first post

• My name is Ariella Epel. I am from Denver, Colorado,and received my undergraduate degree from Colorado College. I moved to NYC last year for the masters program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Teachers College. After a year in that program, I transferred to the ID/Autism program because I thought that it would better prepare me for my future goals  working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and because the ID/Autism was more aligned with my teaching philosophies. I am very excited to learn in this class about technologies that I will be able to utilize with my students, especially communication technologies. 
• My background is in special education. I taught as a teacher assistant for four years at a middle school for boys with profound autism and self injurious behaviors, and for one year at a preschool for toddlers diagnosed with autism and global delays. I have also worked as a respite care giver for children with autism, Down Syndrome,  Williams Syndrome, and emotional disturbances. 
• I am very nervous with new technology, I like to  joke that I was a Luddite in a past life. I am a slow learner, and new technology does not come easily to me. I look forward to learning techniques and tricks that will enable me to learn more independently and teach myself, as I currently require a lot of help to learn new programs or equiptment. Last year, my classroom received an IPAD with ProloquoToGo, and I was utterly stumped by it. My students had to show me how to use it.  I think that I learn best through repetition and through steps being broken down into even smaller steps. I like to watch something be demonstrated, try it myself with guidance, and then try it myself independently. 
• I think my main reaction to Martinez's article about problem solving was relief stemming from the idea that errors are a natural part of learning, and that one should feel free to make errors. I appreciated his suggested heuristic strategies as a way of staving off the anxiety that arises from the  uncertainty  inherent in problem solving. I must admit, I am very anxious about this course. When it comes to technology, my problem-solving skills are very undeveloped, and I am worried about failure. I am relieved to know that this course rewards risk-taking, and will develop our independence in solving technological problems without punishing the mistakes that we make.