We're live on the air...Podcasting take one!

Podcasting in Education...the good the bad and the ugly

For those of you who have not heard about this not so new anymore technological tool, Podcasting, as termed by Will Richardson, "is the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple." Podcasts are mostly presented by your everyday person talking about things that interest them with sound effects mixed in. One simply needs a digital audio recorder to create an MP3 file, a blog, and something to say. I recommend using Audacity for school projects as it's a free download and easy to use program.

 



After creating a podcast of my own in grad class the other night on a momument in D.C. for travelers to come visit I began researching other ways that teachers and professors use podcasts in education to get me brainstorming of how this medium might be used in my own classroom. I came across one of my favorite sources, EDUCAUSE review journal online and became caught up in their articles. Teachers use Podcasts for students to discuss book readings, brainstorm about presentations, teachers Podcast about scholary articles and weekly reviews for students to listen, and the list carries on.

 

 





 

I'm still not set in stone on if this tool would be useful for students with Intellectual Disabilities but I've often thought how neat it would be to Podcast to parents of my students. I know that often parents mourn the loss of being able to have discussions with their child about his/her school day or what they are working on in class. Maybe creating Podcast episodes about what we did in school weekly reviews might be a special treat for parents to tune in for. Just a thought...Podcasting might get a take two after all!

No school because of a winter hurrican? No problem...let's Wiki!

 

No school because of a winter hurricane? No problem...let's Wiki!

I must admit that I was not very familiar with wikis prior to this semester in ITIS. I was even a bit skeptical when we received the ITSOPedia assignment to due in lui of Winter Storm Pax hitting the Northern Virginia area causing class to be cancelled. After using the tool quite a bit and learning the affordances of it though I must share that I am quite fond of this tool now. When the storm hit and we were assigned to post on the wiki I was ecstatic.


I enjoy that everyone can see who has posted, edited, and added what and at what time so that there is never any group animosity for "slacker" group members. When one can visually see what others are posting and when I think it strengthens group cohesiveness. I also enjoy how one can post files, work on various pages, and create a collaborative site and feel like a knowledgeable contributor. I've been able to use this tool with my advocacy group with much ease and do prefer it to Blackboard because you don't have to have several threads open at once to access what you want to see and work on in the wiki.

Using wiki's in the classroom is an area I am still brainstorming on. Will Richardson shares with us that: "A wiki is a type of website that allows users to easily add and edit content and is especially suited for collaborative writing. That means that on typical wikis, anyone can edit anything at anytime. Fun! Because of how open most wikis are, many educators find them a bit tough to deal with."

But how can I get students suited for collaborative writing. We are currently doing a unit on editing our work in English class and I thought, if it were adapted enough, students might be able to go on a wiki site and edit works that needed fixing or that did not have correct information. It could help students strengthen their editing skills but also covertly show them the uses and purpose of wiki's. If anything we do know the usefulness and effectiveness of this collaborative tool as it enabled our cohort to have a very engaged and productive class period even with 16+ inches of snow!

A Blog about Blogging...

Why blog?

I am quite surprised at myself for having entered the blogging world. I follow several blogs and have for years throughly enjoyed reading them and getting caught up in the world that they blog about, but I never envisioned myself blogging. I guess I always thought that I had way too many interests and honing in on one topic would be hard for me, or where would I find the time to blog...or even who the heck would want to follow my blog?

Thinking about blogging in the education world and diving into the Blogosphere head first has enabled me to see this tool in a new light. Blogging affords so much more than sharing your personal story/interests to an engaged audience. Blogging expands the walls of classrooms, it can facilitate reflective thinking, teaches students how to organize their thoughts, gives a voivce to students who are more reluctant to share in class, supports database learning, helps students take ownership, and fulfills the new literacies students need to survive in our information age society.

 

 

Creating opportunities for students to blog in my specific content area might be a stretch but not impossible. I've already begun brainstorming ways in which blogging could take my educational career to a new level. I could create a blog for the parents of my students and blog about various Special Education services, laws, accomodations, modifications, etc. Helping to educate my parents and prepare them for life after their child leaves high school is something that I am very passionate about, and something that is quite scary for parents who have children with Intellectual Disabilities.

 

 

I could also start a blog for my basketball team or even my Professional Learning Community where we could post comments about meeting topics, game film reviews, team goals, technology tricks and tips. It might give a voice to those who don't normally share in meetings and could teach my athletes the importance of filtering what they are saying online. The opportunties are endless for blogging and I must admit publically that I am in full support....I'm a blogger, dear Abby! 

My Teaching Philosophy...what I care about in Education:

 

 

The course of learning for children is endless, and as a teacher and leader, I believe that it is my obligation to provide students and professionals with all of the necessary tools that can make them life-long learners. I strongly believe in the learning theory that students learn best by doing for I support that students should explore their own learning with the guidance of a teacher. I believe that education is an opportunity that should meet the needs of every student and I demonstrate this in my teaching and in my leadership roles by choosing learning tools/processes that meet the affordances of those tools and of my learning goals/objectives.

I believe that schools should be creative institutions where children feel safe and successful in. I strongly support the use of technology as an instructional tool when the affordances of those technologies meet the learning goals/objectives of each lesson. When implemented as a technique that does work to mediate between us and the world, technology offers ways to modify instruction, motivate students to participate in their learning and the world around them, collaborate with their peers, be good users of information, and become strong problem solvers. The most meaningful learning takes place when students are motivated and interested. In today’s Netgeneration students thrive when they are given a voice in their own learning process and when their learning is linked with their lives. By allowing students to bring their own stories, experiences, and authentic problems are presented for them to solve students then become life-long learners and higher order thinking skills are more obtainable, even for students who have severe disabilities.

For learning to occur students need to feel comfortable in the classroom environment. I believe that it is vital to build a strong sense of positive community in the classroom where children can feel valued. I see it as my responsibility as a teacher to instill respect for others and acceptance of diversity in my classroom. I acknowledge the importance of promoting social justice in my classroom and developing a classroom environment in which every student feels appreciate for who they are.

My philosophy and leadership style has been shaped by experiences within my own person life, my professional career, and my education. I affirm that my philosophy will continue to evolve as I grow and continue to gain experiences, however the foundations of my educational philosophy will continue to guide me in the way that I interact daily with my students and my professional colleagues throughout my endeavors and career.



 

About Me:

 

"Real success is finding your lifework in the work you love" David McCullough.

Hello, my name is Abby Schaaf and I am a current resident of Herndon, Virginia. I’m recently new to the Virginia area having just moved here in June of 2012 after graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Education with triple certification in Special Education, Elementary Education, and Early Childhood Education from St. BonaventureUniversity in Olean, New York.

Currently I am pursuing a Curriculum and Instruction, MEd in Integrating Technology in Schools from George Mason University. While at Mason I have thrived in the cohort community based atmosphere and have learned a great deal from my colleagues in the program. When I’m not immersing myself in my graduate studies I am in a profession that I love.

I am blessed to teach at RobinsonSecondary School as lead Special Education teacher in their Intellectual Disabilities, Category B, program where I teach adapted English and Reading to the 9-12^th grade students. Robinson Secondary school is located in Fairfax, Virginia and is part of the Fairfax County Public school system. I am very fortunate to be able to go to a job that I love each and every day and work with a student population that I am passionate about.

In addition to teaching at Robinson I also serve as my department’s lead teacher as well as coaching the JV GirlsBasketball team as well as their Special Olympics Basketball team. I also am the Varsity Club sponsor, which is an extracurricular social/service club fostering friendship, understanding, and acceptance in an effort to enhance both students with Intellectual Disabilities and students from the general education populations’ opportunities for friendships, integrated job and life skills development as well as leadership development. Robinson Secondary’s Varsity Club is committed to building an environment where social growth is nurtured and where opportunity to strengthen the sense of Ram pride in our athletic community is embraced.

Outside of work and school other aspects of my life that are very influential and important to me is my family and my faith. I was raised in a family of five that was always taught to put others first. My loving, dedicated, full of life, driven, faithful, tight knit family are the glue of my life. They have supported me in all of my hopes and dreams, and they are the reason I am where I am today.

I am an advocate for serving others and my community. I enjoy giving motivational and inspirational presentations to promote Disability Awareness and to assist youth in being leaders in their communities and faith life. I’ve enjoyed giving various speeches at youth rallies around the Western Pennsylvania area as well as hosting Disability assemblies at Robinson Secondary School.

Family, Friends, Education, Equality, Faith, Leadership and Community are what I live for and they have made my life very whole, and very happy indeed!