LA'DORIS CONROD

ETEC 424.02W

10/31/19
Assistive Technology
◦ Assistive technology is designed to help students who have
learning disabilities.
◦ The Assistive Technology I am most familiar with is Phonetic
Spelling Software. This software recognize phonetic spelling and
converts it to the correct spelling of the word. Growing up I
personally had troubles spelling words and I wish they had this
sort of technology back then because it would have helped me
tremendously.
Family and
children
studies
◦ My degree area surrounds
the study of family and
children. I have worked
with plenty of children and
I know firsthand the things
they struggle with. Over the
years I have learned how to
communicate with children
in a way were they actually
hear me because they want
to and not because I make
them. I've learned what
works in a classroom and
what doesn’t. I know the
behaviorism of a child and
how to approach them.
Most importantly I know
what it takes to be a
teacher.
Hobbies
Things I enjoy and do in my free time....
Shopping
Long walks in the park
Traveling
Working out
Styling outfits for friends
Philosophy
◦ My personal philosophy on technology is that when you are able to integrate technology in the classroom
without it being a distraction, it is a fun and interesting way to engage with your students while still obtaining
an educational atmosphere. Technology can be a way to grab a student's attention and allow them to engage
with the entire classroom at once with games and activites.
Technology and Education?
◦ I personally believe we can mix technology and education in the classroom successfully. I know from
experience that technology makes for a more lively classroom no matter what grade. Students tend to light up
and jump at the chance to participate in a lesson if technology is involved. Technology is always advancing
and there are countless ways to integrate it into the classroom. Because there are so many ways to include and
use technology in the classroom there is no valid reason to not use it. Technology comes in all different
forms so it able to morph to best fit the needs of the students.
Behaviorism
◦ Behaviorism is the theory that assumes a learner is essentially
passive, and will be shaped through positive or negative
reinforcement. This is my favorite theory because I know it works. If
someone knows that they will benefit from an task they are more
likely to try harder at the task to complete it. I have seen this happen
outside and inside the classroom. If students hear about an incentive
of any kind related to a lesson they will jump at the chance to
participate, especially the younger students. If they are rewarded with
positive reinforcements they will try harder to learn and understand a
topic so they can be rewarded. For example, whoever scores highest
on a test will receive a snack of their choosing. This will encourage
each student to study hard and retain information to be at the top.
Game-based Learning
◦ As you can probably tell I love game based learning. I'm probably the biggest Kahoot enthusiastic you will
ever meet. I know that the kids learn a lot easier when we do game based lessons like Kahoot. We can use
Kahoot to review and go over lessons. We can play however long we want and it will never get boring. I also
like game based learning because I know that’s how I learn best as well. I want to practice methods that the
whole class can enjoy and be a part of.
Technology and School
◦ Technology has already changed schools. Schools now provide personal laptops and even iPad to students.
They do this because they know that a lot of their lessons and materials can be found online and they want
to make sure everyone has access to it. Technology is already becoming a very big part of school culture.
◦ Technology such as google docs can help students stay connected and
work on a project even outside of the classroom. Kahoot and
different educational games use teamwork to help students learn how
to collaborate with each other. You can do so much with technology
that gets the whole class evolves at once so that everyone is included.
 Weekly lesson
◦ One way I can integrate technology into a weekly lesson is to watch videos on some days that cover a topic
we are going over and then go more in depth with the topic with a lecture. I can also set up a Kahoot at the
end of every week for the class to play that goes over everything we covered that week. I could also take the
class to the computer lab to do independent study on the topic as well.
References
◦ https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html
◦ http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/issues/papers/Manning.html