Blog Post #3

Technology in Special Education
Ms. Cook is a wonderful educator, it takes a special person to be able to teach special needs students. She understands their needs and has a desire to learn and inform others about effective teaching methods for children with special needs. Technology she believes is important in helping encourage student participation. Many of her students have diasabilities that effect their verbal and physical abilities. Technology has opened up a whole new avenue of helping them learn in an exciting and faster way. It keeps their attention while allowing them to do things they may not be able to do on their own. The teacher can build relationships and connections with the students. Communication and learning is a easier and more successful process. Her vision for the students is that they can continue to learn about the value of technology and all of the new ones so that they can use their knowledge to assist them in the future.

This video really helped me to realize and think about the importance of technology in the special education classroom. Technology can be effective as well with other students who may have learning disabilities. In my future classroom I can fully integrate the technology into the classroom to help the children learn along with the other students. They can be apart of the class as well group work with the communication opportunities that this technology brings.

Apps for Special Education
I came across an app called Eddy's Number Party which helps children match, count, and lots more. It would help the children by giving them a visual and interactive tool that can allow them to have fun while learning. This application uses colorful graphics and a story line to help the children to learn math skills. Also it can help the children learn application for real life as they count the balloons and other things at the party.
I really like the idea of using iPads and other technology to help special needs children. Children learn better with hands on material. Using theses applications can be effective in keeping these childrens' attention while giving them the extra practice and assistance that they require. In the video we watched How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism we could see how the dad used this technology to help his child learn words and numbers at his own pace. The application was interactive which also helps him to learn better.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

When I watched this it really amazed me and put things in to perspective. I don't think we realize how much technology and especially social media has become such a large part of our society. We live in a generation where technology is changing every day and as educators we need to be up to date on all of it in order to better relate to and teach our students. We need to take advantage of the technology and help prepare our students for their future as it will become a major part of their lives.

In my professional career as a teacher technology can be a very important tool in educating children. It can keep their interest while providing the essential skills they will need in the future. Technology is something that everyday becomes a bigger part of our lives and is constantly changing. When children grow up they will need to know about them to succeed in school and future careers. It can also benefit me by learning from fellow educators about effective teaching methods and create a positive learning community.

A Vision of Students Today
In this video it shows the thoughts of students and the lack of technology in classrooms. The statistics and facts show that students spend more time on Facebook, email, and other forms of technology rather than on schoolwork. Students become bored by just sitting and listening to a lecture. With college class sizes averaging around 100 people they become far too large for a personal learning experience and some students don't even bother to come. Class becomes boring so students find themselves not paying attention and doing on other things on their computer rather than note taking.
We are a technology driven society and by utilizing this effectively in the classroom students will be more engaged in the lesson. Schools need to look at the needs of their students and work to fill those. Hundreds of dollars are spent on books and thousands on school tuition. We should use this to make the learning experience more of an effective one by helping them prepare the future, which will most definitely include technology.

Blog Post #2

Did you Know?
In Did you know 3.0 John Strange 2012 Version, the viewer is presented with some really hard facts, and it asks the question, "Are you ready to be an Educator?" This question really makes you consider the tools we still need to learn, to fully prepare us to be in charge of a classroom. It compares the intelligence of citizens in other countries with those of the United States, and shows some very stark contrasts between them. It shines a light on the areas that the U.S. education system needs to improve. For example, statistics predict that in China, over the next twenty or so years, there will be more Chinese speaking English, than native English speakers in the world.

While watching and discovering some of the different facts I found it to be very revealing. When it presented the statistics of students with cellphones, computers, and the amount of SMS messages sent by each, it was really very interesting, but yet not surprising. Our culture has become consumed with technology and the need to keep up with the latest trend. Having knowledge of these various technologies will be a vital part of success in the classroom.

Mr Winkle Waves

Mr Winkle Waves is a video about Rip Van Winkle who woke up from sleep after a 100 years. As he explores, he realizes things have changed drastically over the last century. The first place he visits is a office building where there are printers, computers, and various different modern technologies.  All of this becomes too much and he becomes ill. He then must take a trip to the hospital, where he encounters even more technology. He cannot believe that technology is so advanced, they even have machines to keep people alive and breathing. Lastly, he visits the school where and is pleasantly surprised to discover nothing has changed. The teachers still lecture, while the machines he encountered earlier collected dust. Though many things had changed, the classroom remained the same.

This video depicts how technology is used in some schools today. Teachers need to use the resources that are available to them and help the students learn. These technologies will become a part of their everyday lives as they continue to expand and become more integrated into our daily lives. It is important for their future success to learn about and use technology effectively . As children get older, technology will only become more influential and integral part of their daily lives.

The Importance Of Creativity

 In Ken Robinson's video, Importance of Creativity, he discusses our children, their creativity, and how schools have destroyed it. We place the more importance on math and literature, than the arts. This can cause many children to never realize their talents. Education has become about studying only so one can be accepted into a university. He suggests that we need to radically rethink our definition of intelligence, and the fundamental principles of our education system. The gift of human imagination is special and we need to see the value in our children, and their creative capacities, to prepare them for the future.

I really enjoyed this video and agree with Ken Robinson on his views about creativity in the education system. We are suppressing the children and holding them back from all the wonderful things they are capable of achieving.  The one thing that really got my attention was, "If your not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original." He goes on to talk about how children have no fear of being wrong, so they are more creative and think outside of the box. As they get older, and go out into the business world, this fear becomes a part of their lives. This fear can hold people back, preventing them from reaching their full capacity. The idea of academic inflation also really stuck out to me. Students become so focused on getting through school, in pursuit of a higher education, that they do not value and absorb what they are taught before that.

A Vision for 21st Century Learning
In the video, A Vision for 21st Century Learning, an idea is presented for a "21st century" classroom, that is completely run by technology. Their goal is to prevent children from just learning facts and memorizing information, but to really comprehend it and learn how to apply it pratically. Using technology, such as virtual 3-D video games for world history, they want to help students become more interested in their work. Also, believe it is important for students to play a more active role in learning for themselves. The students would become empowered by teaching themselves, while the teacher would be like a mentor.

I think they present some good ideas to integrate technology into the classroom, however, I believe it is still a necessity for the teacher to be in full control.  Children do well with hands on learning, which is where these types of technology can be a wonderful tool, but ultimately teachers are something that cannot be replaced. In my opinion, the personal impact teachers have on their students is something that technology could never imitate.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
The video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, is about a teacher, in south Georgia, who is using technology to teach her kids and connect them with the outside world. They learn about avatars, blogging, work together to make collaborative reports, and so many other things. She allows them to learn most things for themselves, which she believes empowers them. Although they are from a small rural town, they have been able to connect with people from around the world. Using this technology is a way to prepare them for the future, as technology continues to become more advanced.


I enjoyed seeing seeing how she uses technology in her classroom and how the students were able to learn and explore for themselves. A hands on learning approach can always be very successful in helping students learn effectively. They also tend to see it as more enjoyable rather than just boring assignments that are required.

Project #2 Wordle

Blog Post #1

Lauren and I at Denver Broncos
football game in Dallas, TX

About Me
Hello, my name is Lindsey Edwards and I am a sophomore at South Alabama. I am an Elementary Education major and can't wait to have my own classroom. I have lived in Mobile since I was four years old and that is how I found out about USA. I live with my mom, dad, and my twin sister, Lauren. We are identical twins and she is also a student at South studying Pharmacy. All of my extended family lives in Mississippi, about an hour away, and I am so blessed to have an amazing family and support system. When I am not busy with school and other things I enjoy just spending time with family, friends, and my boyfriend Justin.


I have always loved children and being around them always brightens my day. Several members of my family are teachers and I have grown up watching them, as well as hearing stories. I have always wanted to go into education to make a difference in the lives of children. I know this is what God wants me to spend my life doing.


The most important thing in my life is my savior Jesus Christ, and I strive to live my life for Him and His glory everyday. I am very involved at my church, Moffett Road Baptist, as well as Baptist Campus Ministries here at South. I have met so many amazing people through the BCM and have had some amazing opportunities. One thing would be getting to serve as a summer missionary, where I spent every single day spreading God's love and the gospel. I was a day camp leader and got to be a part of various childrens' ministry. One of my other passions is traveling. I love to experience new places, people, and cultures. I also really enjoy the beach, it is one of my favorite places to be. 


Dr Pausch Time Management
I have never heard of Dr. Pausch before, but I found his video very interesting. I am not very organized and I definitely need work in the area of time management, so I found this video to be very helpful. I have never really considered the value we, as Americans, place on money rather than time, but find it to be very true. As a nation, we are consumed with the idea of wealth, but waste our time doing pointless things. I also found the suggestion of doing the ugliest things on your checklist first to be a great idea and it makes a lot of sense.

Test Post

My first post.