IBA

In class, we researched web quest and made our own. While some of the ideas used are interesting, web quests have no place in my future classroom.  It was very difficult to try to create or find web quests for special education, and was not easily modified.  While some of my future students will be capable of using web quest, I do not like them.  I feel as though while technology is important, my time in the classroom can be much better used allotted to something else. Inquiry based activities can be very informative and fun for upper grade level children while providing the student with valuable technological knowledge.  In my classroom, I would much prefer to use an informative computer game that all of the children can use and take turns using throughout the school day.

Website Evaluation Reflection

We live in a generation centered around the internet and other technologys, but how much do we really know about it? Is it really necessary to check a website before student use? How can I even possibly do that? These were the thoughts and concerned I had before I began my own course evaluation.  I have discovered that it is indeed important.  As the teacher, I need to provide the best, the most accurate, and the funnest websites for my children to use.  It is important to know whether the website can even be used in your classroom dealing with access fees or compatibility and programming problems.  It is also important to make sure that the information that you are providing your children is not some nonsense that someone just made up in order to entertain.  If you as a teacher tell the children that material on a website is true, then there is a very good chance that they will believe it too.  A website evaluation is actually a pretty painless process and can be completed during recess or lunch time.  When evaluating a website, it is crucial to check on the reliability of the author and/or the publishing company.  It is also important to make sure that the material and navigation is compatible with the cognitive abilities of your students.  This lesson on course evaluation helped me understand the steps that are needed to pick out a reliable source, and will definitely be useful in my future classroom!

Here is the website I evaluated, and found to be reliable. Check it out!

What Do I Want Out of TPTE?

I am very interested in the TPTE 486 class that I am currently enrolled in. I am not very efficient at using technology in a beneficial learning environment, and I am very excited to learn how.  By the end of this class, I am hoping that I will have an overview about all of the programs that can possibly be used in my career.  I also hope to master all of the useful tools that are given to me in a way that I can see working for me in the future.  I hope that all of these tools can be used to provide a more technology friendly classroom.  I think that the technology learning techniques I learn in this class will help me be a more innovative and imaginative special education teacher.

Hello All!

Hello everyone,  my name is Elizabeth Oakley.  I'm a junior at the University of Tennessee majoring in Special Education Modified and Comprehensive.  I am from Memphis, Tennessee and I graduated from Collierville High School in 2010. I want to teach because I love working with children, especially disabled children.  I hope that I can make an impact in their lives and spark a love for learning.  My older brother has Down syndrome, and seeing the struggles that he went through in the public school systems makes me want to be able to make a change for the positive. I strive to be able to learn how to involve parents more in the process of their child's learning and providing a strong connection with the home in order for the child to grow. I will be interning in the fall of 2014.  After that, I hope to return to Memphis and get my dream job.  I really enjoy crafting, and that is something that I hope to incorporate into my classroom.  My head is already spinning with ideas to make my classroom a fun and positive learning environment.  I am actually thinking about starting some small crafts for my room now just to keep me motivated through my last two years of school and my internship.  I also love spending a lot of time outside whether it involves swimming, hiking, spending time in the mountains, or whatever else brings me closer to nature.  I love spending time with children.  No matter what is going wrong in my life, the joy of a child can perk me right up. So that's a little bit about me before I begin blogging, and I hope you enjoy!

My dream classroom! (with my own crafts of course)