Journal #4: "One Size Never Fits All"

Courduff, J. (2011). One size never fits all. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20110607?pg=18&pm=2&fs=1#pg18

[NETS 1, II, IV, V]

I was blown away from this article because of its message and overall outcome. As a future special education, myself and all other educators have the same goal. To find alternative ways of getting our students to succeed in spite of challenges they face in the academic setting. As a new teacher this lofty goal seems overwhelming at times. I loved reading the short anecdotes of students who suddenly flourished once they were introduced to assistive technology and found creative ways to release their creativity. It inspired me to know that it is possible to positively change the academic lives of our students and give them the confidence to continue to learn that all children should have.

Q: What do we do with students who challenge the authority to try traditional methods such as writing with pen and paper?

A: A hybrid technique is a must in this situation. I refer back to the article when I answer this question and the example of Shannon. The teacher first allowed her to get her thoughts into story and narration format on the computer. Then using this tool as support she was able to go back and write the story long hand to continue to practice her writing skills. The difference was that she now felt confident enough to try to his without feeling the anxiety and frustration she must have experienced before using this technique. It is our obligation as teacher’s to find ways for our students to complete their assignments that meet the standards necessary in order to succeed and continue to grow as a student. I like to look at it this way: we are teaching the traditional methods of learning with a new “twist” on the method. Technology takes us away from traditional a – b- c method which can be a change that is uncomfortable for some teachers, but if it helps our students, why not give it a try?

Q: How do we find ways to bring this technology to all classrooms?

It is obvious to me that the wish all teachers have to bring creativity and technology to all classrooms should be a given, in reality it is never that easy. It starts from the top – and unfortunately the “top” is usually where they are cutting programs and funding for education rather then finding ways to keep it and increase it. Instead, it really falls into the hands of each individual teacher. Technology can be simple and it can be complicated. We may not all have the funding for some of the more complicated or expensive tech gadgets, but if a teacher has access to a computer that she can share with her students, she can start to make a difference. Some forms of assistive technology (AT) don’t even require a computer. For some students, it might mean letting them illustrate their story first instead of writing it. Once they have the pictures in a storybook format, they can go back and write captions to accompany them. Its all about finding the “twist” that I wrote about above that leads to the same outcome – a student accomplishes the assignment successfully.