Another reason to be a teacher...

We had a bonus day off today because of the ice! That is another great reason to enjoy being a teacher! I love days like this. I just don't like it to happen too often! I can handle a coupe throughout the year!! Happy Finals Week to everyone!

Class over view

I know I have said this before, however, I will say it again! I think this class was great! It really made me look at technology to apply to my classroom. I would have never ventured onto you tube or blogger! Both sites can be beneficial to students and teachers. I ejoyed the flexibility with the professors. I especially loved not having to drive from Angola every week for class! That allowed me to work from home and I could spend more time with my family. This truly was one graduate class I learned alot in... trust me... not all are like that! (That is unfortunate!)

I wish I could have made it to our last class I will post some pictures of our program. We were on the front page of the Harold Republican! The parents were delighted and it was a great opportunity for my kids to "shine!"

Hats off to Melaine and Bob for a well organized online class!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season.

THE LIGHT IS BRIGHT!!

Well, As you all are, I am plugging away on the LB5! This semester has been a little crazy and has flown by...as usual. I have really enjoyed this class on line a lot. I think this class has made me branch out in the tech world! (With little force! :P ) I hope you enjoy my video! Good Luck with your LB5!

These are photos of our class camping trip. We raise money and apply for grants to fund our trip. We have gone camping for two years. It has become a funtional part of our program. The camping trip allows parents to focus on their child with disabilities and allows them to spend quality time with them. We cook over the fire, do scavenger hunts, fish, make crafts, have a luau, sing, and play games. Our trip meets several Indiana Standards and it is a great experience for our students. It provides them an experience they may not have otherwise! I encourage you to reach out, explore and try new programs and activities with your students! Enjoy!

Black Friday...

My Turkey day was great. I got to spend som quality time with family. We made home and I got to shop this morning at 5 am with all the other crazy people in Angola. What a riot. I like to go just to people watch. I am always amazed at how people act when they are trying to get something they really want. Well, I did manage to finish up my shopping except for a few items for stockings. Now on to finish up LB4 and Start LB5. It is hard to believe how fast this semester has gone. Now my light is getting brighter. I have one class next semester and I will be done with grad school. :P
Happy shopping.

Final weeks...

I have to take a moment and let you know about the wonderful the class I have. My class is very rewarding and I often have to remember to take a moment and enjoy the small steps my class makes! These small steps are steps closer to their goals through their journey to beoming independent adults. We just had out Thanksgiving dinner and it was awesome! We did all of the cooking and shared with other firends in the building! I know my assistansts are truly a blessing in my room. Without them, my job would not be possible!

Now onto LB4! I know I have to get started on this project! I have not used task stream yet so this should be interesting!

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksg

Only a few weeks left...

I have to say I have enjoyed this class and the flexibilty with Melaine and Bob! I appreciate not having to come to campus everyweek. Thank You!!! I feel more confident to take the initiative to explore unknown area of technology! I know the podcast forced me to explore other options besides odeo studio. Mypodcast.com was much easier and friendlier to use! I was in a panic when it did not save after 15 hours of trying! Thank goodness for google! :) Less than 2 weeks to Thanksgving!

Week 9

This semester is really picking up steam! It is going faster. Maybe life is just getting more hectic with the holidys approaching! My girls competed in their first gymnastics meet last weekend and they have another one this weekend at Concordia! They both did a great job! I had parent teacher conferences all day yesterday until 7p.m that made for a long day but i love meeting with parents. They provide in sight on their child and it is a great way keep the communication open! Being in special education, parent teacher communication is imparitive for student success! Everyone have a great weekend!

Week 8.... :)

Well, I am officailly done with one more exam in psych 500 and only 2 to go!! They are very difficult exams! HUH! Now onto LB3. I need to give this a little more thought! My class is getting sick with some type of bug and that is not fun because eventually I know, I will get something to share with my family at home! This is a difficult time of the year. Especially since some kids are medically fragile! I hope everyone else is doing well! Good Luck on LB3!

Technology with students with disabilities...

I found chapter 15 to be very interesting! I also found it interesting at how short it was! I feel it is important for teachers to keep up on technology especially for children with disabilities. I have found NIMAS to be informing and I guess the important part is that parents need to keep informed and they will definitely like technology to be used!

Another gone by...

It is hard to believe that another week has gone by. I am working on my power point and lesson plan. I am getting through it. I visited the task stream site and I am not familiar with it at all. Not to mention that having to pay to use the site is a little crazy since we already paid for this class. So, if anyone is familiar I would appreciate some help. By the way does anyone know a date that we have to come back together on campus? I know that is coming up quick too. I thought it was at he end of Block 3.

October 6th

Well, I have survived another week. I have just realized how crazy life is really getting with 4 active children, Mom in grad school. Both parents working full time. Where is there time to do anthing extra... LIKE blog ;0)
I have been thinking about my powerpoint. I would like for the powerpoint to be useful and applicable to what I teach. I have not heard of task stream and I hope to figure out more when I am done here.
Chapter 5 was interesting in the aspect of how would it be used with NCLB (No CHild Left Behind) Incoporating software that would be appropriate in our classrooms plays a vital role.

I really like Angela Blog... Wow what an impacting presentation.

Chapter 4

This chapter talked alot a bout the basic three. I use the basic three beyond the classroom. When I was developing my questions for the discussion board, I wanted to find out why everyone elso found these important. They are important both in the classroom and out.

Well, I hope that everyone got their lessons done. I found it to be challenging for my level of kids.

Chapter 3

I found this chapter to be good for integrating technology and as a teacher what to look for for different types of software. I am currently seeking cause effect software to use in my classroom. We use drill and practice and I agree it should be used for that purpose and nnot to initially teach a child.

Life is getting crazier...

Ok I am now feeling more stress. This class is not too bad until now with the lesson plan. I want to make it meaningful with the students I currently teach. To do that I am needing to provide tons of modifications. So I think I am going to stick to the basics. I got my You Tube completed and actually thought it wasn't that hard to do with my digital camera. I am also taking statistics and research this semester and next week we have our first test and part of our paper due... that is really why I am feeling stressed and life is getting crazier by the minute, not to mention taking the my own kids to practices and games... I guess I will be happy when next Friday comes along. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Chapter 8

I personally found this chapter to be "new"information. I liked all of the resources and Technology Integration Ideas.

I also liked the rubric. Another great site for rubrics is rubystar.

Chapter 7

I found this chapter to be a review of the internet and precautions to be aware of. I foundit interesting to read more about distance learning.

I hope throughout the book there are more resources for adapting to special needs. The Opera was a great website to checkout.

Introduction

I thought I submitted this in class the first night, but I guess some how I did something wrong. So here goes,

My name is Rosie Brandt. I live in Angola, IN. I teach in the MSD of Steuben County. This is my third year teaching in Indiana. I previously taught in Sylvania, OH for three years. All six of my teaching years have been in special education. Between working in Ohio and Indiana, I took off six years to be with my family. I have four children. They are Kaitlyn age 9, Sarah age 7, Ryan age 6 and Kyle age 4. Yes, they keep us very busy. I am also active in my church and sorority.
My husband and I graduated from The University of Toledo. I grew up in Cleveland, OH (GO TRIBE only 17 more game to clinch:).
I am looking forward to this class because I want to be up to date with technology to use in my classroom. I just hope Bob and Melanie have the patience to help me along. :o)

Chapter two

I liked the review of the constructivist theory and the objectivist theory. It was a great wa to reflect on what kind of teacher I am. I did not like the review of all the other theories( I felt like I was reading a boring psychology book all over again). I found the TIP model to be an interesting assessment tool for teachers to find a way to integrate technology into their classrooms.

Chapter one

I found this chapter to be a good summary of how technology is affecting education today as we know it. I found it interesting to read how far we have advanced over the last 30 years with technology. I remember the Apple IIe's with the black floppy disc (5") I can't imagine where it is going to go over the next 30 years.