Useful Technologies in the Classroom

Interactive Whiteboards

These have been around since 1991, but only became popular within the last few years (neamb.com). The nice thing about these is that anything that can be done using the computer you can do on the whiteboard. This helps bring teachers to the front of the class instead of behind the computer. The theory is also that it creates a more interactive lesson for the students which research has proven helps learning. Almost 90% of the UK schools use the interactive whiteboards in their classroom (edweek.org). A lot of benefits have been found when using the interactive whiteboards. In a study conducted by Marzano said “The teachers who were most effective using the whiteboards displayed many of the characteristics of good teaching in general…” (edweek.org). I thought this was an extremely telling quote. As one of my professors always say “Good teaching is good teaching”. The teacher needs to know how to use the technology and then use it effectively. I think these boards would be great in a special education classroom, especially if the teacher is trained well. 

Criticisms:

Some teachers see it as just an unnecessary and costly upgrade to an old technology. These boards and the systems that come along with them can cost upwards of $5000 per classroom (edweek.org). The only way teachers will be able to use this successfully in a classroom is to train the teachers through professional development. There are a lot of teachers who use it as a plain old whiteboard or just use the projector. This is a waste of the technology.  How effective do you think this would be in a classroom with Special Education students?

Applications for Whiteboards:

-Multimedia lessons and presentations including audio and video

-Collaborative problem solving

-Showcasing student projects and presentations

-Virtual field trips

-Recorded lessons that can be used by substitute teachers

-Documentation of student achievement

Here are several companies to buy them and get training for them:

SMART (http://smarttech.com)

Promethean (www.prometheanworld.com)

Mimio (www.mimio.dymo.com)

Numonics (www.interactivewhiteboards.com)

eInstruction’s (www.einstruction.com)

Polyvision (www.polyvision.com)

For some creative ways to use interactive whiteboards click here. 

 Virtual Schools

            Virtual schools are officially public schools and open to the public. These schools are set up for special education students as well. They are supposed to support IEP’s and related services. I wonder for effective this would be because special education students need more guidance than those in general education students. Online schools have more demands and require more responsibility than other schools. I personally couldn’t see myself teaching in this type of school setting, I have no idea how I would coordinate all of the rules and regulations required.  Students who go to these schools are not homeschooled because they still have to follow all of the rules of a normal school. Parents need to communicate well with the teachers and school and they also need to monitor their children. There are a lot of students trying out this type of school. It can be more flexible than attending school Monday-Friday. 

Socialization

Most teachers schedule monthly outings with other students in the online school. There are also school sponsored events for the students to attend. There are field trips, academic events, community service appointments, and workshops. 

Resources:

http://www.k12.com/facts-about-k12-public-virtual-schools

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2014/09/creative-uses-interactive-white-boards/

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/01/08/02whiteboards.h03.html

http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/benefits-of-interactive-whiteboards.htm

Identity Theft, Are you protected?

What is Identity Theft?
Identity is a crime where someone obtains pieces of information about another person and uses it illegally. ID thieves are using this information to make purchases, pay for medical procedures, and other things. This can get a person into incredible debt and keep them from every owning a home, getting a job, or getting a loan. Lately we have been hearing about security breaches in companies such as Home Depot and Target. Hackers get past all of the security and access credit card numbers and other personal information. 

Warning Signs

• Strange withdrawals from your bank account. 
• You stop getting bills or mail. 
• Retailers and merchants refuse your checks. 
• Debt collectors call you about debts you don't have. 
• Unfamiliar accounts or credit cards on your credit report. 
• Billed for medical services you haven't received. 
• Your health plan rejects your legitimate medical claim because you've reached your benefits limit. 
• A health plan won't cover you because your medical records show a condition you don't have. 
• The IRS notifies you that more than one tax return was filed in your name, or that you have income from an employer you don't work for. 
• You get notice that your information was compromised by a data breach at a company where you do business or have an account. 

How can you prevent it?

Only keep essential documents in your wallet. Try not to keep your social security card or old credit cards that you wouldn’t notice were missing. Try not to keep your various PIN numbers on you. Also don’t carry birth certificates or passports on your person, keep them in a safety deposit box. 

Make sure you don’t allow your mail to accumulate in your mailbox. This makes it extremely easy to steal personal information without you ever knowing. If you are going to be gone for an extended amount of time, have someone you trust pick up your mail for you. Also shred important documents and mail before throwing it away. This makes it hard for thieves to recognize and use important documents.

Your online presence can be a treasure trove for thieves. Use creative passwords that aren’t easy to crack. Do not use personal information as your passwords. Wipe old technologies to make sure no personal information is left on it. Don’t click on random emails. These can be phishing emails looking for an in to your computer.

            

Lastly, always make sure you report the crime as soon as you realize what has happened. The only way to make it stop is to report it and get it investigated as soon as possible.

For more information on this, click here. 

What to do if your identity is stolen. 

• Create a in identity theft report
• Place a 90-day fraud alert on your credit report..
• Place a seven-year extended fraud alert on your credit report, 
• Get free copies of your credit report, 
• Ge fraudulent information removed from your credit report. 
• Dispute fraudulent or inaccurate information on your credit report. 
• Stop creditors and debt collectors from reporting fraudulent accounts
• Get copies of documents related to the identity theft. 
• Stop a debt collector from contacting you. 

For more information on this, click here. 

Kids can be effected too. 

Children can have their identity stolen too. Securitymagazine.com states that 10.2% of children in the United States have had their social security number stolen and used by someone else. This could mean that a child already has debt before they turn 18. The child may never know until they go to apply for a student loan or a car loan. By then it may be too late to report it or recover their credit. The article stated that the youngest child effected in this study was only 5 months old. 

Sources

http://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/85064-study-10-of-children-are-identity-theft-victims

http://www.ehow.com/how_6856_prevent-identity-theft.html

https://www.identitytheft.gov/Know-Your-Rights

https://www.identitytheft.gov/Warning-Signs-of-Identity-Theft

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/identity-theft

Feedly Screenshot

Time Management

My teacher does review on the day that I am in class. This week he was gone and I helped lead the class with the assist of a substitute teacher. The substitute seemed to be a very smart man, but he would go off on tangents. This made it extremely hard to get everything the teacher wanted me to get done. Normally my teacher cuts to the root of things and the students know to get to work. I could have saved a lot of time that way if the substitute had told less stories. 
The only time waster in the classroom are the interruptions by the students. They have a habit of blurting out and then distracting the class. He warns the students to stop blurting, but they still tend to get off track. I asked my teacher how he thought he could save some of that wasted time. He doesn’t know how he can curb it any more than he already does. I agreed with him because if he keeps trying to silence them that wastes even more class time. Sometimes he has to let them get what they have to say out so we can get back to what we were talking about.