Virtual Schooling and Interactive Whiteboards!

Virtual Schooling:

Virtual/online schooling is an increasing trend for many public schooling options. It is done online, with a teacher or someone qualified to help "guide" the student through the online curriculum. This is an essential part to online schooling being successful. As a future Special education teacher, I worry that this curriculum will becoming challenging to help those students who have not yet been diagnosed, become diagnosed. But, that being said, that may be a good thing because the student becomes more "virtual" and you do not see them always in person. This could eliminate the bias that the teacher has towards their beliefs versus the behavior of the student. Groups of students that wouldn't benefit from this would be those students who have trouble concentrating, such as students with ADHD. There would need to be a monitoring system in place.

Interactive Whiteboards:

Interactive whiteboards is something that is also trending in the classroom. I have found this to be used in almost every classroom that I have worked with in my placements, and I have to say, I agree with Lisa Neilson and her article about why interactive whiteboards are dumb. I have found that to be true in all of my classrooms. They are just such a timely process to run. It takes sometimes close to five minutes for the board to load, and then once they load it does not always work! You have to make sure that you have board lined up so the writing on the board is consistent with your movements. As a future special education teacher, I do not think I would use this in my classroom. Transitions are hard enough for these students, let alone taking the time to have the technology work.

Cyberbullying

What is Cyber bullying?

• "Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites (Stopbullying.gov)".

-The problems with cyber bullying is that it can have a negative affect on anyone who has experienced it. Here are some effects of cyber bullying: 

Kids who are cyber bullied are more likely to:

• Use alcohol and drugs
• Skip school
• Experience in-person bullying
• Be unwilling to attend school
• Receive poor grades
• Have lower self-esteem
• Have more health problems

http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html

• Statistic: Adolescent girls are significantly more likely to have experienced cyber bullying in their lifetimes (40.6% vs. 28.2%). 

Teaching Resource?

I would start with showing students a video on cyber bullying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG-7pldYvvQ

Depending on the grade level, I would use this website to help guide me into teaching a lesson on cyber bullying: 

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/cyberbullying-toolkit