In class this week, we discussed assessments, and the challenge of selecting and creating appropriate assessments that are fair and meet the needs of all students. Assessments are always a "hot topic" in education, especially because of legislative demands that every single student receive state assessments or alternative assessments to demonstrate progress. We discussed the challenges of assessments for students with special education, and that adaptations that we make for these students. One issue that I find very frustrating is that if we, as educators, believe that every single student learns in a unique  way, how is it responsible and reflective of their actual learning for us to assess their knowledge through a single assessment? 


As a volunteer at a classroom for students with multiple disabilities and health impairments, I have watched a teacher design a different "alternative assessment" for each of her six students that are tailored to their needs and abilities, thus and accurately assess their learning. Clearly, it is impractical for a school district with hundreds of students to have hundreds of personal assessments, and to ask a teacher to individualize assessments for her class of 30 students, but perhaps their is a "happy medium"  that is possible? Could we create a state assessment that could come in multiple versions that can be accessed through various modalities, and allow teachers to give students the tests that play to their strengths and thus accurately reveal what they have learned? 


While teachers always complain about having to "teach to the test", I personally feel that the requirement to assess every student a tremendous benefit to the world of special education, because it holds special education teachers accountable, and requires them to adapt the curriculum and teach the grade-level curriculum to their student, rather than just preparing special education students to work in sheltered work shops. I think it benefits all students to access the curriculum for their grade in some adapted manner, and for their teachers to be held to a high standard. National and state assessments hold special education teachers to a high standard, and while clearly their are tremendous problems with teaching to the test and with state assessments, I believe they have a benefit, too. 

Class Reflection

In looking back on this class, I  was exposed to many new technologies, and I learned much about myself as a user of technology. I did not expect that I would have such difficulty learning through trial-and-error, and that I would instead learn through online  video tutorials. I had assumed that I would learn tools through "playing" and experimenting with them, because I think of myself as an experiential learner. However, I realized that when it comes to learning technology, perhaps because of my own anxieties surrounding technology, I learn best through something approximating "direct instruction," where I would search Youtube for tutorial videos and then ask friends and classmates to help walk me through the technology. This was an interesting lesson for me, as my students who have autism often learn best through direct instruction and not through "trial and error." I felt that I gained insight into their learning style through this.

I am very excited about several of these technologies, and am already starting to apply them in my own classroom. For example, I thought Boardmaker was only to make PECS, but I know use the templates to make all sorts of games, visual aids, and schedules. I also had only used my SmartBoard like a dry erase board, but now use all sorts of interactive lessons that I design at home, and they gain my students rapt attention. I also use Prezi instead of Powerpoint with my students, and the novelty still hasn't worn off-they are glued to the Prezi's! I love using Kurzweil to record my voice for my students, because they really attend to directions delivered through the computer in a way that they might not attend to my actual voice! Its exciting to have new tools to engage my students, because motivation is so often one of the biggest issues when teaching students with intellectual disabilities.

I think I benefited a lot from the discussions about when to use technology, and when not to use it. I also had never thought about how some students have a right to technology, because it enables them to access information, and thus technology is their gateway to their "right to learn." I now think of access to technology as a student right. This was certainly something I did not expect.

Another thing I did not expect was that I now understand that technology can be used for a much broader spectrum of students than I previously understood. I did not previously think that certain technologies would be appropriate for students as "low functioning" as my population, and this opened my eyes to how technologies not designed for populations with special needs can be adapted to meet their needs and support their learning.

I think that I probably took a more back-seat role in this class than I typically do,because I was feeling very shy about what I perceived as my relative lack of competence with the technology. I still feel a little insecure in my abilities with these technologies, but have enjoyed practicing them and teaching them to myself at home. I think that I am slowly gaining confidence, and if this were a year long course, I think that I would become increasingly confident.

I never thought I would actively seek out new technologies for my classroom, because I think of myself as something of a Luddite, or at least someone who is inept with new technologies. I now am searching for new technologies to maintain the attention and motivation of my students, and I think that I am a much better teacher because of it. I think my students certainly enjoy learning with me more now that I am incorporating all of these new technologies into my class.

Digital Minds

This discussion was very interesting, because it is so relevant to the real world. I was blown away by the statistics of the video that we saw in class about how the growth and sophistication  of technology has just exploded in recent years, and how it has changed our society and even our minds. It is amazing to think of how seamlessly we integrate new technology into our lives, and how in just one generation we have become so dependent on computers and the internet. I have only worked in special education classrooms for five years, but have already seen many of them transform due to new innovations in AAC devices and the spread of the touch-screen and Ipad. I literally cannot imagine what technological advances for students with exceptionalities are just around the corner, or what types of technology I will be using in my own classroom ten years from now.

One of the things that I took away from the class discussion was a desire for a happy medium of technology in our lives: a balance of embracing and exploring new technology, while not ignoring low-tech and no-tech tried-and-true teaching methods. I think it is important to recognize the value of new technology, and to find innovative and creative methods to incorporate technology into our teaching, while simultaneously "not fixing what ain't broke" and understanding that technology can actually take away from an educational experience in some circumstances. It can be difficult to step back from shiny new technology and remember that a no-tech, very inexpensive device can function just as well, or even better, than a high-tech device. As an example, I love Ipads, but some of my students communicate much better with PECS than  they do with ProLoQuo2Go.

As with any investment, when you purchase a new piece of technology, it is important to weigh its pros and cons, and to keep an open mind to all possible alternatives to meet the desired function. Too much technology can be distracting to students, can make them dependent on devices that they may not always have access to, and can place an incredible financial burden on families. I think its important to keep all options, high, low, or no tech, in mind.