Recent Changes

Camera Mouse
The camera mouse is such a great tool! People with disabilities are able to use the computer the without having to move their hands or talk. I think this will be useful in my classrooms when I teach special education. Students will feel more independent and will have more confidence because they will be able to search the computer on their own (or with a little help). I downloaded it to my computer and think it is great! I'm sure it would work even better when you don't use it on a laptop. I'm not sure if all computers in schools have cameras but hopefully the schools would be able to get few so special needs students could use this free program.

Elise Mayo's Response
Content knowledge: I think I want to teach younger children, so I will need to know a lot of information about every subject. I will need to be able to teach them about Math, English, Science, and History.
General Pedagogical Knowledge:I plan on teaching these subjects in the most engaging way possible. I want my students to participate in class and get excited to come to my class.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge: I will break up the class into parts, so the students stay more focused. We will have lecture for 15-20 minutes, then a short discussion time. Lecture again for 15-20 minutes then an activity. Some days would have shorter lectures, but in general the idea would be to break out the class into 4 parts.
Knowledge of learners and learning: Understanding your students is really important when you are a teacher. Different ages learn differently, so it is important to know the best way your age group learns. Younger children have a lot of energy and like to learn visually, so I would have the classroom set up for activities where the students can get up and move around. I would have a lot of visual examples to help the students understand the information.

Elise Mayo's Response
I want to teach special education but putting myself in the shoes of a teacher who has students with disabilities in my classroom of other students, I would have to teach my class differently to accommodate the students with disabilities. I would have my classroom work together in groups of students. Some assignments I would have the person with disabilities work with the other student and others I would have the students with disabilities work with me in a group while the other students work in groups together. For individual work, I would dedicate class time for the students to work on the assignment. This would be time for me to work with the students that needed extra help with the work. I would be available for them after school to give any student extra time if they need it.

Autism Apps
I found a few apps that I think V would love!

Picture Dictionary English:
A user and kid friendly dictionary that includes a picture and audio description of each word. You can search it alphabetically or by concepts. This app would encourage V's reading skills, audio-visual correlation, and vocabulary.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.minilabs.picturedictionary&hl=en

Tapgram:
This app offers a way for V to communicate safely and without much complications. The app allows users to send/post messages by simply clicking on pictures. His family and friends can also create an account online to see what he shares and send a message back. This app would also help him understand new concepts visually.
http://tapgram.com/

Part 1
What are some factors (internal, external) that contribute to how these people think and/or understand their lives?
What are some of the advantages to how these people think about self and/or life--insights, work, etc. that are unique and have intellectual/cultural/etc. value?
What are some things that these people have struggled with in their lives? How might the struggles have influenced these people's thinking? This is a totally speculative question. Just do your best using what you have seen in the videos, etc. to make the best guess you can.
How are these people different from you (both internal and external factors)? How are they different from each other?
If these people in your classroom/work place or a parent of one of your students, where do you think there might be misunderstandings?
What could you do to develop a positive relationship with this person?

1)Mike Skullman has ADHD which means his mind and body are constantly moving. He starts a lot of projects that he doesn't finish and is very creative. He understands that his brain thinks differently than other people, but he thinks that his creative mind is a good thing and would rather not be on medication that changes his personality (and I agree).
Jenny LaBaw has epilepsy which cause your body to have seizures and there is no cure. Jenny lives her life the way she wants and doesn't let her disease stop her from reaching her dreams and doing Crossfit.

2)I think Mike is looking at himself in a positive light and sees his way of thinking as something that can benefit the world.
Jenny is motivated to encourage others with epilepsy to not worry about their doctor and parents' fears, but live the life they want.

3)I'm sure Mike was considered a trouble maker in school because of his constant moving around. When you're growing up, its hard to be the different one. I'm sure he was made fun of for being different. It's really great that he see the good in his differences now.
Jenny probably wasn't able to do everything she wanted to do as a child because of her disease. She probably didn't like being treated differently because she is the same as everyone else in her eyes.
4) I don't have ADHD and I can't even imagine having all of that energy.
I don't have to worry about having seizures like Jenny does.
5)I guess parents/teachers/bosses could misunderstand someone like Mike because he has a hard time focusing which could be very frustrating especially when you are trying to teach someone something. People may think Jenny shouldn't do certain activities because of her disease, but she doesn't want people to act like she is any different than anyone else.

6) I would just try to understand them the way they are and try to have patience when I don't understand.
In Jenny's case, I think she would rather have people just treat her like normal and not focus on her differences.

Maslow
When I am a teacher, I will feel deeply responsible for the needs of my students. Depending on where I am a teacher, I may have students who are hungry and not taken care of properly at home. I will try my best to be aware of any problems that could affect the needs of my students. I think to be a great teacher, you need to be able to self-actualize. The best teachers can help lead their students to self-actualize too. I would want to help other reach their need to self-actualize by being a motivational force in their life. I want to help others discover their talents and discover the world around them.

Cognitive Theory
Math has always been a tougher subject for me, but it didn't really catch up to me until college. Freshman year I took Calculus and thought the world was going to end. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do the work, even though I went to every class and did all the homework (or tried my best). It wasn't until I went to tutoring for hours a week that I realized that I just really needed to practice the problems as much as I could. I used the rehearsal process over and over again until my grade improved. I think this will help me be a good teacher because I understand how students feel when they struggle with their school work.
I have realized that its okay to struggle with learning, but its not okay to give up. I want to encourage my students to keep practicing subjects that are tough for them because giving up isn't an option. I think having this approach with teaching will help me be a good teacher.

A Final Song from Sound of Psycology
Please sing like Do-Re-Mi from the wonderful movie Sound of Music:
Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with
A-B-C
When you learn Psychology, you begin with do(cumentation)-re(search)-mo(tivation)

Do(cumentation)-re(search)-mo(tivation)

Do(cumentation)-re(search)-mo(tivation)
The first three notes just happen to be
Do(cumentation)-re(search)-mo(tivation)

Do(cumentation)-re(search)-mo(tivation)

Do(cumentation)-re(search)-mo(tivation)-fu(nds of knowledge)-so(cratic teaching)-li(sten)-te(acher cycle)

Oh, let's see if I can make it easier

Do(cumentation), of a behavior is oh so important
Re(search), a study of a source to answer a question
M(otivation), what every teacher should be to their students
Fu(nds of Knowledge), where students share knowledge with each other
So(cratic teaching), a method where students actively teach themselves
Li(sten), a necessary skill
Tea(cher cycle), where they plan, teach and assess
That will bring us back to do...oh oh oh
Do(cumentation), of a behavior is oh so important
Re(search), a study of a source to answer a question
M(otivation), what every teacher should be to their students
Fu(nds of Knowledge), where students share knowledge with each other
So(cratic teaching), a method where students actively teach themselves
Li(sten), a necessary skill
Tea(cher cycle), where they plan, teach and assess
That will bring us back to do(cumentation)

Do(cumentation), of a behavior is oh so important
Re(search), a study of a source to answer a question
M(otivation), what every teacher should be to their students
Fu(nds of Knowledge), where students share knowledge with each other
So(cratic teaching), a method where students actively teach themselves
Li(sten), a necessary skill
Tea(cher cycle), where they plan, teach and assess
That will bring us back to do(cumentation)

Do(cumentation) re(search) mo(tivation) fu(nds of knowledge) so(cratic teaching) li(sten) te(acher cycle) do(cumentation), so(cractic teaching) do(cumentation)

Elise Mayo's Apps
I want to work with Special Needs kids so this assignment is really exciting for me.
Communication Connection App
I want to create an app the recognizes when V. wants to make a call, text or mark something on the calender. The screen would be divided into 3 buttons, one for each of the actions. V. would have to press one of the 3 buttons or say the actions he wants to choose. For call the app would ask who he wants to call and he would respond. The phone wouldn't automatically call the person, it would make him type in the telephone # one digit at a time by following the number his phone shows him. To text, V. would be able to say what he wants to text and the phone would repeat it back to him in his voice. To mark something on the calender, V. would press the calender button and say what he needs to do and the date. The phone would remind him with either a picture he selects for the event or text.

Condition of Learning Response
I think students would enjoy learning about the way different food is made and the science behind it. I remember going to a maple syrup farm and learning about the process the syrup has to go through. We also went to a pickle factory and learned about the process of making pickles. I was fascinated by it all.
I would love to immerse my students in food science by taking them on a field trip to a farm to learn where there food comes from and the steps it takes to go from the farm to the table.
The farm would be set up so students would be able to see demonstrations of where the food comes from and the steps in making certain food. Students would be engaged with the learning process because they are able to witness everything that is happening and it will be an interactive learning environment.
I will give the students an assignment, which they will have a week to complete, where they write their own recipe and create the story of the foods life from start to finish. They will have to explain the life or process of making each ingredient they use in their recipe. I think it would be a fun way for students to look at food and really think about the way food is created and the science behind it.