VIRGINIA MADRID - 3º PROJECT

• ICT AND LEARNING DISABILITIES (Crónicas Viajeras)

This topic focuses on children with disabilities and how technologies help them to improve, to enter and to be more willing to participate in the classroom. They focus on autism, Down syndrome and people with motor disabilities. In turn, they talked about the difficulties, consequences and technologies to use in each case.

For example, with autism, it is difficult socialization, language, thoughts, imagination. To do this you can use tablets or cameras that helps them improve this aspect.

Later they put a video and we can see how the technologies help children to communicate. Using tablets and other technologies they feel like their peers, with the same possibilities and capabilities, while relate better.
ICT can provide a powerful resource to support and enhance curriculum experiences, particularly for students with learning difficulties. This in turn encourages motivation and the development of skills. There are various ways of using familiar equipment and combining it with additional or different resources, creating activities that enable the individual learner to respond more effectively to the demands of the curriculum.

Concluding, I think it's a good idea to use technologies with these children because in many cases improve their capabilities and allows them to be more successful in school. Technology can help, prevent, resolve or compensate deficiencies in specific learning of an individual. Also, if it is something that is within our reach it is always good to use because it has advantages as in this cases.

• ICT AND IMPROVEMENT SCHOOL (Team Perk)

This group talked about technologies and school. They reviewed the relationship of teachers with new technologies. In many cases, children know more than they do because they are digital natives, also they talked about the digital divide that can even be among them and finally the importance of educating future teachers well for face the new technologies.

They talked about the advantages as a dynamic way to teach and to promote interest or motivation between the children. Also you can cope with the weight of backpacks or cost of all books. However, we can find some difficulties like the cost of these tools and teachers with a lack of formation.

In addition this can also be introduced through social networks. They can make use of blogs, Edmodo, youtube, thus are in contact with each other while they can post information and develop their critical awareness.

Finally, they commented other tools such as robots, ipads or apps. With robost they can also learn things, they can learn to program, with apps they can use from home and there are many apps for the education.

In conclusion, I believe that new technologies can be very useful in education to motivate students, to learn new things, for work together and to develop new skills. But we must not forget that a good teacher needed know this advances as well as take into account the cost of these materials and the effects that may occur in children. All must know how to use new technologies properly and not be fooled by the first thing we see.

• INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS (Amigos del Football)

This issue also spoke my group, but focus on different things. Among them, they spoke of the difference between intregracion and inclusion. In integrating children "are prepared" in special schools to enter regular schools, changes are made with focus on people with disabilities, people with disabilities should adapt to existing systems, the changes are superficial, just insert the system people who are considered "suitable". It is thought that the group of people with disabilities are equal, their individuality is not respected.

On the other hand, in the inclusion children needn't prepare for school, changes benefit everyone, everyone wins, the society adapts to meet the needs of people with disabilities. The society becomes more attentive to the needs of all. It defends the rights of all people. It allows and encourages the participation of exclusive groups and it transforms systems to be quality education for all.

They also mentioned the main features in relation to the authors (Gordon Porter, Tony Booth, Mel Ainscow and Gerardo Echeita).

As for the videos, they taught two schools:

-O'Pelouro: live in the same space all kind of students, they are never separated acording to their abilities and the student is who decide about their learning.

-Amara Berri: several teachers with each gruop of students, the difference considered as a quality.

In conclusion, I think it is positive that children with problems or delays feel integrated in the classroom, they are treated as one and have a learning something tailored to advance with his teammates. It is also important for them to develop values from small and even report problems they may have peers, creating a positive view of the differences.

• WAYS OF LIVING TOGETHER IN SCHOOLS (Modern Students)

First they talked about school mediation and which is the cause of the problem. One cause could be diversity: bullying, violence, exclusion..But, how solve este school? They menttioned tow strategies: preventive and repair.

There are very important values ​​as: willingness, confidentially and staff intervention.

The mediator of the group could be: pupils, teachers, non-teaching staff employed.

The program to support pears is when a studiante helps another to overcome problems. The objectives are to foster collaboration, knowledge and finding solluctions, improved coexistence

Characteristics: helps improve self steem, responsabilities, voluntary participation.

Finally the results are improved cohesistence and decreased intensity of conflicts.

An example is Kiva international school: is a research-based anti-bullying program, universal actions, integrated actions working with people with bullying, online trining for teachers.

In conclusion, the mediation is one of the main part of the students assitance program. The kids feel save also because they know that there are someone that can help them with their problems. I consider very important the program to suppor peers as children feel more secure and comfortable when being in class, otherwise face diversity and develop the cooperative help.

• SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING  ( Wanderlust )

They started talking about why you should include it in the school as a subject, defending the idea of Rafel Bisquerra that was as important as math or language and help children to understand better how they feel, to prevent negative emotions, etc.

Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.  What we get with emotional and social learning? 

-Increase social skills and satisfaying interpersonal relationships.

-Less antisocial behavior and social adaptation.

-Decrease of violence, aggession and self-defeating thoughts imporving self-steem.

-Improvement of academic performance.

-Drecrease od sadness.

Methodology:

-Emotions in class: we have to work emotions every day, work empathy and assertiveness, to set 10 minutes when we start or finish the class to pupils express

-Multiple intelligences, work in prijects, teachers helps to develop the intelligence and work with multiple intelligences

-Cooperative learning to creat friendship, positive reinforcement, student feel confortable

What thing can do teachers? Emotional simulation, environment, equiality, develop values of empathy.

In conclusion, it is important this topic and also interesting. I think it would be treated as a subject or at least give importance, teachers should help their students from small to control their emotions, inclulcar empathy and create a comfortable and peaceful environment in which children can feel at ease.

• LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL EFECTIVENESS (Dumbledore Teachers Army)

Leadership is the responsability of school administrators and principals who want to create positive changes in educational policy and process.

Why is important leadership for schools?

The current society needs leadership training that foster intellectual, emotional integration, strengthen their team in educational institutions and this allows them to transform them into effective, banishing excess strengthening management and leadership focused on strengthening academics.

What are the characteristics of a good leader? Must be a businessman: the leader has to take care that the environmnt don't affect to the pupils and teachers and also he has to take care about the develop of the children and the school as an institution. Also must be an organizer: has to bring qualify teachers, creative concepts and institutional methods that will define the quality of the education following a reform plan. They also motivate children, teachers, parents and the hole community to participate in the school and in education. Finally must be an expert: they have to stablish information based on expert communities that make all peolple responsible of pupil learning and school develop.

Also a good leader must have these skills: be clear, innovate, trust, be decisive, accountable, among others.

In conclusion, the quality of schools depends largely on the competence, dedication and leadership style. The leadership team is key to achieving precisely this eschool. The effectiveness and quality factor are key strategies point to carry out good leadership. In addition, support will receive the leader by teachers is very useful, as this makes the job less burdensome.

Therefore, the main concern of the leader is not to solve the same problems, but the way they solve them.

• LEARNING COMMUNTIES (Musical Chairs)

The concept of the learning community can be defined simply as a group of people learning together, using common tools in the same environment. It is a project based on a set of educational activities Success, aimed at social and educational transformation of the community. It starts at school, but integrates everything that is around you. The aim is to achieve a successful education for all children to get at the same time, efficiency, equity and social cohesion.

In this both teachers, and parents and volunteers are involved. Group share their ideas and respect the participation of all.

I saw the video that this group put on his blog and took the following ideas: it takes into account everyone and all opinions too. School to work has to be involved the whole community, an integrated teaching is made in the neighborhood and society in which they has to live. Also they make assemblies in which children can participate.

Although it is something that is not done in many schools, it is something beneficial because it improves academic performance of all students, improving school performance of students in all subjects, repetition rates, dropout and failure are decreased, improved climate and coexistence; increased solidarity attitudes. It also increases the participation of all students, families, teachers, management teams, universities, foundations, institutions and public bodies. Finally improve the living conditions of the community: higher rates of employment, levels of health, decent housing.

In conclusion I believe that all these topics are interesting and could work in various ways in education. Each brings positive things for students and for the school in general. It is important to consider all, try to create a good atmosphere in class, use every means that can be for teaching, pay more attention to people with problems, create groups so that no one feels left out or different and especially try all children alike making them see that they are all important in learning. We must not forget the importance of a good leader, that can share leadership with more people, so with good initiatives and  proposals the school work better.