Brittany Miller

Transcript: From this course, I learned to step out of my comfort zone. I hate to admit that I tend to get stuck in my ways. It makes sense that when teachers find something that works, they continue to use it. However, our world is increasingly driven by technology and we have the option to jump in or get left behind. “Digital technologies have brought changes to the nature and scope of education” (Timotheou et al., 2023). Through this class, I’ve learned not to be afraid of trying new things. By trying new platforms in this class, I was able to discover some new resources that I think would be very beneficial for my students. I never would have considered making video discussions, but I’ve learned that they make discussions more personal and help the listener to be more engaged. “Use of video in an online discussion forum therefore has the potential to increase social presence in online learning environments” (Xiu & Thompson, 2020). Through this class, I’ve learned that I can d...

Equitable access to websites for all students is crucial as it provides opportunities for students of all abilities to have access to digital content. “Educators and researchers have established a number of ways that integrating technology into teaching can support learning. When these contributions are combined to tackle learning needs and interests for individual students and to create more equitable and just technology-supported learning opportunities, technology seems to make the greatest difference” (Hughes & Roblyer, 2023). The use of technology and assistive devices in my classroom is especially important because I am a virtual special education teacher. Many of my students have a reading impairment and require text-to-speech. Text-to-speech converts written text to spoken language, making it easier for reading impaired students to complete work that requires reading. Another assistive device that is used in my classroom is speech-to-text. This converts spoken language to w...