Chapter two- Hardware Basics

Chapter two gives the reader a vast overview of the many forms of technology that teachers will use in their classroom. Most of them I am already pretty familiar with and already know how to use them. For instance, I own my own digital camera and can use it extensively, with ease. I am not familiar with its classroom applications, but the chapter gives us ideas on how to use them. A digital camera would be extremely valuable in demonstrating the children’s work level. You could take photos of your students work, and then upload them to your blog, and your children’s parents can see exactly what their children have been working on in class.
There are however, some pieces of hardware that I am not familiar with and have not been exposed too. This is the first semester that I have seen a smart board. They were not available to the school I attended back home. The school that I am doing some volunteer work in now does have a smart board and it seems to give the teacher an extra hand and makes teaching and organization just a bit easier.
Since I am in the dual enrollment special education program at USM, I found the adapting for special learners on page 52 very interesting. I did not know that there were so many devices out there to help students with learning disabilities. There are screen magnifiers, keyboard wrist supports and even a Braille translator. I thought all of these would be helpful in the classroom, especially since inclusion is becoming more and more popular with special needs children.

Chapter One Reflection- Preparing to Use Technology

Chapter one gives the reader a synapsis of the origins of technology use in the classroom. From chalkboards and slates, to television and then computers, the use of technology has always been prevalent and instrumental in the classroom. The chapter uses testing scores of young children to demonstrate the benefits of technology use in the classroom. The book explained to us that children’s test scores increase when they are exposed to mathmatical principles using the computer. I agree with this idea and these results very much. I had a great deal of difficulty with math as a young child and using the programs that my teachers introduced to me in school helped me a great deal.
This chapter also gives a description of the National Education Technology Standards. This set of standards is designed to help teachers prepare programs and design fundamental concepts using technology in the classroom. I am relieved to know that there is a set of standards in which teachers can go by when it comes to technology. I am not as technologically literate as I would like to be and this set of standards will let me know everything I need to know to be prepared in the classroom. I would also like to reflect on the characteristics of special learners. Special learners will need to use adaptive technology in the classroom at some point. Adaptive technology for special learners can be as menial as a magnifier on a computer screen or as complex as a computer that narrates everything you do on it. All instructors will meet special needs students at some point in their career and it is important that the educators know what to do when the time comes for them to adapt to their needs.