Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Tons of Technology



       I am taking a technology class for graduate school.  The reason I started this Blog is because of that technology class.  Over the course of the previous weeks we were required to do certain assignments using certain social media or web resources.  We learned about Facebook, Twitter, Social Bookmarking sites like Delicious and Diigo and how to Blog.  I was amazed at how much technology and web 2.0 has taken over our every day lives.  There is so much you can do and it is literally at your fingertips thanks to smartphones J As I explored these resources, I often thought about how they could and would benefit the lives of my ADHD students. 
           ADHD students have a lack of organizational skills, often not completing homework because it gets lost somewhere between school and home.  A Blog or classroom website would be a perfect place for the assignments to be posted in a centralized location that cannot be misplaced.  Also, for the ADHD student who lacks focus and concentration, having their classroom lesson posted on a Blog would allow them the opportunity to re-visit the concepts discussed multiple times.  This is great because ADHD students are not good note takes so the Blog or website could serve as an online study guide.
            Some students would also benefit from the iPad and all the apps that are offered. This is something I am striving to have in my class. I feel interactive devices like iPads capture and hold an ADHD child’s attention longer.  Not only will the student have access to the web where ever they go, all their assignments would be with them. With the use of apps, students would become more organized and feel more prepared. Due to the mobility, students could work on an assignment almost anywhere.

Below are two links that are resources for ADHD apps:

            There are tons of other valuable resources that can benefit these students like incorporating Wikis into their daily instruction. Teachers can make assignments to meet a child’s individual needs and the child can work at his or her own pace. 
            There are so many technology resources available that I never new existed.  The sad thing is I may have never known they existed if I hadn’t taken this class.  The fact that I was required to complete certain assignments caused me to inquire more about what I was doing. There is tons of ways to incorporate technology into our student’s lives, we just have to challenge ourselves to do so.