Lisa

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this is lisa's page. //

7/13/09 It is completely overwhelming to me the level of technology that is constantly changing! This, coming from a person who still has 'dial up' at home!!!

I was really impressed with the strides that are being made for students with disabilities in order to help "equalize" the playing field. Growing up with a brother who had a learning disorder, I wonder how he would have benefited from the PDA or the pager to help him stay more organized. He definitely would have found the text 2 speech program very helpful. The support in the areas of reading and writing assist students to become more confident in their academic courses.

HOwever, sometimes I wonder how far will it go? What happens to some of these students when they are out of school and no longer have access to the same technical support? I didn't know what to think of the "smart shirt"!

7/14/09 I really enjoyed reading this article. As a former elementary school teacher, there were many strategies and techniques that I had used with my second graders. As I was reading this, I was trying to picture myself using some of these techniques with my high school students. Some of them could work....re-reading paragraphs, modeling fluent reading and 'listening' before reading. But, I don't think they would appreciate the idea of me sitting next to them and pointing to words as they read :0) Fluency is such an important aspect of reading. I look forward to working with this more with my students this year.

7/15/09 What a "jammed packed" day! There was so much interesting information....thank you!

I found myself thinking back to my years teaching second grade when I was doing running records. The techniques were very similar. Today's information reminded me that I need to continue to monitor and evaluate fluency..even at the high school level. The articles were great resources for fluency information. I will have to look into them further.

I also enjoyed learning more about present and future technology. The 'smart board' has wonderful possibilites! Although I"m quite apprehensive with new technology, I just need to 'jump in' and get more involved. I"ve had a few mini-inservices, but until I have a smart board in my classroom to use daily, I"ll still feel like I"m starting at square one each time.

This has been a great class. thanks!! :0)