6.+Reflections

=Reflection 1=

Find. =Reflection 2=

Assessment Technology Tools **“Beyond Nintendo: design and assessment of educational ** **video games for first and second grade students” ** []  With Vigotsky’s theory that children are motivated through play, and that successful learning occurs during play in mind, this article proposes the idea that through playing video games there will be advancement through several aspects in the classroom. The text goes to explain that videogames are proven to have both positive and negative views when it comes to implementing them in the classroom. On the positive side videogames are often motivational, give immediate feedback, gives teachers an alternate way to present material, and mistakes are not the focus of feedback but the focus is on how well the student has done. The negative views include the resistance for teachers to train to use these materials, not all students feel that educational games are appealing, and there are several videogames that are gender bias and violent. Learning happens when you question and challenge yourself to discover new information or to achieve a certain goal, which is what happens when you play many video games. In a video game you are challenged to win the entire game and complete several tasks along the way to reach this end result. The authors explained that several factors go into making an educational videogame successful. This type of video game should be challenging, give constant feedback, there should be a fantasy/interesting character, and it should be inquisitive. (Rosas, Nussbaum, Cumsille, Marianov, & Correa, 2003). A study completed in Chile based on 1,274 Chilean students wanted to show the effectiveness of videogames (with the use of a Nintendo Gameboy) in the classroom based on three phases: pre-instruction, implementation, and observation. Each student would have the opportunity to access video games for 20-40 minutes a day independently or in small groups. In pre-instruction stage teachers were trained on how to use the videogames in their classroom and how to use them as a tool for assessment. In the second phase, students actually used the videogames on a daily bases, and the third phase of observing included the teacher observing before and after results of student progress. The results proved to be very positive. Students were more motivated and asked to play these games during free time and even over recess activities. Teachers felt that they were successfully being assessed based on the quick results that were complete by the videogame rather than in the traditional sense of grading, which in turn made teachers more motivated to teach this way. Also, an unexpected positive that came out of implementing videogames in the classroom was an overall raised attendance by students which many teachers credited towards their motivation to learn with the use of this assessment technology.  This study was completed in the year 2003, so many things have changed in the world of technology. It is a strong starting point to show that it was only a few years ago that we began implementing videogames into our classrooms. Although I am not a classroom teacher, I have experienced the use of videogames in the regular education classroom and in the special education setting. In a fifth grade regular education classroom I have seen on several occasions students getting done their work and going straight to the section of the classroom that offers handheld videogames to work on spelling. Students even sometimes will fight over these games, and then decide to move onto the educational computer games. In the special education classroom I worked with, technology videogames were often used and were a great way to track and assess student progress. We specifically used a videogame that worked on math skills and the students loved having the opportunity to use this tool, and I loved having this tool to immediately show the students daily achievement so I could compare it to previous work. Overall I feel that videogames are a great way alternate to traditional activities and have been proven in this study and in my personal experiences to motivate students to learn, and to motivate teachers to assess and record student progress on a daily basis. Works Cited Rosas, R., Nussbaum, M, Cumsille, P., Marianov, V., & Correa, M. (2003). Beyond nintendo: design and assessment of educational. //Pergamon//, //40//. Retrieved from http://www.savie.ca/SAGE/Articles/1199_000_ROSAS_2003.pdf =Reflection 3=

Professional Development: Integrating Technology into Special Education “Identifying Challenges to Technology Integration in Math Instruction” [] Identifying Challenges to Technology Integration in Math Instruction focuses on how special education students, can benefit from technology integration, specifically in mathematics. Although, the article explains that there are road blocks that exist in our schools, and how professional development can be a solution to these barriers. Several case studies were completed in an array of schools on the implementation of technology into special education. These studies, “ found common challenges facing schools and districts with respect to providing technology-enhanced mathematics instructions, including [|funding], [|time constraints] , and the need to provide [|professional development] that embeds technology in content area training, “ (Center for Integrating Technology in Education, CITEd).  Funding is explained as the largest struggle because not only does this mean there are often little to no funds to provide schools with the technology to integrate, there is even less funding to provide teachers with professional development courses to use these technologies. The second obstacle that teachers run into is limited time, especially special education teachers. This study had several teachers explain that from the time they wake up, to hours after the dismissal bell rings, teachers are instructing, grading, planning, and have to have some time for themselves in between! Also, specifically when it comes to special needs teachers, there is a drastic increase in paperwork that must be completed. These factors mean that there is little time to attend professional development meetings or go online to find free resources to teach yourself. The final challenge to offering technology in special education classrooms is that effective, long-term professional development is not accessible to many schools based on the two factors above. Teachers need professional development to understand how to work these new technologies, and to be able to implement them into their classrooms so they have a meaningful impact on their students.  I was fortunate to complete my two years of internship in a school that offered professional development courses once, and sometimes twice a month. We were able to have training on several different types of technology to incorporate in both the regular education and special education classroom. Although, when I worked in special education I found that I often used this training when working with many of the students in both mathematics and language arts. Although I feel that I would have understood the different technology tools that I was using after trial and error, the training that I completed helped me skip this trial and error, and move right on to successful student learning. After completing a few courses in The Mount’s Technology Facilitation program I feel that I may have some solutions to the problems that this article posed for lack of professional development in the area of technology. Funding is often a large problem for several school systems, especially if you have not met your AYP goals. We have learned that there are several tutorials available online, live chat help lines, and several other free resources that can help train individuals how to use technology. It may be argued that teachers do not have the time to research these free resources online, but that is why we have technology facilitators for specific schools and counties. If new resources are available at your school, you can contact this individual and ask for a toolkit of resources to better learn how to use that technology in your classroom. This would also be a way to help solve the problem that there is a lack of time to complete professional development. If toolkits are created, teachers will not have to spend time researching different tools and will be able to complete this professional development at their leisure either in school or at home. Finally, within the article, CITEd explains that there was one school that was in a low-income area that proposed using fundraising to not only purchase technology, but to raise money for technology facilitators to come in and teach the staff how to use this technology. This was done successfully and the school now has a trained staff and several technology tools readily available. This proves that even in low-income areas, fundraising is possible to purchase technology and the training for it successfully. (CITEd). Technology has been proven to be a successful aide to students with special needs, especially in the content area of mathematics based on research conducted by CITEd. By creating solutions to the problems that cause unsuccessful professional development for technology, educator can hopeful help students with special needs excel in the classroom.  References Center for Integrating Technology in Education, Initials. (n.d.). //Identifying challenges to technology integration in math instruction//. Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=117#professional