OTEN conference

The OTEN conference:

• The keynote speaker talked mostly about the computers he had used in the past.
• Although that was interesting, it didn't link up that well with his final thoughts.
• We don't know what technology will look like 5 years from now, never mind 30 years.
• Technology should be seen as a tool.
• The first workshop I attended was about the use of a digital whiteboard.
• It was mostly a show and tell.
• The speaker again stressed that no matter how much she liked the whiteboard, it was a tool, not to be used for it's own sake.
• The second workshop I attended was about how schools in New Zealand use technology
• Point England school uses blogs for their students.
• The expected growth of their students has increased fourfold. 

If the link doesn't appear to work, try clicking HERE.

Applications of blogging, with a focus on special ed.

Blogging is a great additional tool in the teacher's arsenal. Reminding students of their homework and allowing them to use the blog to turn in their homework are great uses of this medium.

However, I am worried that these things will not work as well in a special ed classroom, which is where I am hoping to work.

It seems to me that some of the great uses of blogging all focus on a class as a whole. In special ed however, each student has an individualized education plan. Homework is also individualized and many kids cannot use a computer like typical students can, so turning in homework that way is unlikely.

This weekend I went to the OTEN conference in Forest Grove. One of the workshops I went to was about he use of technology in New Zealand. A school there uses a blog as a focal point for what the students create. This school feels that through the blog the student connects to the world and finds that they have real power to reach out to that world.

This example seems to me the greatest use of blogging for the special ed classroom. One of the problems children in general and children with disabilities in particular struggle with is their perceived ability to be heard by the world. If, through blogging, special ed students could feel more connected, that could be incredibly empowering to them.

In fact, this might be something to look into at the school I work at. Hmmmmmmm......

short Bio

Contrary to many of my fellow students, I never thought I wanted to be a teacher. I studied Commercial Economy. Halfway through my studies I realized that trying to convince people that they wanted what I was selling was not what I wanted with my life.

Since then, my life has been a collection of wonderful experiences, starting in Virginia, passing through a few European countries (with a 4 month volunteer experience in Egypt) and ending in Oregon. The one constant was that I worked with people with mental disabilities. And loved it.

Currently I work at Centennial CTP, a community transition program in Keizer. Now that I have come to this point in my life, becoming a teacher seems the most logical and natural next step for me to take. A special education endorsement is (of course) part of this next step.

I have a particular interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder and hope to work in that field of special education. I also really enjoy working with younger kids, so I hope to focus on early childhood. My decision is not set yet and I intend to look at all the fields to see if there's something I might like better.

Apart from all this, I am the happy husband of Lisa and the busy father of Alexander and Annabel. Between my studies and my family, I expect to not be able to read anything but study books for the next 2 years.