Blog #G - Chapter 10

Picture By: DeviantArt- Gazoz5

Making sure that a student receives all the assistance they need is part of being a flexible and a great educator. In chapter 10 promoting success for all students through technology,  explains many ways how educators can achieve the goal to make sure their students don't have any obstacles when it comes to learning.

Picture ABCYA- Iliana

Multicultural education is important in the 21rst century because all students have a different styles and ways of learning. The text states that this idea is as James bunk says “ That all students- regardless of their gender, social class, and ethnic,racial,or cultural characteristics- should have an equal opportunity to learn in school.” I believe this is important because as an educator, flexibility is vital. Not everyone is the same. In one of my posts I stated that I am up at 3 in the morning doing homework because that is the time where I feel focused. My school provides me with teaching beyond a school day where i can access my assignments online and turn them in when i'm finished, Multicultural learning allows me to do that. This is important because no child will ever be identical. For example if you have a child who shines through kinesthetic learning might not be great through visual. I think Multicultural is critical because we have come to learn there many different ways of learning. There is a famous quote by Albert Einstein, " Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I want to emphasize that we are no longer living in the days where everybody learned sitting down reading a textbook. People like Mazarno have done research to show that students have different strengths. Another example is myself. I love interacting, writing but when i am assigned a math problem the regular person will take 1 min to answer it, I will take like 15 minutes. I would like to say that the multicultural learning plays a big part when I am doing math that it makes it possible for me to succeed in class. Most of my assignment are accessible online so I can take as long as i need to do my assignments and homework without it affecting me negatively. 

Another concept I believe is important is Text reading software. In the textbook the definition is allowing the computer users to hear written text read aloud by a computer,  This concept is interesting because not only does it help people with vision disabilities but any other person. This helps for example I do not know how to pronounce a certain word so the computer will pronounce it for you. It as well aids students in reading, perhaps it allows them to understand better or it reads at a faster pace. I think this is a great tool because there are times when i have to read an article online and staring at the computer screen for so long not only irritates me, but just makes it faster because I'm not constantly losing my place. Another thing that falls under this topic is word prediction. I can not emphasize the gratitude for this tool. this tool is the definition of efficiency. This helps students work faster and it helps with their spelling. I think this is important because where i believe word prediction occurs more is when texting. In my opinion this allows students to be aware of how to spell a word correctly and i feel like it provides sort of guidance on how to write. For example most kids would text ur instead of your or you're and teachers notice that they will start writing ur on their assignments. The word predictor i feel helps in avoiding that problem and prevents from having students fall under the habit of writing slang because it is faster.

Lastly what is another thing that technology has impacted in a students life is their writing. As the textbook describes many kids have trouble writing. They think it is for smart people, they feel pressured, get anxiety because they feel they wont write neat enough, their grammar, or their choice of words are not to the standards expected. Technology has allowed to reduce these issues students face when it comes to writing. Technology has simplified these by having spell check and grammar available. In programs such as in Microsoft Word, it underlines when one has made a mistake. It as well allows to fix mistakes faster and makes it look neat and it is legible. In many exams such as Fcat or SAT's  there is a written portion and it is extremely  difficult for me because I am pressured with a 30 minute time frame, and nothing to check if i spelled this correctly if the comma is where it is supposed to be. The number one worry for me is if the person who will be scoring me can read my paper. I as well worry that my hand writing might be too big so my writing will not have enough space. Its not just in major exams but as well in the classroom. When I am able to write using technology it simplifies my writing process. I am sure many students feel the same way. 

 

Resources:

 ABCYA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015. 

 

21st Century Education. (2012, May 7). Retrieved October 14, 2015.

 

Gazoz5 on DeviantArt. (2012, March 21). Retrieved October 14, 2015. 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.