Blog Assignment #3

What is Peer Editing?
Peer editing is defined in the movie, “What is Peer Editing?” and in the slideshow Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial, as working with someone in your own age group to help improve, revise, and edit his or her writing. There are three main components to peer editing:
1. Compliments,
2. Suggestions, and
3. Corrections.
The key to compliments is to remain positive. The best way to begin peer editing is to start with a compliment. Then you move on to suggestions. Give suggestions on how to fix a mistake or another possible word they could use to improve their word choice. The key to suggestions is to not be overly pushy! The final part of peer editing is making corrections. As an editor, you should look for spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, run-on sentences, and so on. Do not be picky when it comes to corrections about what is “wrong” with the paper. Most importantly, be nice!
As the peer being edited, you should try not being defensive. Do not take everything the editor corrects to heart. Look at corrections as, “I need to improve in this area (i.e. spelling, grammar)”. The most important responsibility of the peer being edited is to be attentive!
Peer editors can be an important part of teaching. Peers, in the same age group, understand and explain concepts and problems differently than a teacher can.

Peer editing my Classmate’s blog
My assigned classmate’s blog was very well written. She used great word choice, had little to no spelling and grammar errors, and she was clear in explain her views. She used great comparisons and had plenty of personal experience to include in the blog’s topic. The only issue I came across was not an “error” issue. For that reason, I included a suggestion on how to enhance her sentence’s power and clarity in the comment I left on her blog. I felt it was not necessary to email her because it was a small issue. I believe if other bloggers read the comment, they will think about their own sentences.

Assistive Technologies

The Mountbatten braille writer can allow student/teacher interaction. It can print braille and reads aloud each letter being printed. It can save files, transfer files to a computer, and can receive files from a computer. This device allows deaf students to receive feedback from their teacher and lets them interact with the classroom. I would use this device in my classroom to help teach a visually impaired student and to give them the opportunity to interact with the class and complete assignments. I would use it to help me understand my student(s).

In “Teaching Math to the Blind”, Professor Karshmer raises the issue in teaching blind people math. “The trouble with braille is it is linear in nature. It does not show the two-dimensionality of the simplest math problems.” He faced this issue head on and devised a device, a touch pad with braille blocks, to bring in the 2-D nature of math. This allows visually impaired people to learn math and give them access into STEM-based careers.

The videos, “iPad usage for the blind” and “Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child Is Learning On the iPad”, show how iPads can be used by the visually impaired to read, type, watch videos, access internet, etc. I personally believe the specific hand/finger placements and touches would be difficult to learn at first. I honestly would have had a harder time than the mother did when she was learning how her child used the iPad. However, iPad has opened windows for blind students, children, and adults. It is light-weight and travels. Apple found a way to include every member of society. Technology is constantly updating, changing, and improving. There is no point for technology to improve or change, if it is not improving and changing to increase access and knowledge of everyone. It must give an opportunity.
As a math teacher, blind students will face a severe challenge in my classroom. Braille’s linear nature will prevent my students from learning basic math problems and prevent them from full appreciating math. To solve this challenge, I would invest in Professor Karchmer’s touch pad with braille blocks.
“There’s an App for that.” This phrase is used commonly as a jest towards the huge quantity of Apps available. However, this is great for teachers! Finding apps to help with math would help my exceptional students. iPads give blind students access to these Apps and can help me teach them concepts of math. The assistive technology we have available gives every one of our students the ability to be a successful, educated member of society. It allows everyone to follow their dreams.

Harnessing your digital smarts
After watching the video "Harness your Student's Digital Smarts", I was astonished at how these students were using technology as their learning window. Students taught each other. They were taught to be self-thinkers and to interact internationally to learn! Mrs. Vicki Davis uses digital media to help teach the concept my edm 310 classes is trying to explain- how to learn on your own. She also did not let living in a rural area hinder her or her students. Mrs. Davis’s teaching values and lessons are remarkable. I had no idea there were classrooms and teachers who taught through primarily online sites, portals, wikis, and blogs. My edm 310 class is the first class I have used the internet as my primary learning tool. It makes me wonder how much further we can take our students! I can’t imagine what it would be like if every classroom in the United States was educated via the internet and were taught to be self-thinkers. I just know we would be far more advanced than we are now if we did. This video has inspired me to look into possibly taking more classes focused on technology and how to use it.