Blog Assignment #3

After Reading Paige Ellis' Blog Assignment #12
As Paige suggested, I watched this video on peer editing and came away learning a few important details when it comes to editing my fellow classmates' work. The narrator in the video pointed out three steps to peer editing.

1. Compliments- There is one important rule of peer editing and that is to stay positive. You can do this easily by starting your edit using compliments. Always make sure to tell the writer what he/she did well.
2. Suggestions- This means to give writers specific ideas on how to improve their writing. Whether you suggest different word choice, the use of more details, for the writing to have better organization, for the writer to have varying sentence length, or that the writer needs to stay on topic better. And just like compliments, always stay positive when making suggestions.
3. Corrections- When making corrections make sure to check for: punctuation, grammar, sentences, and spelling. 

When peer editing, make sure to follow these three steps, be positive, and be specific.

Also, another nice article to view on peer editing is this one. This slide show covered the three main points that were pointed out in the first video I discussed. However, it went into much more detail such as:

1. Compliments- Use sentences such as: I really liked your topic, I think you used a lot of good details, This was really fun to read because..., etc. These suggested sentences are easy ways to give good compliments
2. Suggestions- The overall theme of peer editing is to stay positive. So, instead of saying "It doesn't make sense,"  try saying, "If you add more details after this sentence, it would be more clear." The point of peer editing is to help the writer, so try not to use words that have a negative connotation.
3. Corrections- This is probably the only slide in the whole slide show that is essentially the same as the video from above. 

I highly recommend this slide show because it goes into further detail on how to give better compliments, suggestions, and corrections. It also gives you an example of writing that needs editing and walks you step-by-step on how to edit it properly.

Another video to watch is titled Writing Peer Review TOP 10 Mistakes. This humorous video is done by 4th and 5th graders showing you how to not peer edit. They use terms such as Picky Patty, Jean the Generalizer, Speedy Sandy, and seven others. The video shows Picky Patty as a girl who just "nit-picks" at a students paper by pointing out small things that are not that important. She points out things like a period that looks like a comma, a half a centimeter of the title is not underlined, and many small things like that. Jean the Generalizer shows a student who when critiquing her peers paper just generalizes the mistakes and never points out any specific examples. The video shows Speedy Sandy as a girl who points out her peers' mistakes but is only focused on finishing the assignment and not genuinely editing the work for her fellow classmate.

All three of these links that I discussed were very helpful and I recommend watching/reading them. Make sure when peer editing to always stay positive, be specific, and use the three steps. No one likes a Picky Patty or Speedy Sandy so make sure to avoid those examples. When peer editing, remember you're trying to help the writer become a better writer and the best way to do that is by lifting them up.

Issues Related to Adaptive Technologies
Technology in Special Education is a video made by a special needs teacher that shows the success of using technology in the classroom. Many students, who were shown in the video, had trouble learning and communicating before bringing laptops into the classroom. The technology used by the students kept them engaged in the lesson and also gave them a sense of independence.
The use of technology was not just limited to using laptops. The teacher showed one of her students, Corbin, who had trouble reading and, before technology, required someone to assist him in reading. Now though, Corbin no longer requires a teacher to assist him. He uses an iPod Touch to listen to an audio-book while reading along with it and is no longer required to go outside during silent reading time in the classroom. The next student shown in the video is Kris. Kris has trouble communicating, so the teachers rely on the laptop that Kris uses in order to communicate with him. Before he was using a laptop, Kris would have to use a communication board in order to complete his classwork.

Communication Board

Now, however, Kris uses a laptop to communicate and complete his classwork. Having Kris use a laptop allows him to have a sense of independence and I'm sure makes Kris proud he does not need special attention from the teacher in order to communicate.

With the use of technology, the special needs student is no longer at a huge disadvantage in the classroom. Any student, special needs or not, can benefit from using technology in the classroom. Whether using an iPod Touch, a laptop, or by using slideshows during a presentation, a teacher can now keep a child's attention and help those that are willing to learn.

After searching through the Apps Store in iTunes I would definitely use the app Proloquo2Go. Proloquo2Go is a full-featured augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) solution for people who have difficulty speaking. One of the most important things for a classroom is communication, without it teachers would never know if the information they are teaching is being learned. I would use this app in order to help communicate with a special needs child. I would also use it to help teach them that they can be an independent individual. Many kids/adults want to be independent in life, and this app would meet that want for a special needs individual.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Make sure to watch this video because it shows how teaching is changing with technology. Vicki shows how, in her classroom, not only does she teach her students, but they also teach her as well. The video shows her students not just teaching each other, but connecting with others around the world. The use of technology in the classroom encourages students to share information with each other and offers a new way for students to learn new material.

We, as students, should look at ourselves not only as just a student, but also as life-long learners. Being a life-long learner means that you are never satisfied with the knowledge that you have and are willing to continue learning new things everyday. With the rate that technology is improving, it is necessary that we are open to learn about these technologies and how they can be used to teach students effectively.