Providing different points of interest is a great way to motivate students to engage with learning and put forth their best efforts. Any time I am genuinely interested or passionate about a topic, I produce my best work. When students are learning about someone that is relevant tp them, their work feels important and their learning is enriched.

This is an amazing point. So many aspects of the classroom and assignments in schools are catered to a specific type of student. In my own experience, there was very little interactive learning throughout my education. The main key to success was being able to comprehend what teachers were saying in class, and then being able to go home and complete hours of work based upon this information. This was a difficult learning pathway for me to follow and I often cut corners and did not learn to my full abilities. I can only imagine hoe many other students have a similar experiences.

This is a great thing to also keep in mind when it comes to students. Every person has different needs that may make a "one-size-fits-all" approach extremely inaccessible to them.

This is a relatable and realistic example of how to best utilize technology in the classroom. Reading many pages of a textbook can be daunting for many students. An ebook is a great alternative because there are read aloud feature and interactive games that can benefit those who have trouble solely reading the text.

I think that this quote is a great place to reference when deciding if a certain technology is appropriate for the classroom. In the future, I plan to keep this idea in the back of my mind. Technology should have a unique purpose in the classroom that will enhance the learning of students.

These are honestly questions I consider often. In my high school, we were required to have iPads to use in the classroom. Above all else, I found it to be distracting while trying to focus on schoolwork. Now looking at it from a teachers perspective, I often consider the overall purpose of technology.

This teacher's comment is inappropriate in many ways. She has taken an isolated insolent and using it to create a racial stereotype about an entire race. The race or ethnicity of a student has nothing to do with the way they will interact with technology. This is a dangerous assumption for an educator to be discussing openly. Being good with technology is something these students should be recognized for and put into a positive light.

This is a really interesting point. Growing up, I was never really into computer games. I never got the appeal and even now when kids I babysit are glued to the computer I always have a hard time understanding it. However, it is interesting to see that young people are gaining skills by participating in these games. It is even more interesting to recognize that kids who are not given access to computers are missing out on these same digital skills.

I completely agree with this. Having access to the internet or any computer at home gives students a tremendous upper-hand when it comes to completing assignments. Being able to type and print homework at home is a privilege that not every student has. Additionally, the use of the internet and being able to look up information to enrich assignments is an advantage.

This is an awesome way to be actively provide help for students who are in need of extra help due to learning disabilities, while also supporting all students. Students who do not have accommodations, but who are struggling with course material now have the ability to review class material in order to better understand. Additionally, kids who have accommodations will not feel singled out or isolated because the entire class is given the same opportunities as them.

In order to make designs that are inclusive for all, we must intentionally keep in mind experiences of marginalized learners. When creating lesson plans like we did last week, I will keep this in mind and actively try to reach marginalized learners.

Keeping these principles in mind when designing for education, is vital in order to make a change. Design should allow for all students to be able to fully engage to the best of their abilities.

This is a great place to refer back to for evaluating tools. Is the tool appropriate for skill level/ content.

I really like the wording of this statement. This is a great motivation for teachers to think out of the box with ways to utilize technology in the classroom.

This is an outstanding point. In my highschool, we were all required to have ipads. While they were somewhat helpful for typing papers or spending less money on an ebook, overall I found the ipad to be more distracting then helpful. Nothing we were doing on the ipad was unlike any of the ordinary things you can accomplish by writing. Kids mostly used them to play games and they became a bigger distraction then they were worth in my opinion.

In my human development course, we are talking about Piaget's theory of cognitive development. He believed that schemas are vital to the learning process of children in order to organize their thoughts into familiar categories. A mind map is a great visual of a schema to use with students.

I have been using Blooms taxonomy in another one of my classes currently. I am curious to see the similarities and differences there will be implementing this into both courses.

This is a question that often crosses my mind. There are truly HUNDREDS of tools available. It is so difficult to determine which tools are the best choice because there are simply a multitude to choose from. I look forward to learning what the best choices are.

I think that this is great input on how to evaluate the use of assistive technology. Making the decision of which tools to use in the classroom or with a student individually can be extremely difficult. Teachers should always keep in mind the overall benefit of the tool and should regularly revaluate its purpose and effectiveness.

This is beautifully said. In this class and in many of my education courses, a major topic is what is the best way to cater to individual needs of students in the classroom. This is such a difficult question to answer due to the levels of assistance needed as well as the amount of students. However, as educators it is our responsibility to learn what methods of learning are most beneficial to each student. A computer does not have the capacity to analyze the specific needs and make judgement calls for the overall success of the student.

Over time will AI become heavier in terms of educational technologies? How large of a role will technology play in the class room over time? Can a computer preform the tasks that have been reserved for human intelligence in the classroom?

Managing the digital world is extremely difficult even as an individual. Teachers have to not only guide children on their path of digital learning put they are also required to protect them. Free educational apps and tools violating the privacy of students is extremely disheartening. Teachers want to use these tools to enrich the education experience but now we must keep in mind the consequences of this. I look forward to learning the best ways to ensure the protection of students to avoid an incident of this kind.

This is honestly so scary at times. It is such a violation of privacy to see an advertisement of a pair of shoes that you were looking at weeks ago pop up. I can recall this happening on various social media and retail websites but I do remember one time experiencing this on Quiz let. I was so shocked because I never thought such a well respected educational tool would be stealing my information.

Growing up in a world where everything is digital including many aspects of my education, I have never given this much thought. Every tool or even article I read will ask me to create an account and provide personal information. I think that many kids my age are so used to doing this, that handing over our information is essentially seen as a no brainer. Additionally, I am guilty of never reviewing the terms of use due to the length so I usually just check the box and move along.

This week I was actually introduced to Mircrosoft Immersive Reader in another education class called tutoring in schools. I was immediately drawn to it for the bright colors, even spacing and voice controls. It was presented to us for a tool to teach kids how to read but the benefits can expand far beyond this. Students with cognitive disabilities can benefit from the voice controls and also the layout of this tool.

These three accessible learning experiences can greatly expand the opportunities for a student to learn. Every student has their own style of learning as well as their own interests. I think that giving students a choice when it comes to an assignments can allow them to fully engage in the material in the way that is most suited to individual learning. In my special ed call last semester my professor often discussed how beneficial this style of learning is in order to suit the individual needs of students in a class room. This choice style of learning was something she practiced with us as college students. We were allowed to choose to make a video, write a post or participate in a discussion every week to engage with the course material. This was my first time having a choice of assignment and I absolutely loved it. I choose to attend a weekly discussion because I feel like I understand information best when I hear it out loud and explain my own thoughts with others. Although this is my preferred learning styles, I had many friend who opted to write a post because they love to write and get anxious talking in front of others. I really appreciated how we could all engage with the same material but in a way that worked best for us.

Providing an inclusive learning environment for all students is a huge responsibility for teachers to take on. In a large classroom it can be difficult to cater to the need of every child individually. That being said, we must actively strive to take this responsibility and figure out what tools are most effective to achieve this.

Making sure that the tool is operating on all kinds of devices and browsers is so important. Throughout my education experiences, there have been times where a certain website or program would not work the same way on a school computer than the one at my house. I also think that the point about making sure the tool works on more devices is important because some students may not have access to a computer at home. Considering all of these factors allows for all students to have the opportunity to learn at home and at school.

I could not agree with this statement more. I tend to get easily confused and occasionally frustrated with technology and digital tools. The tools that I use most frequently and benefit my learning the most are the ones I find the easiest to use. A perfect example of this in my educational experience is my tendency to used Google applications (Docs, Slides, Drive). The set up of these programs are easy to operate due to the large icons and descriptive instructions. My favorite feature on these apps is how easily content is saved. I have always struggled with word and pages when it comes to accidentally deleting and losing a document due to saving incorrectly. On these programs, all the work that you do is saved automatically and you can revert back to different versions with a simple click.

This is definitely a feeling that I have experienced throughout online school and remote learning. Many of the platforms used to conduct classes were very confusing to me at first. It is important that teachers are descriptive and helpful when it comes to introducing new tools for online learning.

With these intentions of universal access in mind while designing courses, I believe the education system can be transformed. Students who struggle on a day to day basis will be given the opportunity to succeed. Rather than going out of their way to get support, the course will be designed to support everyone.

When a student has needs for recourses in terms of online school, their struggles in terms of accessibility can be overlooked. I think that this is also experienced by kids before the pandemic. Overwhelming circumstances where resources are in dire need can result in specific needs of a student to be overlooked.

In order to create a healthy learning environment for their students, teachers need to have a background and training with these digital tools. It is disheartening that some individuals decided to neglect their training. When a teacher is not prepared the students are negatively impacted.

I could not agree more. I had so many teachers in high school who were truly brilliant people and knew everything there was to know about their field but could not fully reach their students. The tools that were being utilized were often times confusing for the teachers, so therefore students had a very difficult time operating them as well. If teachers were given a better background on what tools work best to teach their area of study, students would be more engaged with the material.

Being online puts students privacy at risk. It can be difficult to navigate not only what tools the most beneficial to learning but also which are best for protecting the privacy of students. Overlooking this can put teachers and students in a bad situation.Including this data protection and rights on the rubric reminds teachers that they are the only one who should be sharing person information in order to protect their students.

Reliable tech support and help availability is extremely beneficial when operating an online tool. This semester, I have had many issues trying to operate a pearson online textbook/ homework site. I was having difficulty accessing the etext that I needed in order to complete my assignments. I called the technical support number and was guided through the process of how to use the website. This relived my stress and it is great to know that I will have access to the support I need if I ever have this issue again.

There are endless amounts of digital tools available to in order to enrich learning in the classroom. Teachers can demonstrate how to use these tools and guide students through the process. However, now that many classes are conducted online due to the pandemic the entire class is more so dependent on these tools. It is far more difficult to introduce and utilize a tool in an online school setting. Having a rubric to determine what tools are best for students to operate is so beneficial for educators when determining what tool is best for them.

In todays world we spend so much time on our phones. I find myself doing useless things throughout the day on my phone while waiting in a line or waiting for a bus. It is so cool to think that rather than scrolling through your instagram feed, you can use this time to participate in your PLN. Doing something such as reading educational posts or retweeting are so easy and can be done at any point throughout the day!

Nowadays there are so many unreliable sources on the internet. I really like this acronym because it is simple to remember, yet so important and effective. I am definitely guilty of being overly trusting when it comes to online tools and sources. I tend to forget about the dangers that exist online especially in an educational setting. When a website is pertaining to academic information it is easy to assume that it is reliable. However, it is still important to always use the SIFT method no matter what!

In many of my classes last semester, I would spend a lot of time searching for sources that fit the criteria of the assignment. I was often tomes overwhelmed by the amount of information that was available to me and had a difficult time sorting it out. Using this tools option would be extremely beneficial to me to specify types and dates of sources. I wish I knew about this feature last semester, but I look forward to using it in the future!