SOftware Exploration Reflection
This activity made me realize the vast amount of resources available to support different learners. If education had unlimited resources aka money, students could have so many advantages. Along the way I actually found a lot of free resources with similar capabilities to the paid softwares. This is exciting for me, because I would like to try it out in the classroom next year. I also found a lot of programs that were mentioned in the book like the word prediction software, which I can see helping a few students in my class. THis activity was also helpful in that my PTSA has requested this information aka a wish-list from each department and I was able to find a few things to submit to that wish-list for next year. One of the software I would like to explore the most if the InspireData program because I find that most kids in middle school have a very difficult time understanding and reading data like charts and graphs. THis is a real world skill they will need to have that becomes a means of presenting information in all fields. Teaching them this is essential. I also really want Curriculum Paragraph Punch, Skill Levels 5 - 10. I find that writing is veyr difficult to teach. Especially complex and creative writing that makes sense. Students can do these things in isolation but crafting something more elaborate often generate repetition and nonsense.