Tuesday, January 15, 2013


A new semester has begun and with it I have a new resolve to overcome challenges that may arise in my classroom. In early December I met with fellow colleagues and we were given the challenge to describe our first semester in the framework of a favorite Christmas movie.  I chose the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and specifically the scene from the movie when the cat clawed the strand of lights from the tree and electrocuted itself. I felt like that I had bitten off more than I could chew with trying to implement laptop usage into my classroom with students who have special needs that require adapted technology to access the curriculum. Most of my students have difficulty recognizing letters and numbers so it has been very difficult teaching them to login to the network. Other areas of difficulty for some of my students has been the use of a mouse. Two of my students have used touch screens on desktop computers but it is hard to adapt that with laptops. Two of my students have had very limited exposure to laptops and desktop computers. Going back to the framework of  the Christmas Vacation movie I have decided that this semester I am going to be like Clark W. Griswald when he meticulously checks each individual light bulb on the roof. I am going to focus on  little details with just one or two of my students with vision that they will have the Aha moment just like Clark W. Griswald does when the lights blaze.

1 comment:

  1. Penny- I love your analogy and can feel your frustration! I admire your perseverance and know that with your wheels spinning, your brain cells will come up with ways to make technology work with your students. And you are the kind of person to share the knowledge and will be able to make a difference for others! Keep up the good work! :)

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