the two groups make as a team together is awesome. The fifth grader feels helpful and the second grader usually wants to impress the fifth grader with their reading skills. Also, if the younger reader is having a hard time with a word, they don't feel embarrassed asking for help. Very insighful blog!
Tiffany Haro
Hey Angela,
You touched on an important aspect in the article about collaboration. Learning technology requires extensive group efforts. I learned so many more new things from my peers during my younger years as a student than I did from the teachers instruction, especially with computers. My skills are still not that great today, but I would be in far worse shape if we were to individually work on projects that required the use of computers.
I have yet to begin the newsletter, but hope I can learn as much as you have. I was kind of worried, so it helps when you say it's not so bad.
Hi Angela, I really liked the idea that you point out about peer editing. I never really thought about it on a competitive level but I guess it makes sense. Even now when I know that my college classmates are going to read something I wrote, I make sure that it is better than when I would give it to the teacher. Although that sounds stupid because it's the teacher that grades you, it's true. Peer editing is a really sucessful tool that I have experienced first hand.
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