ED 7714 Philosophy Statement

My philosphy of education has changed over time. This is what I currently believe.

We learn best when we feel safe. As a librarian, I work to keep students in my area busy, on-task, and safe. I keep student behavior expectations clear, student supplies handy, and conversation among staff and among students friendly and respectful. I want students to understand than I am a resource, and also a trusted person in the building. At Abbott Tech, safety is a priority. Staff is strongly encouraged to build positive professional relationships with parents, students, and colleagues. These relationships create a safe envioronment for learning.

We do our best thinking when we have time to reflect. Time is precious. Teenagers spend the bulk of their time socializing, and the rest of it catching up on what they should have been doing while they were socializing. I do not teach every day at my job, but when I do, I build in time for reflection to force students to think about what I have been trying to teach them.

We learn best when we are excited about our learning. Some students can be extrinsically motivated, but most students, especially the digital natives of today, will learn best when we can activate what motivates them internally. As a specialist, I have the luxury of teaching students library and research skills "just in time." They are able to practice and use these skills as they complete work for subject-area teachers. Many of the skills I teach: search skills, documentation, and copyright, are life skills, and sometimes I can hook them that way.

Behaviorsist B.F. Skinner argued that students learn by conditioning. We use conditioning all the time to encourage our children or our students to do what we want them to do. I remember contemplating the irony of telling my 3-year-old to put on his coat nicely like his best friend was doing, and admonishing my 13-year-old step-daughter not to cave in to peer pressure. External conditioning is limited. Although I understand that, I still habitually say, "Thank you for signing in." Getting the same trophy as everyone else only works for a select few.

Teenagers often ask the question, "When will I ever need that?" I think it is important for schools to expose children to many different subjects, even if they are not initially excited about the topic. A student who does not like Biology may have an experience that draws them to Nursing as a profession. That Biology class then becomes important.

I read some of John Holt's book, "Why Children Fail," a couple of years ago. He is not a philosopher or psychologist, but I want to mention him anyway. He and another teacher observed that children do not do well at school due to "fear of failure, fear of being ridiculed... and being forced to study things that they are not necessarily interested in" (Wikipedia.) Holt is a huge proponent of homeschooling. I was exposed to many homeschooling families as a public librarian. Most of these children were well-adjusted and well-read. While I don't disagree with everything Holt espouses, I cannot agree that homeshooling is always the best way for children to learn. Their parents must be wholly engaged in the process and be willing to take themselves and their homeschooled children out of their comfort zones, and not all parents are able or willing to do that. Although we have a bigger class of students than a homeschool parent, we have more tools at our disposal to engage children in subjects they are not necessarily interested in.

My philosophy is a work in progress, and it changes as I acquire new tools and knowledge in this program.


Wikipedia contributors. "John Holt (educator)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Jun. 2014. Web. 11 Jul. 2014.

(I just used Wikipedia as a resource for the FIRST TIME!)

ED 7714 Introduction

I have been in the IT&DML program for a year now - one course at a time, not two. The first cohort will be graduating at the end of the summer. It is melancholy - and a little jealous - to see them finish up while I am still working. I still get notifications of their posts, but I am not ready to delete them from my circles. When I have new the names, I will be creating at IT&DML2 circle for this cohort. I am excited to meet you, but not excited enough to sit through an introductory session of the 6th year program! Please remember, if you feel overwhelmed, we ALL feel that way. Seriously. Take a deep breath and ask a colleague.

I chose the IT&DML 6th year program because I am the sole librarian at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, CT and I felt I needed to force myself to be current in the latest technology. I have discovered that this program is more than I expected. As an educator in the CT Technical HS System, there are trends in education that I have not been exposed to. The experience has been eye-opening. Sometimes I feel completely lost, and sometimes I feel like I am ahead of the curve.

I lead a "busy and fulfilling life." Translated, that means I am highly committed, and often happy to be so. In plain English, I am BUSY. Through school, I am a co-adviser for the Class of 2015, Yearbook, and Leo Club (affiliated with Lions Club.) Aside from sports, Abbott Tech's after-school opportunities are lackluster, and one of my personal goals is to get kids involved. Outside of school, I am active at my church. Currently I sing in the choir, play handbells, and serve as chairperson of the Stewardship Committee. This week (July 7-11) I am leading the Story Center and the sixth graders at Vacation Bible School.

Believe it or not, I still spend time with my family. You may hear a "soundtrack" behind me when I am on a Google Hangout. That very well could be my son writing one of his songs. He and my husband belong to a local band, Dan's Garage. I am a groupie. I keep track of the regular goings-on at home and cook most meals.

Like the familiar story/parable, the stones in the jar are my job and my family. The pebbles are this class and my regular activities. The sand is my hobbies. I find time to knit, garden, sew, entertain, and relax. I'm a planner, and adding grad courses to my schedule has make me an expert at time-management. Because I had a preview from last year, I did a networked learning project this spring. If I can use it, you'll get to see my "artwork" for the Brookfield HS Grad Party... another of my hobbies.

Again, I look forward to meeting the new IT&DML cohort next Monday. Welcome.

Assistive Technologies Week 10 Summary

I randomly selected Week #10, Universality and Considerations for Diversity. I have no prior experience with Assistive Technology except for peripherally (circulating it from the library) so I figured I would learn something any week I chose.  When I first read this week's material, I thought, "That sounds like common sense. Don't our we all do that?" I then started thinking about our time constraints as educators and the diverse populations our schools serve. Finally, I got curious and asked some of my SpEd colleagues about some of the situations they may have encountered at our culturally diverse school.

This week's readings dealt with Universal Design for Learning and with integrating Assistive Technology into a Culturally Diverse population, specifically preschoolers. I teach at a school where there are quite a few ELL students. Some read well in their native tongue and poorly in English. Some read poorly in both languages. I started wondering if maybe there could be undiagnosed - or soon-to-be-diagnosed - disabilities there.  Because most of our cohort has participated in PPT's, for the first question, I asked my classmates to draw from their own experience or talk to a Special Ed colleague who has had a difficult time providing services to a child due to the child's cultural background. I could have asked more specifically about AT, but that is less common and most of the challenges would be similar.

Most responses included some kind of language barrier. Even with a translator, there was a disconnect in the translation of unfamiliar American school and legal jargon. I remember learning in our Literacy Praxis class that it is important to use the language of your profession if you want to be taken seriously. Parents, especially immigrant parents, have no background in the technical language of American education, Special Ed and Assistive Technology. In this case, we need to break things down and explain things as simply as practical. In some of our scenarios, the professionals persisted and the child got services. In others they did not. Other situations are still in progress.

My second question involved responding to a scenario of choice from our group's first reflections. Using the chart on page 361 in the Parette and Brotherson reading, I asked my classmates to respond to the communication between the school and the child's family as if they were an exemplary professional. Was it "The Right person, asking the Right questions, of the Right person(s) the Right way at the Right time and the Right place?" If done more conscientiously or with more finesse, what "Right" might have helped the situation progress. In a perfect world without time constraints or other issues that distract us, each of us has a strong grasp on what should ideally be done. I am always amazed at the insight and the the diversity of this group.

Some observations:
Parents often do not feel like part of the PPT team, even though they are often the most important members.
If there is a language barrier, something can be misinterpreted and a child could be punished for it.
It is important to find out about the family dynamic and expectations in all situations.
The fear of a stigma can cause a parent to reject SpEd or AT services.
With persistence and making sure the "Right" things are done, it is possible to help a child.

I started this entry be explaining that the readings made perfect sense. "Don't we all do that?" Upon reflection, I believe we try. We don't just try with those who are of a different culture or who have learning disabilities or need AT. We try with every student we encounter to the best of our ability. The readings this week have called to my attention some of the challenges we encounter as we try our best to help every child learn.

Assisstive Technology- - Week 9

Our task this week is to choose AT software that was mentioned in Chapter 7 in Bryant and Bryant's Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities. Teachers at Abbott Tech were exposed to Inspiration, a semantic mapping (information organizing) software at our pre-service professional development a few years ago. We made a graphic organizer. We started with a key word or concept, added shapes with other words or concepts, and connected them to each other with lines.  When the map was complete, we instructed the software to create a written outline using the words and concepts in our map.


The software is wonderful for visual learners. An instructor can use any of the graphic organizer tools to demonstrate through pictures the relationships between concepts.  A class or small groups can collaborate on an graphic organizer, adding pictures and descriptions, to better understand a topic. Students who struggle with outlines can use Inspiration to organize their writing.  For conscientious students who want to understand an assignment and produce good work, it is a great tool.

 According to a 2005 Education World review, it takes 30 to 60 minutes to teach the program t a class. Students love to use it during class and for presentations. So many children are visual learners due to the video games and computer time, the software is a natural fit. One negative comment had to do with a lack of boundaries on the page. The pages were endless. Another comment dealt with forgetting steps in the program, then learning it and doing well. 

In order to make a visually attractive product, it takes some time to make a visual map.  As far as individuals using the software for individual work, I have found that only the most motivated and students will use an extra step to do a good job. Even if the student and all of the adults in his learning community are trained, if the process takes too long, he won't use the tool.

Assistive Tech - Week 7

I must say, I was fascinated with Chapter 5 in Beard, Carpenter, and Johnson's (2011) book. Last week, I printed a list of the AT available in our school for our students with high-incidence disabilities. It is exactly along the lines of what is in the chapter. I read the book sitting next to the computer so I could look up the devices and see how they looked and how they were rated by consumers.

If Assistive Technology is "cognitives prosthetics," (Alper & Raharininia, 2006) we all use AT to some degree.  Eyeglasses, planners, and audiobooks are common in the world outside of the classroom. I think it is important to include AT in the general education classroom.

Text-to-speech software is the main AT tool at my school. Being a technical high school, a lot of students are sent from the suburban schools because they are "good with their hands." Many of these students have high-incidence disabilities: reading, writing, and math.

We participate in the Accelerated Reader program in order to boost our students' reading levels. This is a mainly K-8 program. We are grades 9 - 12. In my library, there are books written at the second- and third-grade level that circulate often because there are students who need that support. In contrast, our trade textbooks are written at upper high school and college reading levels. Our AT Specialist has permission to digitize the textbooks on a flash drive along with text-to-speech software (Snap and Read) for the weaker readers through SPED.  In many cases, I think it would be great to expose all of the students to the text-to-speech software because often trade material is so dense, it is hard to absorb on the first pass, especially for self-proclaimed non-readers.

Assistive Technology belongs in the general education classroom because it can bring support to both students who rely on it and students who can get by without it.  Using a planner to keep track of assignments, hearing text as well as seeing it, using a calculator to check work, and having a computer spell- check are independence-giving AT for some, and examples of good life skills for others.

Week 6 Mobility

As a wheelchair user, I would wake up in a completely different home. I would not be able to access either of the bathrooms in my current, "classic," 1960's ranch. Using the standard manual wheelchair measurements in Beard, Carpenter, and Johnson's book, I'm an inch shy, not including my hands!  All three bedrooms are tiny, and there would be no way to maneuver a wheelchair into my galley kitchen and open a refrigerator door that fills the width of the room. I park in the single-bay garage. I could either make my garage wheelchair accessible, OR park my car in it. 

Once at school, it would be a struggle to get in the outward-swinging doors at both the entrance of my building and of my classroom/library. Since renovations in 2008, I have a circulation desk at comfortable sitting height. The book shelves are 36" tall, and though it would be cumbersome to shelve, I would be able to find and retrieve books. I would be able to access the Polyvision controls and turn on the computers. Helping individual students at a computer would be tricky. My storage rooms are difficult to navigate on foot, so I would have difficulty in a wheelchair. Some aspects of my job would be impossible (like delivering equipment carts) but I could manage most daily things. I could get OUT of any room... just not IN!

In order to make my building wheelchair accessible, I would need a handicap entrance at the main doors, the library door, and the faculty room. We already have elevator access to all levels of the building. I would also need to clear out the unused items in my storage rooms. There are many televisions on carts that predate the building renovations. I would not be able to reach the top two storage shelves, so frequently-accessed items will need to be arranged on the lower shelves. The remainder of items would be "self-serve." I would need to rearrange some furniture in my office and around the circulation desk, but most everything is manageable.

One of our teachers was in a "motorized cart" for the first half of the year. I watched him struggle at the doorways.

Week 4: AT and Assessment

        As a school librarian, I do not attend IEP's or PPT's. I asked one of the Special Ed teachers to fill me in on PPT's at Abbott Tech.

    When reading about PPT meetings, it sounds like a smooth and wonderful process. Teachers with their various strengths and observations collaborate to determine the best interests of a student who has some kind of learning disability. Upon discussing it with Ms. H, the Special Ed teacher with a Masters' in Assistive Technology, with a few human glitches, it really does work that way.

     Time is one of the biggest obstacles to the PPT process. There just isn't enough time during a school day for a case worker who is co-teaching in specific classrooms to monitor the progress of all of her students. Ms. H's example was "Joe," who has a writing disability.  Ms. H is not the co-teacher in Joe's English class, where he does a lot of writing. Follow up must be done with that class' co-teacher who has her own caseload, and with the classroom teacher if the co-teacher did not collect samples. It is also difficult to find time to collaborate with teachers prior to the PPT.  Teachers often do not find the time to fill out the paperwork and must be reminded multiple times to get it in.

      According to Ms. H, the LD issues in our school aren't severe enough, in most cases, to require AT. A handful of students have their shop theory books loaded on a flash drive along with "text-to-speech" software. Many are not motivated enough to use the AT, but for those who are motivated, it makes a big difference.  Ms. H said that teachers here are very good at differentiating, so many of the students with mild learning disabilities have sufficient access to the information. AT is discussed at every PPT, but at this time, only students who come into the school with some kind of technology assistance actually use it.

      Personally, I was impressed with the WATI Assesment in the Bryant and Bryant reading. It looks quick and basic with room to expand responses. The AT specialist from Central Office handles that kind of paperwork.  Our district has 16 Technical High Schools, and one AT person who conducts specific AT testing and training.
      I am interested to read others' ideas for improvements. As I do not have experience, it would be hard to say.