Week 2 Assignment

1. Web 2.0, Open Source and Educating special populations: Transforming How Education Views online teaching and learning Shannon Copeland Lamar University EDLD 5362 April 17, 2011

2. 2 Professional Networking Sites Diigo’s Classroom 2.0 A place for members of www.Classroom20.com to share links, Classroom 2.0 is social networking site devoted to those interested in the practical application of computer technology, especially Web 2.0, in the classroom and in their own professional development. (Classroom 2.0, n.d.) Linked in’sResponse To Intervention & Universal Design For Learning Central Group. This network is meant to be a meeting place for teachers (k-HED, SPED to Gifted), parents, Education Professionals, etc. to share resources for Response to Intervention and Universal Design for Learning.(Response To Intervention & Universal Design For Learning Central Group, n.d.) I chose these two professional sites based on their relationships to teaching and learning for today’s special populations. I am absorbed in learning how to use UDL and RtI together with Web 2.0 tools to draw students who wish to remain unnoticed out of the shadows. Rose, Myers, Solomon, Schrum, and Page have all contributed to my eagerness to learn.

3. Web 2.0 According to Web 2.0 (n.d.), the term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that allow users to actively participate with others and with the creation of media. The users can interact and collaborate rather than, simply, being the passive information consumers of the “old” World Wide Web. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, etc… Facebook, Google’s Blogger and Sites, Animoto, TeacherTube, and Gimp are a few of the Web 2.0 tools my classes have learned to use this school year.

4. Web 2.0 Cool Tools for Schools (Lenva, n.d.) is a Wikispaces website with hundreds of tools for presentations, collaboration, research, audio, imaging, drawing, writing, music, mapping, file storage, etc… Cool Tools for Schools has been a great resource in the classes I teach this year. Students have used PhotoStory, MediaFire, Audacity, and Animoto. Auxiliary skills, such as cropping in PhotoShop and using a scanner, were learned by students while completing units.

5. Open-Source Software (OSS) Schools and businesses have always been particularly hard-hit with the almost prohibitive costs of buying multi-computer or site licenses. The term “free software” was replaced 1998 by a group of individuals who felt that the term “open source software“ (OSS) would be “less ambiguous and more comfortable for the corporate world.” (Open-source software, n.d.) The OSS trend began the transition from exclusive software ownership for the few to a boon of resources for the masses.

6. Open-Source Software (OSS) OSS Case Study – M. Sarran In Support of OSS -T. Vessels Surran (2007) states in a case study that Linux runs on all student computers, servers and most staff computers, and open-source applications, including office suites, web site filtering, and various educational programs have been installed on all computers in his pilot district. Linux has now been used for over 5 years now, the district is extremely pleased and the district has saved literally thousands of dollars. Students request Linux installation CDs for their home computers. Terry Vessels (2007) insists in her article supporting the use of OSS that students should be exposed to OSS. “Students should, at least, be given the opportunity to see how their new tools work. “ “They should be given the opportunity to examine the inner workings of software.” “They should be given the opportunity to extend the functions of their tools, where they see or imagine possibilities. “

7. Diigo’s Classroom 2.0 Wordlings – word cloud creation iPad Apps – apps for education Screencast Demos – how to make a screencast Web Safety – resources for teaching web safety Educational Leadership – stories of positive digital footprints Free audio books – Mp3 downloads of free books Podcasting – minicasts

8. Linked in’sResponse To Intervention & Universal Design For Learning Central Group Response to Interventionintegrates assessment and intervention within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavior problems. The following topics are discussed on the site: Tiered instruction using RtI Models of RtI Learning Disabilities Identification Universal Design for Learning is a framework for designing educational environments. The following topics are maintained on the site: Analyzing Results of Large-Scale Assessments to Ensure Universal Design Access to Computer-Based Testing for Students with Disabilities Best Practices through Universal Design for Learning

9. Web 2.0/UDL/RtI I followed several of the blogs presented in the Classroom 2.0 site. There seems to be multitudes of useful information in that site. Solomon and Schrum (2007) contend that “blogs promote open dialogue and encourage community building…” (p. 55) and I agreed that many new resources have become available to me by following professional blogs. In 5301, we learned that it is not necessary to “recreate the wheel” and it is acceptable to use practices and procedures that others have proven affective. Two more resources from Classroom 2.0 that I have found particularly promising are Apps in Education and Teaching Web Safety. I’ve been given the task of both getting iPads for our 7th and 8th grades students and getting a new Internet Safety program underway. The UDL and RtI Linked in site interested me because I’d like to learn more about Universal Design for Learning after using the CAST website in Teaching with Technology. Also, since I’m the Special Ed. Director in my district, I want to know what other schools are using for RtI. The UDL model and RtI are closely associated as reference by Rose and Myers. “An increasing number of students with disabilities and learning differences are being educated in regular classrooms, and new policies are holding schools accountable for the progress of all learners. State and federal standards, together with a shift in how literacy is defined, are compelling teachers not only to cover large amounts of material but also to instill a deep understanding of this material.” (Rose & Myers, 2002) There are a number of programs available for use in RtI, but many of them aren’t supported by the rigor of scientific standards required by NCLB. I wish to use these new resources to investigate new RtI methods.

10. References: Classroom 2.0. (n.d.). In Diigo [Group page]. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://groups.diigo.com/group/classroom20 Lenva, (n.d.). Web 2.0: cool tools for schools. Retrieved April 17, 2011 from http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Home Open-source software. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2011, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software Response To Intervention & Universal Design For Learning Central Group. (n.d.). In Linked in [Group page]. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2219937 Rose, D., & Meyer, A., (2002) Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology web site. Chapter 4. Retrieved April 16, 2011 from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0 new tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education Surran, M. (2007). Education case study: linux-based desktops, servers, and curriculum at private christian school. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://www.schoolforge.net/education-case-studies/linux-based-desktops-servers-and-curriculum-private-christian-school Vessels, T. . (2007, December 24). Why should open source software be used in schools?. Retrieved from http://edge-op.org/grouch/schools.html Web 2.0. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2011, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0