This week in my 21st Century Teaching and Learning course we have been learning all about coding and robotics! This type of curriculum is growing in our schools and it is very important for future educators to learn and know how to incorporate it in their classroom. Coding and robotics is very fun and very educational! To find out how to incorporate coding into the classroom you can go to www.code.org. Coding apps for students to use in the classroom include the following: Kodable, Daisy the Dinosaur, Move the Turtle, Hopscotch, Light Bot, and Tynker.

Today we learned about the robots Dash and Dot from the Wonder Workshop. These robots are great for the classroom! To find out about Dash and Dot and how to use them in the classroom you can go to www.makewonders.com. The apps that are used to control the robots include the following: Go, Path, Blocky, and Xylo.

We also learned about a great you tool to use with the iPad called Osmo. It comes with a stand for the iPad, an attachment to put over the camera, letters, and shapes. It is an interactive app that has many educational opportunities for kids! The apps that go with Osmo include the following: Tangram, Words, Newton, and Master Piece.

Today in my 21st Century Teaching and Learning course we learned about social stories. Social stories can be very helpful for any child, but they are very helpful for children with autism. Some reasons why to use a social story with a child include: to reinforce correct behavior, help with disorganization, reinforce class rules, reinforce class routines, help with those that lack social skills, help with those who fail to complete assignments. It is very important for the teacher to involve parents in the classroom! Social stories can assist any child at school and at home. If the teacher and parents work together in helping the child, there is a greater chance of the child learning this new behavior.

How to write a social story:
-determine the behavior you want to change (make sure to choose one behavior at a time)
-write the social story in first person
-include drawings or photographs that show the social event
-have the child participate in creating the social story
-describe the situation that presents difficulty
-be sure to explain why the behavior is unacceptable by describing the desired behavior
-finish the social story by describing the acceptable or goal behavior

The following apps can be used to create a social story:

-Little Bird Tales
-Kid in Story
-My Story

Picture schedules are also a great tool to use for children who tend to not handle changes in their daily schedule very well.  Move and Match is a great app to use to create picture  schedules for students.

Video modeling is another great tool to use to show appropriate behavior for the classroom. Videolicicios and iMovie are two apps to use to create a model video for students.

This week in my 21st Century Teaching and Learning Part 1 course we learned about STEM lessons for the classroom. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. We did several STEM experiments that required us to think critical and creative with our group. STEM lessons are great for students. It allows them to think for their selves and to see how to learn in different ways. There are all different types of inexpensive materials you can use for STEM experiments. Below are some pictures of a few STEM experiments my group did. I feel that hands on learning is a great way for students to be actively involved in their education.