Gary Bishop’s lecture on Monday night was both informative and eye opening to me. His discussion about how children with disabilities are often left behind socially and academically while at school brought up an issue that not many of us have probably considered before. I also felt that his initiatives were forward looking and will continue to raise awareness for the issues children with disabilities face. We as a society must not forget these children, as they have redeeming qualities and can live great lives and help those around them.
I was particularly impressed with the technology that Bishop introduced to the class. Of particular note to me was the Braille twister to help the blind develop their upper body strength. I would never have considered that blind children do not use their upper bodies to crawl and that it is necessary to engage them to develop vital muscles. Can we think of any other games which would be interesting for those with disabilities to play while also helping them develop in areas otherwise neglected? The “Sonic Zoom” activity, where players step on certain arrows is great for developing coordination and also for having fun. The ability of players to bring their own music furthers the interaction of the player and heightens interest. Unfortunately, these types of activities are not available to the majority of those with disabilities due to their expense. What are some ways that we can think of to give greater access to new technologies to those with disabilities? Should the government assist schools in funding or should it be left to the private sector?
Another point Gary Bishop brought up was how people with disabilities are “mainstreamed” in schools, lumped in with all of the other children. Do you think that this is fair to them? Are teacher s able to devote enough attention and resources to their needs? Further, is this fair to the children who are not mentally or physically disabled? Does this allow them to develop as they should or bring them back to the middle? I argue that these two groups should be distinctly set apart. Forcing gifted children to wait for those who are disabled hinders their ability to thrive. It is for this reason that many parents opt for private schools where more individual attention is paid to each student. What are your thoughts?
Finally, I was impressed with the emphasis on music to develop the minds of disabled children. It often said that those who at young ages play a musical instrument perform better in school down the road. Bishop’s focus on music as an avenue for helping children learn, coupled with the interactive nature of technology giving the user several choices, was a reinforcement of this idea. What do you think about music’s ability to help develop analytical skills and do you have any relevant experience with this idea?
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I thought Gary Bishop's lecture was eye opening as well and I also thought it was wonderful how enthusiastic he was about enabling technology. In response to some of your questions, I definitely think the government should help schools in funding these programs because they fund several other programs for children that are not disabled. It is not fair for them to put so much money into other programs that many disabled children cannot even use. Gary Bishop mentioned that when the non-disabled children do many classroom activities, the disabled children often have to sit back and watch since they are unable to participate. In order to allow more children to participate in classroom activities, the government should help fund more of these programs that Gary Bishop showed us. I also think that the government should put a larger emphasis of special education teachers. If we have more teachers that are specialized in teaching disabled children, I think disabled children will be more successful and be able to live and more fulfilling life.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to Diane Pozefsky's serious game lecture and Gary Bishop's enabling technologies lecture, I definitely agree that software programs have the ability to serve a vital role in future education classrooms. Gaming has the potential to make a positive impact in classrooms. As technology continues to improve and become affordable, I believe more and more education systems will be able to put these software programs in classrooms for educational inspiration.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I think that serious games are more likely to appear in a classroom setting than the enabling technologies Gary Bishop discussed. The majority of students will be able to learn from serious games and only a small minority of students need enabling technologies. Educational systems generally utilize materials most students can use. However, I really hope in the future, the government looks into more enabling technologies for disadvantaged students. I think our policies and teaching styles need to be seriously changed when it comes to disabled students.
I also thought Gary Bishop’s lecture was fascinating and inspiring. What a great way to put technology to use and address issues many of us are not even aware of. I especially enjoyed the Sonic Zoom game, which allows blind children and children with unimpaired vision to play together. I think that Bishop’s work to make these technologies easily accessible and affordable is especially impressive. The way he combines readily available tools such as DDR game pads and Flickr photos with technology to make learning accessible and fun to children with a variety of disabilities is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that “mainstreaming” children with disabilities is a hindrance to the education of other students in the classroom. I think one of the most important things we all learned in our early years in school is working in groups and with people who are different from ourselves. If children are separated from those who are blind/deaf/have learning disabilities, how can they learn to be sensitive to their needs. If they’re separated at a young age, they’re inherently outcast and it makes it much more difficult for them to enter and contribute to society later both from the perspective of the disabled and those who have not spent time with them previously. I think the government is obligated to financially assist schools so they can meet the needs of children with disabilities. A free public education is a critical part of the American system and it’s simply unfair to deny proper education on the basis of disabilities. The private sector and, more importantly, non-profits, will continue to contribute, but cannot be responsible for everyday classroom education.
I can't imagine the endless abilities of the enabling technologies Gary Bishop showed us and is developing for the disabled. I look forward to seeing the positive effects it has with all of the students in the classroom and may teach the able kids how to deal with an even more diverse set of people. I especially liked the inclusion of blind in a re-make of DDR. It promotes exercise in the classroom as well as allowing everyone to have fun, boost morale, and create healthy competition for children who may not experience much.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the "mainstreaming" of children with these disabilities only boosts the other students in the classroom. They become more aware of a diverse group and how to deal with people who have extra needs. The use of these technologies may also benefit children with unique learning styles and help with involvement in the classroom.
Emily makes a compelling argument: what kind of message are we sending if we separate disabled children from non-disabled children?
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends growing up had a disabled brother. He attended school with us and we often spent time with him during the school day.
public education should most certainly reach the needs of all children, especially disabled children. Had the school not offered this program, my friend's family would have struggled to pay for alternative schooling.
I would like to see how these improved technologies can enhance the educational experience. Gary's presentation definitely demonstrated the benefits of its use.
The category of “disabled” is very broad. It depends on the type of disability. One may argue that they should be set apart from “normal” children, but is that always in the child’s best interest? I think keeping them in the “mainstream” schools prepares them for the real world, where not all of their peers will be just like them. Also, most children want to be like every other kid, so isolating them to schools with kids “just like them” would be slightly depreciating. Some disabled kids may need these special programs but others would probably cope better when they get older if they grew up around general public schools since they were young.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of "mainstreaming" of children with disabilities is no where near a black and white issue. While I agree with Braxton that 'gifted' children may be hindered by mainstream regulation; however, a child's entire day does not have to be in the same setting. It is necessary for children to interact with a variety of children- disabled and non-disabled. Structuring a school setting to provide some portions of the day to be spent in a group setting and other portions to be individualized to specific groups of children would be beneficial to all involved.. This provides an opportunity for disabled children to gain skills and initiates learning for those that are 'gifted.' I agree with Lea that complete separation of such groups would send a terrible message to children who will spend their lifetime interacting with individuals different from themselves. Bishop's technology offers hope for the future of such interaction.
ReplyDeleteExpanding on the comment that Emily made and Lea commented on: "what kind of message are we sending if we separate disabled children from non-disabled children?" is a great question and I think only trial will be able to answer it.
ReplyDeleteI went to a public high school and I have to disagree with Lea when she says that they interacted with her friends brother who had a disability. Because I went to a private school and it was still divided between students and the disabled I don't see why there is a problem to separate them. Everything in school is separated by learning abilities so it makes sense that it would be. I personally don't think its sending a negative message because even when people say students with disabilities are not separated at public schools in my personal case they still were.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lea to an extent, however I feel that it is often the rare exception. Being in a public school I was able to spend time and meet all types of people. One of the mentally retarded boys was the manager of the football team so he sat with us athletes a lot. I actually still talk to him occasionally throughout college (thanks to facebook). That being said, I think that for the most part the disabled and non-disabled kids are already pretty segregated from one another. This is not necessarily because they refuse to interact but they just have different things in common, take different classes, etc. However, when talking about separating the disabled and non-disabled I think there are both pros and cons in doing so. I definitely do not think they should be separated all together because we as a society need to learn to be able to get along with all walks of life and not to these disabilities these individuals cannot control segregate them. As for the argument that disabled children will "hold back" others...I think this is something to be careful of. I think it is good that we have AP/IB classes, as well as extra study time or extra help in reading, etc types of classes for those who are behind the others. I think we should definitely continue that, that way both more excelled and more behind individuals can get the attention they need. However, maybe they could have elective type classes (like music class like you already talked about) to put everyone together and encourage everyone to be friends. Also, I think it would be good if the more advanced children tutored the disabled children that way both would be benefiting and getting to know each other on a more personal level.