widgets for tweets

Get your own Widget tweet and start here to get your own twitter feed for your blog, like I do on the side of my account.
I'll try my best to explain the FIRST 10 steps, since those were the ones that I followed to get my little 'widget feature.'
Once you're inside your Twitter account, go to settings, from there, look to the left of your screen and go to the 'Profile' options.
Go to the center of 'Widget's' options, and Further click on "My Website." and click on the option of 'Profile widgets.'  In a box, you'll be able to add your blog name, simply copy and past it from your blog acount.
Next, hit on your own 'Finish and Grab Code option.' after that, it will give you an embeded link, but it is esier to just click on the little blog icon, it'll look the same as the one that the above website uses.
It'll take you to another page, simply click on the add a widget option. you should be taken to a last confirmation page.
Simply hit 'Save' and you should be all done.

Current Issues: Kicking children with disabilities to another school.

My current issue was originally focused on equal rights amongst children with handicapped disabilities within the school system. When I came across a NYtimes article though, my thoughts were changed to that of what this one short paged article had to say. “Court Affirms Reimbursement for Special Education,” (Tamar Lewin, 2009), is about a mother who has to send her child, T.A., to a private school in order for him get a better learning. While attending the public school, T.A. was seen as having learning disabilities, but only when his mother transferred him over to a private school, did T.A. become legally labeled as a child with a learning disability.

Along with the article above, this article deals with the Forest Grove School District and some of the law approved acts and documents that backed up the IDEA acts as well as FAPE. Findlaw, although it is a little long and wordy, I think that if you are really interested in the article about the court hearing, as well as the ideas and laws that IDEA and other such disability acts have tried to lay down for schools to follow through with, than I would definitely suggest reading the ‘Findlaw’ article.

What I think that is a major issue with this type of debate, is that children with disabilities are still not getting the appropriate education. I know that it may not be the same in every state or district, but I still feel that if a child needs special attention, and it’s CLEAR to not only the parents, but to staff and employees of the school the child attends, then it should be the responsibility of that school system to give up funding for special services. If worse comes to worse, there should at least be aid from the public school that the child came from given to the parent in order to help the child in another, private school, to help alleviate financial issues. Like in the embedded video below, I think that they give a great example of how schools should handle special needs students….

  

At the same time though, I feel sad knowing that not all parents would so easily be able to move and relocate simply to educate their child. Due to the fact that the school can now help aid families with disabled children, (through the bill mentioned in the above video…), I still think that the schools are being limited to what they should be giving the student as well as the child. What if the money is not enough for the entire family to relocate? What if the child can’t adjust to change? What then?

Issues like this, if they persist, what will our education system become? I wonder what will happen to those disabled children that have parents who not only have to deal with medical bills, but also private schools now…Simply because their own school refused, or was unable to dish out the money needed to provide services specifically for that one child.

In some respects, there are being steps taken to improve schooling for children with special needs. There are small improvements being taken, the best example I can give to you, is the short video listed below…

 

But remember, simply because of one school passing a bill and maybe leading the way for other schools to slowly take a stand as well, does NOT mean that the fight is over. Only time will be able to show where our future education systems will take us.

Think of this; if your child had a learning disability, and you, as their parent were aware of it, would you be happy if the school your child went to refused to give him or her special services simply because it would cost THEM more?

Twitter

Although a little late in writing my response for the new blog we were supposed to write about, Here is my opinion on Twitter, and how it may improve my teaching skills.

Firstly, when I first created my Twitter account, I was unsure about it, although the only real thing that I can think of for using it with would be to use it to look up Tosh.0, I believe that I could really have no potential enjoyment for it. I think that it is a very tricky, and somewhat difficult program. Although I could see where it would be helpful to send out a short message and news feed, I think that it is also slightly aggravating. What I find aggravating about the Twitter is that it doesn’t seem to hold a lot of information, although I have to admit that I do think that the ability to make quick connections with other ‘potential sped’ teachers, is interesting.

I think that the only way Twitter would really help me in my teaching career would be to use it to get to know other people, as well as other peers. To quickly be able to get to know other Sped teachers, or other educators is a very positive step forward.

Slide Show presentation

What I learned from my powerpoint project was how to add video, sound and interesting features to my presentations in order to keep everyone interested in what I'm tryingt o show them. I enjoyed this presentation more than I thought I would. What I really kinda had issues with was using the technology, like trying how to figure out how to embed videos such as the one above. Anyway, hope that you enjoyed my presentation, and have a nice week.

Reading chapter one response

Reading chapter one:

The section that caught my eye the most, related to teachers opening up to the world of the internet. I feel that by bringing this sort of technology in the class room is a great thing. By making sure that our future teachers and students have such abilities like being able to connect across the world with others, while also keeping the users safe with the “Keeping kids safe” idea, I think that it’s a very progressive step forward.

The thrill of knowing that it’s possible to have such things as the internet, (as well as live feeds to other areas of the world), in our classroom will open up many opportunities for our teaching curriculum. In example, I would suggest maybe being in the historical field, and wanting to learn a topic about Japan. With the use of “connecting” across the world, we will be able to make such connections with other nations that we would want our students to learn about. Also, with ease we will be able to simply connect over the internet with other areas of the world that we want to learn more about. Knowing that I’ll someday be able to display a live camera feed over the internet with a classroom in Japan excites me. To be able to speak with someone across the world and learn about their culture and their government and traditions, along with many others would be a great experience to bring to my classroom.

Future students will be able to ‘link’ or even ‘facebook’ with their pen pals, or even brining ‘skyping’ to the classroom by means of using technology further in the area of a face to face opportunity in learning as explained above. Although I’m sure that there will have to be added security along with such progressive movements in the internet usage among younger students, there will always have to be ways to better keep our students safe.