Mystery Skype!

Our IT class did a "mystery Skype" with a group of "year 2" kids... in Australia! The mystery Skype was lots of fun, a really unique experience for me, so I can only imagine what it was like for the kids. 
Doing the mystery Skype we had to figure out where the students were from. It was clear from the minute we connected that it wasn't anywhere near here--- they had accents! They got to guess where we were from too, and it was funny to hear some of the different language we used ("fall" vs. "autumn"). 
It's a fun way to really see yourself in terms of the WORLD! It's so easy for us to not really thinking outside of our state, country, or maybe continent. Who knew that Australia was just about to start their winter, when we're just getting out of school for summer? It expands horizons and helps students better understand geography. 

Looking through teachers for mystery Skype is awesome, so many people who just want their students to experience something new! 

https://education.skype.com/users/5633-mrs-aj-persik-gorenflo
Here's a teacher simply looking to Skype with her 3rd and 4th graders. 

https://education.skype.com/users/29884-charles-quist-adade-phd
Even this guy, who's a sociology professor in Canada and wants to share his ideas and knowledge. As a sociology major this sparks my interest, and would be a fun experience for me right now! Or for a group of high school students. 

So much fun, can't wait to do it again, maybe with my own class someday! 

Oops post 5

I liked this graphic for the UDL:

http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files/updateguidelines2_0_0.png

After leaving EATRC I realized really how many ways you can use technology and how much you can use it with EVERY type of student. There is some area that a student can utilize assistive technology, even simply through spelling, writing or math. That's what the UDL is for, finding those different level for different learners.

I've found information off of this website before, but they had a useful link for technology with learning disabilities, and a LONG list of technologies available.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive-technology-kids-learning-disabilities-overview

Edutopia is another website I like http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-young-children-special-education

This even goes through moral and legal requirements with technology, and appropriate education for children in special education with technology. 

Article

This article describes the implementation of a program for hands on, technology and engineering education for elementary schools. A pilot program was started in a fourth grade classroom, the age that students have dexterity and hands on learning is important. At the first school the program visited, they challenged the students to come up with a solution to water shortages that often occur in their area. Students were given steps to help them brainstorm and create a solution. In following the model, students created a rainwater-harvesting machine model. Another class of fourth graders was asked to solve the problem of erosion. Overall both pilots were successful, and the technology education program will continue at other elementary schools. 

This article was interesting to me because it had hands-on learning at an elementary level, with technology. The technology in the article was more engineering than anything else, but I think it's important for students to try out engineering when they're young, especially among young girls who are usually geared in a different direction. It's important for all kids to see that they can help fix problems as well. 

McKnight, Sean. (October 2012). Introducing Technology Education at the Elementary Level. Tech Directions, 72,(3), 27–29.