Oops, forgot to attach. First Time blogger...

As a first time teacher in a self-contained classroom, I am trying to explore as many possible tools to help improve my teaching for all of my students. 

            When it comes to my students, I want each one of them to have their needs met.  As almost all of my Bank Street classes have begun by telling me, each of my learners have different learning styles, strengths, and skills.  In order to provide the best education I am capable of, I must be able to reach all of my students in various ways.  One of the most powerful resources geared toward assisting the UDL model is the use of technology.  However, this is also one of the most challenging tool that I have come across.

            I’m not going to lie-technology has never been my strongest suit.  I am part of the first generation brought up with internet.  I know how to use the internet as well as most people do, and I utilize many websites on a daily basis.  I am familiar with word, and excel, and have a newfound love of google docs.  Having said all of this, I am the first person to run crying to the Apple store when my computer seems not to be working, or my phone shuts off accidently. 

            But, knowing the tech-savy generation that I teach, and also being aware of my student’s needs, I try to utilize technology as much as possible.  Thus far, I have used my smartboard for a few lessons, as an interactive protractor, or a way to show my students a website.  Last week we played a counting game using a song on Youtube.  I have also used googlemaps to show my students the globe, and teach them about using maps.  In this way, students gain a 3d view of the world, and are able to come up and actually find a continent, or spin the world on it’s axis. 

            While I do try to use technology in my everyday teaching life, I still find it difficult to navigate all areas of the tech world, and truly make use of all of the technologies available to me.  The internet, and other technologies provide a formula for accessing students who might find it difficult to focus or attend to one type of stimulation.  Using technology, I am able to engage students using visual, auditory, and physical means.  Because technology is always changing, I must continue to further my understanding of ways to use different technologies in my classroom.