The majority of my response to that question revolved around a positive classroom atmosphere, emphasis on creativity, and freedom for students to express themselves and cultivate their passions. I still stand by that response, but now, just a few months later, I have a lot to add to it!
At the beginning of the semester I highly underestimated the importance and the power of technology. Technology was something that I just never gave much consideration. Now, after completing EDM 310 and learning about so many amazing technological tools and resources, I can't imagine not using technology in my classroom.
I am an artist, so creativity and the arts have always been something that I plan to heavily integrate into my classroom. What I did not realize, was that technology and creativity go hand and hand! There are so many ways to integrate technology into the classroom, while encouraging creativity at the same time.
A class blog is a perfect example. A blog gives students the opportunity to get creative with their work and present it to an audience. There are limitless learning possibilities when it comes to student blogging. They are able to customize the appearance and the content in any way they want, and because of that they tend to take more pride in their work.
There are so many more tools and resources that I will use in my future classroom that before EDM 310, I never would have considered. Prezi or iMovie for book reports and presentations, project based learning activities that incorporate technology and the SMARTboard, and iCurio are resources that I will use with my students.
Delicious, Twitter, Evernote, Symbaloo, C4T Blogs, and Google Drive are tools I will use to stay organized and cultivate my PLN.
Surprisingly, the most important thing I feel I am taking away from EDM 310 is not about technology. It's about asking questions, being curious, and being a life long learner. That is something I hope I can instill in my students the way Dr. Strange has instilled it in me!
disabilities to be able to enjoy all the benefits of education. As for the use of the voiceover capabilities of the Ipad, these videos focus on the disability of blindness. The voiceover for the ipad allows students to scroll their fingers over the screen and be able to hear what apps they are sliding over. If they want to click that app, they just double click anywhere, and the app will open. These instructions are the same when typing on the ipad. After going over each word as it is read aloud, the student can double tap to choose that letter. One important app used from the ipad for the blind is the ibook. The ibook is important for people with blindness, because no other kindle or nook are accessible for the blind right out of the box. Normally, a software of some sort has to be downloaded. With ibook, the student can flip two fingers up to start any story out loud, and some books even have the images described. Not all gone are the days when disabled students are isolated from others, but hopefully, by giving blind people this reading tool and use of the ipad is just one way out of many that we can assist in recreating a better world of education for all students.
we learned many things about bullying and different things we can do as educators to help our children grow, instead of putting them down. We all remember being little and wanting to do the things we thought would be fun such as being an artist or an astronaut.As Mr. Koyczan said, despite all we dreamed about or aspired to be, we were told to think about things more realistic. How can we ask our students what they want to be, and then, tell them it is not really possible and to think about something else? As educators, we learned we must always shape our students around their aspirations and dreams. That is what inspires creativity and promotes happiness. We learned the importance of continuing to follow our dreams. It is important to have a belief in something for yourself, no matter if you are five, twenty-five, or fifty-five. Dreaming is important. 
outside the classroom. One thing that really stuck to us is how bullying sticks with you. Mr. Koyczan discusses a story of a woman who was bullied at a young age for a small birthmark, and even as an adult, she does not feel she is beautiful. Depression, as well, as bullying is something that also needs attention in schools. It is important as educators for us to know that we have to bring the light to these children. We must continue to help them see their dreams and differences from other people as a strength and not a weakness. As Mr. Koyczan said, “there is a reason why you keep trying, despite when everyone has told you to quit.” We have to guide our students in to seeing what each and every one them tries for. 
The students are more prideful for their work, because they are very engaged into it. The parents/administrators get to see these students retain all of this knowledge and apply it to real life situations. Overall, we learned that project-based learning is a great and more effective method of teaching compared to other “burp-back” ways of teaching. 
