Ohio DL Schools

I like that Ohio Connections Academy, ECOT, and VCS of Ohio provide free computers and internet service. I honestly think this is a huge benefit to assist in online learning. I liked Ohio Connections Academy’s website the best, as well as what they seemed to be offering. I’m going to be honest though, my opinions were also greatly swayed by the setup and organization of each website. Besides OCA, ECOT, and Ohio Virtual Academy had the most attractive, straightforward websites, however, OCA had the most details and explanations given. I didn’t like that OVA makes you contact them in order to receive more information as that is inconvenient. It also was hugely lacking in any details on what their school is actually about, or how it’s run.

If I had to choose a school for my son to go to based on what information I was able to see from these websites, I would choose to send him to Ohio Connections Academy. I like the fact that the tuition is free (although most seemed to offer this benefit), and that they had a free computer and internet reimbursement. I also thought it was good that each class provided supplies to the student if necessary. The website for this school was set up in a way that seemed to reassure visitors that they are a legitimate school that cares dearly for the students, in spite of it being online, The main issue I had with homeschooling, although I definitely want to do it in the early years, is the lack of social interaction, I was afraid that if I home schooled my children, or had them at an online school, they would be lacking in social skills, and the experience of being in a classroom setting. Those worries seemed to vanish as I watched videos and read students’ and parents’ testimonials about the school. Of course I cannot tell by this short survey of a couple websites which school is actually best, but it is necessary for an online school to have an organized, attractive, detailed, yet simple website, and OCA offered this to me.

The one school I could tell I wouldn’t send my children to is Virtual School House. There is really one main reason for this: location. From what I could tell, the students would have to physically attend the school, which although I have no problem sending them to school, the building is located more than 2 hours away. I also couldn’t really get a good idea of how the school is set up. The website was lacking in detail, which is very important for a virtual school. Also They seemed too focused on using technology to learn for a school that is a face to face experience. I do know the advantages that computers and other learning technology have for students, however I think kids spend too much time as it is looking at a screen. If I were to send my kids to a school rather than having them be home schooled, they need to focus on what I think is the most important aspect of sending kids to school: human interactions. I wouldn’t want them there staring at a screen all day, only to come home and stare at a screen even longer while doing homework or relaxing. I do like that the school offers blended courses similar to what is offered in universities, although I never really liked blended courses, I can see the benefit.

Assistive Technology For Deaf- Blind People

Deaf-blindness is a condition in which a person is struggling from a combination of both hearing and visual impairment and/ or loss. This term doesn’t necessarily mean that the deaf-blind person is actually deaf or blind, but rather they have significant trouble hearing and seeing to the extent that it affects their social or educational, lives. This condition can come about in a variety of ways, and results in varying degrees of deaf/ blindness. “About 50% of the deaf-blind community have Usher Syndrome. This is a genetic condition where a person is born deaf or hard of hearing, or with normal hearing, and loses their vision later on in life from retinitis pigmentosa” (aadb.org). A person can also be born with normal hearing and sight, and then gradually lose them both later on in life. Others can lose their vision or hearing due to illness or injuries. Dead-blind people would have a more difficult time learning to communicate and function in society than people who suffer from only one of these conditions, although each is challenging enough on its own. People suffering with this condition would have to put in a greater effort to figure out the world around them and get used to surroundings they can neither see nor hear.

One modern form of technology for deaf-blind people is Braille Sense Plus. It is a compact multimedia device that has many functions such as: sending and receiving emails, managing files, making word documents, listening to and creating audio files, surfing the web, online chatting, and sharing files with PCs. It also has an alarm clock, schedule, GPS, address book, calculator, and much more. It comes in two keyboard choices and also has a braille keyboard at the bottom. It seems to be a very convenient way to access everyday tasks that would’ve otherwise been more difficult to achieve. There seem to be two downsides to this device, the first being the weight. At two pounds, It’s heavier than the tablet equivalent of it would be. But considering it’s also like a mini laptop, two pounds isn’t too bad given the benefits. The most obvious negative part about the Braille Sense is the price. Although it was difficult to get an exact pricing, similar products from the same company ranged from $3,000-$6,500. Having outrageous prices seemed to be a common trend among tools that could assist deaf- blind people with everyday prices.

NexTalk Text Service is a free way for deaf-blind people to keep in contact with others. It has an option to allow users to make TTY calls to another person with a TTY device. A TTY is basically a phone that has a qwerty or Braille keyboard that will relay the message of the person making the call to the person they are trying to reach. This is useful for people who have trouble speaking verbally, so they can still talk long distance. NexTalk has this system built in for added convenience and to help relieve a otherwise huge financial burden on a person needing a TTY communicator. Users can send instant messages, make calls, and use the video service. There is also a toll free number that can be used to assist a hearing person in communicating with deaf a deaf person, without the need for them to also figure out how a TTY works.

Perhaps in the future, assistive technology for deaf-blind people will be more readily available and affordable. It seems as though ipads and other computer tablets are becoming more popular as a learning tool for children with disabilities. “There are devices that plug into a phone and turn text messages into moving braille for the fingertips to read. There are GPS devices that provide talking maps. Apps that use the camera on an iPhone to read the denomination of a bill to the user” (usatoday). There are also apps that serve as motion detectors, which are useful if someone or something is approaching a blind person. The Color ID app tells blind people if fruit are ripe based on their color, if their outfits match, and identify colors in general. Some apps that can sense if the lights are turned on or off, and others tell the user how many bus stops they have left before they have to depart. These are just some of many apps that have been created to make everyday tasks simpler for blind people, which can also be used in the blind- deaf community.

References:

http://www.aadb.org/FAQ/faq_DeafBlindness.html

http://documents.nationaldb.org/products/dviqanindya.pdf

http://hims-inc.com/products/braille-sense-plus/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/06/27/helen-keller-birthday-deaf-blind-apps-technology/11496293/

Welcome to My Blog

Hello, my name is Maryam Najib. When I was in about 3rd grade, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I cannot recall exactly what made me reach this conclusion. I also decided that same year that I wanted to marry my childhood friend Yousuf and name one of our future children Esa. I have accomplished two of those goals, and now I am working towards the third: my education degree. I moved to Columbus about 2 1/2 years ago after getting married, and previously lived in Toledo, my hometown. I have three sisters and two brothers, all of who have all decided to be teachers except my 12 year old brother. I'll give him some time though, children are always changing their minds about careers.

I used to enjoy reading, art, taking walks outside, hanging out with friends, Karate, swordsmanship, sleeping, video games, watching movies, the list goes on. However, the older I got, the less time I had to enjoy each of these hobbies. It got to the point where I was doing almost none of these except on rare occasions. What happened? Homework. Like so many other people, school was slowly draining any social life I had until I began to resent going to school despite previously loving it. I was so tired of memorizing and then regurgitating information I had "learned" at 2 or 3 a.m., only to almost completely forget that information by the following school year. 

That's why as a teacher, one of my main goals is to get students to learn in what I hope will be, fun, inspiring, and memorable ways. I know this is the goal of most teachers, but it's desired for a reason. I aim to get them to learn, not just memorize, to participate out of a desire to, not just because of pressure, and to continue to look forward to that next day of school, instead of by dreading it. Most importantly though, students should have some time to enjoy their daily lives with family and friends, rather than dedicating the majority of what can be 17+ years to staring at a book or a board with words on it. If people don't have time for a life outside of school, how are they then going to apply what they've learned into their daily lives? How would they get the chance to decide what they really want to do as careers? How will they be able to develop themselves if they don't have time for themselves?