Just keep swimming....Just keep swimming

Just like Dory from "Finding Nemo" we need to just keep swimming. Time is flying by right now and I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. Things in my world are going amazingly well.  Usually the time between Thanksgiving and Winter Break drag on, but this year even the kids mentioned how quickly the time is going. Last month, OETC was looking for pictures of students using technology. Of course I shared pictures of my students working on various projects. It was so cool to see my students on Pinterest and their Facebook page. I love sharing what my students are doing in the classroom.

Students have been busy using the book creator app to create the How To Book's using one of the apps on their iPads. Now we are getting ready for a Cookies, Coco and Coding Festival next week. I have my students creating games using their iPad. I can't wait to show off what they have created. It all started with the "Hour of Code" initiative. Being that I teach a technology based course and see the benefits of technology with my students with special needs, I felt it was important to set aside the time in my room to make this happen. They students started out with researching the idea behind the hour of code, explaining why it is important and then they began to work on their coding for their games. I can't wait for my preview day to see what they create.

I need to remember just like Dory to "Keep Swimming" because the world of IEP writing is ever changing. This past week we received notification about the changes to the read aloud accommodation for my students. I'm baffled and confused about some of the information out there and don't know how to change things for my students. I will continue to do what is best for my students because after all this they are students and not just test scores.

Stepping outside of our comfort zones

As a teacher my intentions are to prepare students for the future. Yes I care about the test scores but more importantly I want them to be prepared for real life. Not only do I make them research apps, brainstorm activities, self evaluate, peer evaluate, take risks and attempt to show their creative side, I also make them present to their peers on a weekly basis (GASP! HOW DARE SHE!) Some of the presentations are very short, others longer but they have to present their findings and what they created. Here is the issue...I dislike being in front of a crowd of my peers. Give me a class full of students and I do fine, but my peers are another story. In order to not be a "Do as I say, not as a I do" type of teacher, I have started to branch out of my comfort zone.

Last spring, I presented at a small mobile learning symposium at Bowling Green State University. The experience was not that bad so I decided to start looking for more opportunities. What I found was a very limited number of presentations on students with special needs and the incorporation of technology into their classes. I found my niche!  I spent this morning presenting two different sessions one being a paper"less" classroom and the other was meeting the needs of all students in the digital age. The feedback I received was positive and by the end of the morning I was more comfortable. Last week I submitted a proposal to present at OETC in February.  I should know more in a few weeks if I have the opportunity. Either way I plan on attending.

Things are trucking along in my classroom. In my absence I gave my students an experience with app dice. We have been talking about digital citizenship and internet safety for the past few weeks. Students were choosing a random item from a bag and roll an app die (Thanks Tony Vincent) to see what app they would be using to create a visual explanation of the item. I was really excited about this project. I hope they were also. Too often we get stuck in the apps we like and are afraid to go outside of our comfort zone. This activity required the students (and adults) to go outside of their comfort zone.