Speaking of integrating more technology into the classroom...

This week I had the second (and last for the year) classroom observation by my supervisor.  I did a SMART Board lesson on the states of matter, and my students did a wonderful job (the SMART Board was key for keeping them engaged and focused!).  Following the lesson (drumroll please...), my supervisor presented me with my very own classroom iPad!  I was beyond thrilled!  Up until now, my wonderful classroom assistant had brought in her personal iPad for the students to use, since it had not been in the budget for us to receive our own.  Thanks to a generous business-owner in our community, we have been donated one for our classroom.  I have been in the App Store all week and have found a plethora of wonderful (and free!) apps for my middle school multi-handicapped classroom.  I look forward to sharing some of these apps with you and would love suggestions on apps that have been successful for your students.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

This week, I had some time to explore the website for the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.  This is a National organization that advocates 21st century readiness for every student.  They believe that every child in the U.S. needs 21st century knowledge and skills to succeed as effective citizens, workers and leaders.  The members of this partnership come from a wide variety of fields – from Apple and NEA, to Ford and Cisco.  I found this site to be an incredible wealth of resources for anyone invested in education, whether you are a teacher, policymaker, parent, or community member.  In a world where technology is drastically altering the way we live, play, work, and learn, educators need to be prepared to teach their students the skills they need to succeed.  The teacher-specific resources on this site were incredibly helpful and concise.  I liked the Common-Core Toolkit, which provided a guide for aligning the 21st century framework with Common Core state standards.  It provides an easy overview for any teacher to incorporate more technology into the lessons and content they teach every day.  There were also strategies for educators on how to create a 21-century learning environment in both their school and individual classrooms.  Professional development opportunities and skills maps for specific content areas were other resources that I found particularly helpful.  I also read some of the site’s blog posts.  The most current post about getting people (specifically policymakers) on board with engaging in dialogue about 21st century skills really struck a chord with me - especially since I discussed this in my last discussion post.  Although I was talking about colleagues in my school building, many of the points in the post were applicable.  It helped me to look at some strategies for getting more people in my building to understand the importance of teaching 21st century skills and embedding them into every lesson we teach.  Any teacher who is not working to do this is doing their students an incredible injustice.  If you read under the “What Employers Say” heading on the site, anyone can see that the skill sets presented on this site are absolutely necessary for anyone entering the workforce in the upcoming years.  I think that every educator today needs to take a look at this website and it’s resources, and find out if they are doing everything they can to prepare their students for the new global economy.  The time has come for technology to be a requirement in the classroom, not just an option.

Check out the Partnership for 21st Century Skills site at http://www.p21.org/

What's the purpose of this blog?...

Hello everyone,
Now that my blog is up and running (and I've messed with the background colors and fonts for the zillionth time), I have to sit back and look at the purpose this blog will serve.  Being a teacher for students with significant cognitive and physical disabilities (grades 6-8), I utilize technology for reasons that may be different than a teacher who works with a typical population of students.  I am forever programming communication devices, both simple and complex, and looking for ways in which my students can increase both functional and academic skills that will carry over into real-world settings.  Technology has made it possible for my students to access content, while communicating in ways that were never before possible.  Through the use of a SMART Board and iPad, I have been able to make learning in my classroom more engaging, more motivating, and more meaningful.

My goal for this blog is to share strategies with both special and regular education teachers that will allow them to increase and enhance the technology they use in their classrooms.  Now since I am by no means an expert, I also hope that others will share their techniques, as well as stories about how technology has made a difference in their classrooms.  I also hope to reach parents who are interested in using technology at home with their children with special needs.  In essence, I want my blog to be a "one-stop shop" for anyone who wants to improve the lives of those around them with the incredible technologies that are available today.

I used to be afraid of change.  I worried that technology was moving too fast, and that I would never be able to keep up.  I now want to step up to the challenge and face technology head on.  I hope that my followers will help in keeping this blog a place of positive change, inspiration, and encouragement.  I look forward to reading your comments!  Until next time... :)

Welcome to Rachel's Special EdTech Experience!

Hello everyone... thanks for checking out my blog!  My name is Rachel Lessick and I am a special education teacher for students with multiple disabilities in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.  I am currently working towards my Master's in Integrating Technology in the Classroom, which has influenced the creation of this blog.  This is my first attempt at blogging, and I am extremely excited to get your feedback and responses.  I plan on using this blog to provide others with resources and insight into using technology in the classroom, with an emphasis on tools for students with special needs.