Welcome to my Media Center!

Here you'll find all things reading and all things tech-y! Hope you find something you can use!

Monday 10 June 2013

iPads: From Rookie to Productive in Three Days

Here are the resources that we used the past three days.  There are links to apps, files, and websites that you will (hopefully) find valuable as you delve into the world of using the iPad in the classroom.  :)

iPad Boot Camp

Tips and Tricks to Use With the iPad
Here is a link to the Prezi we used in the training.

Tips and Tricks for the iPad
**Great website with tons of tricks that we did not cover in the training!**

Productivity Apps/AppSort
Reminders
Doodle2Go
Notes
Jumbo Stopwatch
SimpleDice
EventBrite
Paper
LiveBinders
Seatcharter
iRandomizer
Evernote
iBooks
Dragon Dictation
DocScanHD
StickyNotes
DocAS Lite
RL Classic
CloudOn
ClassDojo
Contacts
Scan
SlideShark
Wunderlist
Calendar
  
Productivity Scenarios
These are the apps you found to use in these scenarios.
Planning a Conference: 
Wunderlist
Calendar
Seat Charter/Smart Seat
Attending a Conference:
DocAS
Calendar
Evernote
Contacts
StickyNotes
Dragon Dictation
Planning a Grade-Level Field Trip:
I Plan Field Trips (free)
TooNoisy
Sit or Squat
Back to School
Be Seated
Class Dojo
Pinterest
Teach Thought
Notes, Evernote
Science and Math Night Out
Prezi
Educreations
iRandomizer
Timer
Sock Puppet
Evernote
Nearpod
Socrative
Grant to Visit Another Country
Evernote
SeatCharter
Dragon Dictation
Nearpod
FaceTime
DocAS Lite
High Maintenance Student
Edmodo
Calendar
Reminders
Evernote
Thirty Apps in Thirty Minutes!


App Party!!
Here are the screenshots of my folders on my iPad.  Some of the apps are listed above, but there are some news ones for each category as well!






























If you find any cool, new apps to share, please comment on this post, or email me at mhutton@scs.k12.al.us so that I can repost on my blog for others to benefit. You know I'm a bit of an electronic hoarder... :)

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Web-Based Tools for Teaching and Learning

This module is full of great web-resources and tools!  Check them out!



Response-O-Matic
Kwik Surveys: http://kwiksurveys.com/

Symbaloo



Thursday 25 April 2013

TEACHERS pay TEACHERS

Okay people....I am moving into a new venture...Teachers pay Teachers...da da dum...


Who loves TpT????  Because I DO!!!  

But, let me tell you...it's no joke!  It is tough competition.  There is SOOOOO much great stuff on there.  If you haven't been on there, get on there and play around.  Not only is there great stuff to buy, but there are also tons of things for free that you can download.  

And....while you are there....check out my two products :)



I am in the process of adding more products, so check back frequently!  


Wednesday 20 March 2013

To Mainstream or Not To Mainstream?

Here is a link to a Prezi I created to share with my faculty members on mainstreaming students with autism into the general education classroom.

http://prezi.com/tab4czlcgpjs/untitled-prezi/


These are some charts on the data I collected on my general education classroom teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming students with autism into their general education classrooms.

 
In summary, I was NOT surprised with our teachers' attitudes, but it was interesting to see their feelings "in black and white."  Overall, I feel that our teachers are not prepared professionally to meet the needs of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD.)  I do not think that this is their fault, I just feel we have been inadequately educated on the best ways to make accommodations (both academic and behavior) for these students.  How is your faculty educated/trained on issues such as this?  Do you feel prepared as a classroom teacher?

It was also interesting to see that all teachers who took the survey felt that general education students take on a mentoring role toward the child with autism.  While this says a lot about our general education students and their character, I can't help but feel like this is not their place to do this.  I say that as empathetically as possible.  I said in another post that in no way do I feel that students with special needs shouldn't have the opportunity to be in a classroom with their peers.  But, again, my concerns for the purpose of this project are to uncover (if any) negative effects of mainstreaming students with autism into the general education classroom for general education students.  What are your thoughts?  If you presented this same survey to your faculty, how do you think they would respond?  I would be interested to hear from school to school how opinions differ (or if they do differ!)  Let me know!  

Monday 18 March 2013

Advancing on the Spectrum

Another book that I read while researching mainstreaming autistic students into the general education classroom is called Autism: Advancing on the Spectrum. This was a great book to gain LOTS of information on Autism...and it's a newer book, so there are current practices included--which is great for novice and experienced teachers.

Let me give you a little background on my research project in order for you to more fully understand the dimensions of the project. Initially, I wanted to gauge teachers' views on mainstreaming students with autism into their general education classroom. I knew how I felt about it, but I wanted to see how others teachers felt in regard to their general education students. With classroom sizes becoming bigger each year, it is difficult enough to keep all students engaged, meet each child's needs, and deal with any discipline issues that arise. Mainstream a student with autism into that classroom...WHEW!

Saying that, I want to say this. In no way am I implying that I am not sympathetic to the behaviors that come with autistic spectrum disorders. I am also definitely not saying that I don't believe ALL students should have the chance to be in a classroom with their peers. I am simply speaking as a general education teacher and as an advocate for those "average" students who (let's face it) sometimes get pushed aside to deal with students with special needs. We (and I am guilty as well) get so involved in making accommodations that we often forget about the "sea" of students waiting for our attention as well. THAT breaks my heart for those students. I'm not sure that we are heading in the right direction in regard to EVERY student involved.

We have tons of laws and regulations safeguarding the rights of students with special needs, but when are we going to stand up for all of those other students who want to learn? And who is going to do it? That was the basis for my research.

In my next post, I will share a Prezi presentation on information from this book that will help you understand more about the Autism Spectrum Disorders. I will also present some data that I collected from my faculty about their attitudes' toward mainstreaming students with autism into the general education classroom.