Salutations everyone! With everything that has been happening in class recently, I have been very glad to have Twitter to keep me informed of how everyone is handling things. It's refreshing being able to share some of my favorite moments and resources with you all, and I love seeing what everyone has been posting on their own accounts. I have had to adapt to using functions of Twitter I was previously less sure about, such as sharing pictures or resources from my posts. It can be hard to stay on top of things while trying to keep up with classwork from other courses, but it is a welcome challenge!
Speaking of challenges, this week's Web Design assignment definitely kept me on my toes! I have had previous experience designing websites in Wix for other classes, and for personal reasons. Still, working under a time constraint, making sure to incorporate elements such as calendars and lists... There was so much that went into this project, and I was honestly a little overwhelmed. I think in the future I will try to manage my time better, and break up the process into more manageable stages. If I have learned anything from this experience, it is that it is okay if your work is imperfect. No matter how much I want my work to be beautiful and exceptional, we are all going to make mistakes in our lives. What matters is that we are brave enough to make them, to put ourselves out there in the first place. Sure, my site is not where I want it to be. But it is out there, and I now know what I need to improve in the future. And hey, there is no shame in asking for help! Your teachers are there to guide you so that when you make mistakes, you can learn from them and eventually make better mistakes, or even successes.
Of course, sometimes students need a little more help to get them to where they want to be. That is where assistive technology comes in! Assistive technologies are designed to accommodate a student's specific needs to improve their performance in the classroom. I cannot emphasize enough how important these developments are. As someone on the Autistic Spectrum, I can attest to how helpful having tools such as communication exercises or Zones of Respect would have been when I was growing up. My hope is that I can aid my students in the same way I always hoped to be when I was younger. Devising plans that accommodate not only autistic people but people with other learning or physical disabilities or advanced talents is both a thrilling and daunting prospect. It can be difficult to satisfy everyone's needs, and everyone will require different forms of aid. But that does not mean we should not try. Students should not have to struggle unnecessarily to reach their goals. Our job as teachers is not to put students through a gauntlet. Rather, it is the duty of a teacher to help our students achieve their dreams in whatever way we can, no matter who they are or where they came from. I hope that together, we can all lift our students higher than ever before!
