Over the last four weeks, we have participated in several classes and workshops surrounding the use of technology in order to engage students in their learning. I particularly enjoyed the workshops with Kevin Pyatt, which included the use of technology for students with exceptionalities/disabilities and what accommodations and/or modifications can be used within the existing curriculum to promote inclusive practices (an example of the Hot Potato’s application can be seen on the ‘gadgets’ side of this blog).
All the applications and programmes which we were shown were either free to use or low cost, and I intend to share these programmes with my student colleagues back in the UK. It is my opinion that the programmes we have been shown are invaluable tools for teaching in an inclusive environment.
The technology programme was concluded with a CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) workshop with Joy Egbert, at Washington State University in Pullman. The workshop was more focused on engaging students in the classroom, and I found this workshop extremely interesting as it was applicable to my role as a future educator as well as being a meaningful activity. Using the technology presented to the group, I created a ‘Sticky Note Wall’ on Wall Wisher. The purpose of my ‘Wall’ was to assist in creating a meaningful environment for the students. I asked my “potential students” to post a note which included one thing about themselves and one thing they would like to learn during the year. The intentions of the teacher would be to use this knowledge as a base for creating projects with options in order to engage the student. You can see my wall here: www.wallwisher.com/wall/nicolaorridge.
In answer to the question 'Can technology engage students and create an inclusive environment?', in my opinion, the answer would be 'Yes!' If used correctly, technology can be used to engage students, promote inclusive practices within classrooms and make learning meaningful.
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