My Blog Adventure!

Hello Everyone!

Goal: I will create a blog that is used to share classroom information and resources with my student’s families. 

My name is MB Angelo and I currently work as a Special Education Teacher in one of the largest school systems in Maryland. I work at a Special Education Regional Center. This means I work with students who are severely physically and mentally disabled. I LOVE WHAT I DO!

Let me tell you about my classroom. I teach students in 1st and 2nd grades. I have currently 6 students in my class. I am assisted by two wonderful paraeducators. And each and every lesson is fun in my classroom.

I feel that this blog will be a good tool for education. My student’s families will have access to any information about what we are doing in the classroom and resources to follow up at home.


The Why

It is also important my blog is supported by different educational standards.

International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers is a list of standards that help students become empowered in their learning (2020).

I feel these ISTE teacher standards are met by my blog.

“Citizen Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world” International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE Standards for Educators, 2020, para. 4).

I want my students to be able to explore the digital world. I want them to be able to independently or with support research and identity things that interest them. I am creating a blog to support my student’s learning at home outside of the classroom.

“Facilitator Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students” (ISTE Standards for Educators, 2020, para. 7).

Student achievement is very important to me. I want my students to achieve amazing things. I also want my student to improve on their IEP goals and objectives as well as any standardized assessment. I feel by using my blog I am able to reach my students and enforce their learning at home which will, in turn, increase their academic success.

ISTE Standards for Students I feel are meet by my blog.

“Empowered Learner Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences” International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE Standards for Students, 2020, para. 2).

I want my students to be active in their learning. The use of my blog will allow students to make choices about follow up activities at home. I feel that when my students are making choices they are working towards a greater goal of independence.

“Global Collaborator Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally” International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE Standards for Students, 2020, para. 8).

I want my students to collaborate with each other as well as their peers. This is a way for my students to connect with students in the general education environment. I feel this blog will be able to have my students engage their learning with many other people that they would otherwise be limited to in the school building.

Zenman et al (2011) discussed how families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder blogged about their challenges and how it is determined the school’s home partnership would be enhanced if educators focused on parent needs. I feel my blog is a good tool for education because my student’s families need to have access to information about my classroom and also other resources. I want parents to understand that I am a tool for them to use. I want a parent to come to me with a question and I am able to direct them to the appropriate resources. I feel that by creating my blog I am opening my classroom and inviting parents to become more engaged in their child’s learning. I want parents to feel comfortable with their child’s learning and also comfortable asking questions about their child’s education.

As Jones (2012) discussed classroom blogs can benefit students. I am also hoping by creating this blog my students will have an opportunity to show what they are learning in school with their families. Bacescu (2017) offers many reasons blogs are beneficial to students, including teachers becoming more oriented to students’ needs. Through blogging, teachers are able to adapt their teaching to better reach their students (Bacescu, 2017).

References

Bacescu, M. C. (2017). Blogging, vlogging -- from entertainment to education. ELearning

& software for education, 1, 369–376. https://doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.12753/2066-026X 17-054

Jones, S. R. (2012). Digital access. Teaching exceptional children, 45(2), 16–23. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1177/004005991204500202

International society for technology in education standards for students. (2020). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students.

International society for technology in education standards for educators (2020). https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators.

Zeman, L. D., Swanke, J., & Doktor, J. (2011). Strengths classification of social relationships among cybermothers raising children with autism spectrum disorders. School community journal, 21(1), 37–51.