Blogs in the field

http://www.thinkinclusive.us/#sthash.omcyuQba.dpbs

The link above is to an article that talks about the problem with how we deal with students with disabilities. In the blog, the author mentions that she had picked out a place for one of her students that uses a wheelchair. The child questioned why she could not sit on the bleachers with her classmates. The author could not believe how dense she was. The author mentions how society sees people with disabilities as separate and how we are not treating them as members of our society. The author mentions how the medical model views students with disabilities having a problem that needs to be fixed. The author says this is a problem because then we feel sorry for students with disabilities and separate them from their other peers. However, in the social model we view society as the problem, not the children with disabilities. The author talks about how in society people hold special events for children with disabilities, such as a special prom. The author talks about how this is a problem because society feels like they are doing something good helping children with disabilities, but children with disabilities should not have to have separate events. I completely agree with everything that the author talks about in this blog. People with disabilities should be treated just like everybody else. When we throw special events for children with disabilities we are pointing out that they are different, and there is no reason to do so. Students with disabilities can be a part of regular events with their peers.

Teaching philosophy

The basic message that I want to share about my teaching philosophy is that I want to be a teacher that students feel comfortable talking to about anything that is bothering them. I do not want to be an unapproachable teacher because I have had many of those growing up, and that is not who I want to be. I want to have a meaningful relationship with my students, and I want them to know that I care about them. I also want to have engaging activities for my students to do. I do not want to have lessons that bore my students to death. I want to make my students see the meaning behind why I am teaching them the things that I am teaching. I also want to give my students a lot of say in the classroom. I do not want to have rules just to have rules. I would have my class come up with a list of meaningful classroom rules that they think are important to follow in order to learn. I also want to be good at assessing my students to know right away when they are struggling with a lesson. This is important because the sooner I know, the sooner I can help.

Technology in education

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darrell-west/five-ways-teachers-can-us_b_3228851.html

The article above talks about five ways that teachers can help students by using technology in their classrooms. The article states that schools must have technology that helps empower teachers. This makes sense because we want the technology to aid instruction, not to take over the classroom. The second tip that the article brings up is that teachers should use technology to help plan lessons. This makes sense because there are probably many ideas for lesson planning on the internet that teachers can discover. Also, teachers should try to incorporate technology in their lessons as much as possible. The third tip the article provides is that teachers should not fear open-source technologies. Teachers fear them because they have the misconception that they are expensive or hard to use, but that is just not the case. The fourth tip that the article brings up is that teachers can use online portfolios to assess their students. This makes sense because they are easier to use than paper portfolios and allow for more features. The fifth tip that the article talks about is how teachers should accept the common core standards. This makes sense because the common core standards can help make teaching easier because they tell teachers what they have to teach. I am a dual early childhood and special education major. This article relates to my major because I will need to use technology in my classroom and the tips are helpful.

About Me

My name is Justine Weiler. I am a student at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I am studying special education. I was born in Stanley, Wisconsin and I grew up in Winneconne, Wisconsin.I have three sisters and one brother. I am a proud aunt of two nephews. I also have a lot of pets. I currently have seven cats and two dogs. My favorite sport growing up was soccer. I played on teams since I was probably in second grade. I played on indoor leagues and traveling leagues. I played for two years in high school, but I decided that I did not want to play on a team anymore after that. I also liked swimming a lot growing up. It was by far my favorite thing to do. I spent a lot of time growing up at Marble Park in Winneconne. However, my favorite place to swim in Lake Emily near Amherst. I liked going camping there with my family. Two years ago my cousin wanted to take me to a new beach on Lake DuBay near Stevens Point. I really like swimming there with her because there is a restaurant right on the beach, and we can rent kayaks there. In general, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and spending time outdoors.