Klibcke’s Weblog

This week I wanted to take the advice from the reading that we were given. In the reading it talks a lot about how web logging is a public network. It also talks of how writing to the whole wide world can be inspiring to open up more, and to share meaningful discussions and debates. Given that advice, I wanted to see if there were any web logs for teachers with special needs students. I searched through a few sites when I stumbled upon this site:

Now my immediate reaction was to skip it right off the bat because of the simple name of the site. Naming your blog site, “tard-blog”, is not only insensitive but just flat out wrong. If this truly is a teacher with students who have special needs, I guarantee karma will kick you in the ass if I don’t beat it to you. After being infuriated already I then see a picture of a boy with down syndrome. Now this picture isn’t a regular picture, it is clearly making fun of children with disabilities.

I may be extra sensitive to this subject because I also work with special needs kids every day. Because of my tendency to over react to small things, I asked Randolph to look at it and to see if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. He immediately Googled the author’s name, Riti Sped, and came across another site:

This site talks about how compassionate this woman is on a daily basis for having to teach these students. She even says that she loves her job because, “ Also it is nice

because the kids believe anything I tell them”. Under the paragraph of saying how great this woman is it then asks more questions. The next questions just so happens to be, “ Riti, if you like your job so much, why do you make fun of your retarded students? Why would you put this page up?”. This paragraph goes on to explain that it is her way of relieving her daily stress that she gets from her job. It also states, “ …And no, I don’t make a lot of money. This does not bother me or even slightly persuade me to change careers. As long as I have money to drink myself into a stupor 4 nights a week and wear nice shit, I don’t care”.

I feel like this woman couldn’t get any more frustrating than this. And I almost want to stop this blog right there. But for Selila’s sake I will keep going to meet requirements.

In the reading for this week it goes on to say that there are also surprises when web logging and responding to other people’s personal opinions. It even gave a case where people responding to another’s web logs should be more sensitive because there is another person on the other side with feelings. But I don’t think it mentioned anything about what you put out there being insensitive or cruel. I think if people are going to put insensitive material out there, they should expect it to come back to them three-fold.

http://www.fullduplex.org/tardblog/tardfaq.html. http://www.tard-blog.com/

I first off want to start this blog by saying, I wish I was more computer savvy than I am. I feel like any part of me that is computer savvy comes from pure luck. I hit a few buttons open a few programs and POOF! Something happens. If it isn’t what I wanted to happen, then I go back and hit a few more buttons and open another set of windows. And of course this process could take hours, or if I’m lucky could take five minutes. With that being said, I am only computer savvy because I’m Irish.

This semester I really want to learn more about animation and video. I am really into seeing masking and layering in videos right now, and want to learn how it’s done. I also want to mix animation with video to see what I come up with. Of course I hope that I don’t come up with a lame 80’s music video. I understand that this is, “Digital Media for Art Educators”, but I will pretend that this is also a, “How to Improve my Own Art”, class.

Every once in a blue moon I will get very excited because two days in my week will crash into each other. Not meaning that I fall asleep as soon as I get off work without eating dinner, but that something extremely interesting will come up twice in one week. This past week Selila gave us the article expressing how important it is to have the skills to teach students in a digital age. And I also was talking about how important it is to have a warm body with nurturing capabilities inside of the classroom. As I thought more about this I realized that there is a very fine line that is drawn when referring to digital media in the classroom. Just because students may be using digital media in the classroom, does not necessarily mean that it is implemented correctly.

T.C. Williams High School, as well as many other schools in Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland, have received new technology for each and every student within the school. In many cases there is a lap top readily available for every student within the classroom. The students also receive their agenda, lesson plans and schedule for the day on that computer. Not to say that this alone can interfere with the student’s learning, but if it’s not used properly it can. Maybe I am just too easily imagining a high school student with learning disabilities, like those I teach every day. But I feel like there is validity in taking a better look at using technology in the classroom.

If using laptops with internet connection, it will be easier for students to chat, and surf the web while lessons are being taught. This even for me is a HUGE distraction. I feel like I have taken a break to check my face book status five times since I started typing this paper. So imagine how easy it would be for a less focused high school student. Having the students physically partake in a lesson is also extremely important for kinesthetic learners. Without those hands on activities it is so much harder for students to actually see what is being created. Smart boards are also an up and coming technology within the classroom setting. But what is the point in having them if the teacher doesn’t even know how to use it properly or is honestly just too lazy to.

I am definitely not saying that teaching the students how to use technology won’t be helpful. I think that the more we help the students prepare for their future, and teach them how to be active members in society the better. But I feel like if you just hand a bunch of students computers nothing will be accomplished. Just like all cases it’s not the tools you use, but how you use them.