Who Are You?

I am currently working on my Master’s in Multi-Categorical Special Education. I’m interested in this field because my twins have both been in the Special Education programs throughout their school years. My son is now receiving a minimum amount of services. He attends Math and Language in a collaborative setting. My daughter has completely exited the program. When my children were younger, I had trouble with some of the teachers in the Special Education classes. I was told that the most I could hope for was that my children would graduate high school. My daughter usually makes the honor roll. I have learned through my studies that individuals learn differently. By using technology in the classroom, I believe that as a teacher, I can find ways to help each student achieve academic success.
As a student myself, I know that bookwork can become tedious and boring. By increasing my knowledge of technology, I will be able to incorporate learning activities that help students develop their creative side, make predictions and draw conclusions about learning. In the past when I student taught, I tried to incorporate learning activities that involved the use of the computer, but I had no idea of the extent of resources that were available. I have also learned that there are many ways to evaluate student learning. Tests are not always the answer. With students that have special needs, there may be barriers that prevent you as a teacher from assessing student learning in traditional ways. By using technology, I will be able to assess a students understanding of content standards in non-traditional ways that may be more appealing to my students.
Using technology will also help me to expand upon my own knowledge and provide me with an array of tools that I can use to plan and implement course instruction.
Because of my own experiences with my children, I am very passionate about finding ways to help all students achieve success in the classroom. That is why I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of technology so I can incorporate these new found skills into my own classroom in the future.