Google Docs, Other Google Technology in the Classroom

Created Google Slide Show

Almost all of the avaliable Google technologies, in my opinion, would be amazing tools to implement into one's classroom instruction--based upon my experience, the most beneficial component of these technologies (docs, slide-show, etc.) is the ease at which individuals are able to collaborate with one another through the use of an online forum. These types of tools, which allow for students to contribute to a group-created product easily, efficiently, and simultaneously either inside or outside of the classroom, would be extremely effective when attempting to constantly hold students accountable for their work; as instructors, through the use of Google docs in the literacy classroom, we will be able to consistently monitor the progress of each of our students, and actively partake in the editing and revising process with them even when outside of the classroom. We stress in college of education the concept of being ongoing, prolonged learners--Google docs, and the ease at which students are able to disperse their ideas, critique the thoughts of others, and edit/contribute to a collaborative group effort, provide literacy learners with the ability to hone their writing skills while acquiring the abilities needed to collaborate constructively with others, a skill that they must begin to develop as young adults in a growing society.

"Todays Meet"--Benefits of Back Channeling in the Classroom

Last semester, during my time in a special education course, I was introduced to “TodaysMeet”, an extremely effective online tool that extended the class's ability to communicate, collaborate, and share ideas during the various class sessions. This back-channeling site provides users with a communicative atmosphere similar to that of a “chat room”; our instructors encouraged us to actively use this tool all throughout our class lectures, and I found it extremely useful in regards to our abilities to clarify, question, and explain the class's complex ideas and concepts."TodaysMeet", and the site's easily manipulated back-channeling capabilities, if used appropriately, can be an amazing resource for implanting  social literacy skills within our classroom. Social literacy can be thought of as the acquirement of the critical social skills needed to properly behave and actively participate within everyday society.

As we all know as college students, life in no cake walk--because of the daily grind that we are all forced to endure, multitasking is an absolute social necessity. The use of "TodaysMeet" in the classroom has the potential to introduce these valuable social skills to our students. As Silvia Tolisano states in her article, these types of back-channeling technologies force students to engage in a number of social skills simultaneously--in addition to paying close attention to and participating in face-to-face dialogue, students are also encouraged to consistently post individualized ideas of their own and consider/reflect upon the comments that are posted by their peers. As Tolisano suggests, students must understand that back-channeling is no easy task; being able to engage in a focused, multifaceted conversation through the use of various communicative mediums requires a great deal of conversational discipline. Thus, the skills developed through back-channeling sites such as "TodaysMeet" allow students to appropriately and collaboratively interact with colleagues, a skill that they must eventually master in order to contribute to society. 

Wisconsin's Plight, Unionization, and the Impact on Education

As future educators, what can we take away from the Wisconsin union protests? What do they mean, and why are they so significant? This standoff between legislation and state-employees truly works to place the reality of what education in the United States has (unfortunately) become--a system that is far more focused upon minimizing budgets than providing our nation's youth with a high quality education. With that being said, as Patrik Jonsson suggests in his article, "Wisconsin Protests: Why "Week of Rage" Matters for the Rest of America", the line between politics and educational welfare has been undoubtedly crossed--Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R), in an attempt to rescue his state from a budget-based nightmare ( however, in many people's opinion, Scott is simply attempting to slight Democratically supported unions), has just recently passed a bill that will require both local and state employees (most notably in our case, public educators) to fund close to half of their own overall pension costs, and to pay for just over 12% of their annual health-care, which is close to twice the amount of their current annual payments.Similarly, Governor Scott is developing plans to significantly reduce the collective-bargaining rights of state employee groups, thus virtually stripping away the purpose behind unionizing (i.e., unions will be required to hold annual elections to remain certified, and will only be able to discuss the wages that they receive). But, news has just broke that a federal judge has suspended this anti-CB bill, and that Walker's reforms are now under heavy scrutiny and investigation.

What we, as aspiring teachers, are able to take away from these ongoing protests is that, regardless of our efforts, we can not avoid the fact that, during this time of nation-wide economic uncertainty, education has become more politically and financially mandated than it ever has before in our lifetimes--our pre-service instruction has, in many ways, provided us with a somewhat unrealistic depiction of what we will face in a real world classroom. Education has become a potent form of business and a crucial component of debt-management-- business is money, and money, especially now, is meant to be saved. It's an unfortunate reality that we face as instructors, knowing that, as we dedicate our blood, sweat, and tears to the well being of our students each and every day, we are simply being used as pawns in a political game--not only are our livelihoods impacted (financially, benefits-wise, etc.), but, more importantly, our students suffer as politicians attempt to slap together the cheapest educational format that they can muster up. Yes, it's unfortunate, but it is still a reality. Today, with our soon-to-be profession in a state of flux, we need to collectively become more educated about the politics surrounding our profession--without educating ourselves about our rights and what we can control, we won't be able to protect and adequately represent ourselves in the future.

A Reaction to "An Urban Teacher's Education"

"An Urban Teacher's Education" is one of my favorite blogs--the author always provides his readers with amazing insights and somewhat alternative perspectives in regards to the more controversial elements of the world of education. His most recent post, "You're a Quitter and You Suck at Teaching" (yea, I know, interesting name) sheds light upon the hypocrisy that often exists within school districts throughout the United States--within quality pre-service educational programs (such as the one that we were all accepted into here at State), we are always taught to "subjectify" the curriculum, and to always place the student at the center of our instructional decisions within the classroom. However, as the author of this blog suggests, once one is actually in the classroom, this "student centered" approach is almost completely abandoned. Unfortunately, as the author states, "good" teachers are those whom don't ask questions of and are obedient to their respective administrators.In essence, the author suggests that, unfortunately, in order to advance within the profession, as educators, we must accept that standardized testing is inevitable, and whether we believe it or not (which we hopefully don't), portray an attitude which suggests that  we believe this type of assessment is the best option for determining the status of our students and our schools. If one chooses to "push the envelope" and stray away from this accepted (and heavily promoted) construct, he/she will be asking for trouble. The author suggests that the core of this problem can be traced to uneducated and inexperienced administrators and legislators who invoke curricular modifications without any true and authentic classroom experience; if administrators have never actually experienced "classroom life", collaboration will be impossible, support will be limited, and the school atmosphere as a whole will suffer. In addition, if administrators have not been in the classroom, they lack the ability to reflect upon and recognize the techniques that best benefit students' learning--as soon-to-be professionals, we deserve and require administration who understand and can empathize with the difficulties that the classroom presents for both ourselves and our students, and who are  willing and able to tweak their school-wide decisions in ways which address the needs of their school's students and staff.

Michigan's CEC-- Inspiring Event

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) annual awards event--my invitation came due to my affiliation with one of the award recipients. Terry Bennett, the owner of Specialty Pet Supply (a small store located in Plymouth, Michigan), currently employs my oldest brother at the store.My brother is 27 years old and is autistic, and has been working with Terry since he was hired at her store in 2009--with assistance from his job coach, my brother is able to complete a variety of tasks, including (but not limited to) stocking shelves, filling "food containers", and pricing items. He loves his current job, and leaves home with a positive attitude each and every day that he is scheduled to work. 

Terry was nominated (due to her work with my brother) to receive this year's "Outstanding Business Award", given to the business that serves as a prime example of a  local entity that is helping to transition individuals with disabilities into their respective communities. Terry is unbelievably accommodating, accepting, and understanding, and does a superb job of tailoring my brother's assigned tasks to his strengths and abilities. She was nominated by my parents, and was more than privileged to receive the honor.

The event was wonderful, full of reminders of why I aspire to work with individuals with disabilities--amazing accounts from students, teachers, and administrators were heard all throughout the night. To see my brother's face light up when he heard his name mentioned in Terry's acceptance speech was something that I will never forget, and the night is something that I will always remember.

My brother and Terry after the event! It was an awesome night!