#SeeTheAbility

We are living in a very interesting time, no one can argue that today is going to be boring, there is certainly going to be something that is said, done, discovered that we're going to be blown away by.  With such access to information and education though, I am very surprised to be reading about special needs students.  I have a hard time with labeling the students so quickly.  By labeling the student we are seeing the label and no longer the student.  Students are students first and the language should reflect that.  Students with special needs have a lot more going for them then just a special need.  Why sell the student short?  We have spent the last couple weeks sharing some great ideas and ideas, why not empower our students to reach their full potential.  It is not that I don't see exceptionalities, it is that I want to see the student first. I want them to be successful. 

Through this LE, I shared the work of Eric Curts, this man is a real Google Guru and he is completely student-centered.  He runs a very thorough website,  http://www.controlaltachieve.com/, where he has been sharing tips and tricks for integrating GAFE into your classroom.  His work is current, tangible and ready to go.  After perhaps a blog post or short video, educators are walking away with tools that they can implement immediately into their classroom.  I came across Eric's site a few years ago and visit it almost day.  His twitter feed is worth a follow, @ericcurts, no matter what subject area you teach.  Here's the link again to his post on Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students and Special Needs.

After reading through the post over the past couple of week, I have quickly that there is a group of dedicated educators that are in it for the right reasons.  Many of us are reflecting on our current practices and adapting them to meet the needs of the 21st century learner.  There have been some great discussions and suggestions and as such, we've highlighted many of the Standards of Practice (SoP).  I found that over this LE, leaders have started to shine through and this is the one SoP that has been slightly neglected however, will certainly be addressed as we continue interacting in the course.

Where I'm going... These waters are slightly muddy, I've really enjoyed reflecting on inclusivity ad would like to further explore integrating technology with students with exceptionalities.  However, I am looking forward to the discussions that will ensue when considering the rest of our staff and approaching this on a whole school level.  There has been some discussion with regards to reluctant teachers and I am looking forward to hearing on how to better support my colleagues.