I explored most of the websites on the resource list and I think that many of them could be used in my future classroom. However, there are three that I definitely plan to use.
On this site, I am particularly interested in the information on graphic organizers and subsequently the link to The Graphic Organizer. This website has a variety of graphic organizer tools available for use as well as tools that provide help in creating one’s own. As a Special Education teacher, my job will often require me to help students find tools to better organize and manage data. Graphic organizers can serve as beneficial support tools to these students, particularly those with specific learning disabilities involving language, literacy and comprehension. The organizers and concept maps found on this site “are powerful tools that can be used to enhance learning and create a foundation for learning” (The Graphic Organizer, 2010).
Due to the nature of my classes, I will probably incorporate a good deal of internet safety, responsible behavior/online decorum information into my lessons as many of them will involve interacting with classmates and peers online. This site is a web-version of Netiquette by Virginia Shea that shares guidelines and suggestions for online interaction and proposes the best ways to present oneself in web forums, both for business and social purposes. This book could be referenced not only for lessons on internet safety, but also throughout the school year when students are 1) collaborating online for projects, 2) interacting with other classrooms and 3) during self-advocacy practice when students are learning the best ways to communicate with future peers and how to seek resources and assistance.
The last site that is of particular interest to me is internet4classrooms.com. As I browsed around the site, I found a link to lesson plans and resources focused on students with special needs, including gifted and talented. Also many of the lesson plans are adaptable and easy to modify as needed. Throughout the TCPCG program to date, it has been difficult to find plans adapted specifically for Special Education purposes. Resources that I’ve come across tend to be narrow in focus and limited to students with certain disabilities. On this site, the plans can easily be manipulated to accommodate students with special needs, including those that are gifted. Because I will be instructing students in a number of different content areas, this tool is helpful because the lesson plans are easy to find, easy to modify and also there are templates included on the site to assist in new lesson plan creation.
References
Graphic.org. (n.d.) The graphic organizer. Retrieved from http://www.graphic.org/
Internet4Classrooms.com. (2010). Lesson plan resources K-12. Retrived from http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson.htm
Shea, Virginia (2004). Netiquette. Retrieved from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/0963702513p4.html
Good job this week! I'm glad you were able to find a useful special education lesson plan resource! Just one minor issue with your post, if you are going to include the three references at the bottom - you will need corresponding citations in your post. I only see the one citation for the Graphic Organizer reference.
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