Journal+-+Yolanda

= = =Instructions=
 * For your first entry, double-click the text below and replace it with your content
 * Place each new entry at the top (in reverse chronological order)
 * Begin each entry with the day's date

=Entries= 01/30/10

Personal Story Waiting in line at the casino for crab legs AKA The story of the financial haves and have nots in America

Long lines waiting at the Casino to get crab legs Three groups gold (us), platinum, diamond Some go through quick( no wait), medium (30 minute), very slow (3 hour wait) Ratio 15:1 Pointing and laughing as they walked by the gold line. "I can't see how they wait do long...I would not do that" gloating and looked smug as thy walked past the gold lne feeling left out How did you get in? Can't afford that...I have to wait Statements of Not Fair vs. We don't care, too bad for you No one in diamond offered to bring you in with them No one in platinum even looked at you. Some people in gold gave up waiting. A few in gold dared to get out of line and tried to find out how to get in the upper status. They got dirty looks that said Get out of this line! Don't try it! You do not belong here! One family did try...we never saw them again. Did they make it? Finally, we got in. When we started, they were finishing up and going on with their lives.

But the crabs were good.

1/29/2010

Historically, the students in my class were always isolated from the general population. The teachers and students and I think administration were afraid of them due to their emotionally disabled diagnosis. The movies allowed them to tell their stories and show themselves in a fuller way. Their general ed teachers and staff wee able to see them as a person and not as a label. This has supported inclusion. Now, when the student's behaviors are showing their disabilities, the teachers seem to see it as a disability and not as the whole child. They are looking for solutions and strategies that will help them reach the student and help the student recover vs. seeing the behavior as the highest capacity of the child. This is great to see and it supports the type of perspectives needed to make inclusion sustainable.

12/12/09

Wow! We are so busy in our program. My students are outclassing even more and we are experiencing ups and downs along the way. The general ed teachers are really appreciating the videos and are asking to "switch" our students for some of theres. Now that the students are being successful, it is easier to see patterns or true issues when they do have a problem. The parents are happy and report the academic increases they are noting in their students. We are now learning how to interact and support successful ED students and revamp the program to the next level. This is new territory for our entire school. We are learning together and figuring out how to make win win situations for everyone. It is challenging, but never boring.

Yolanda

10/01/09

So many of our students are doing well with displaying appropriate social skills that they are all starting to transition back into the general education classroom! As a part of the transition process, the students are making their own videos explaining their process and how they are dealing with this experience. This information will be shared with their general education teachers so that they will have some background knowledge about the students as well.

Yolanda Wheelington

09-19-09

How has this work affected my work?

To begin with, having the camera in the class provides an automatic source of accountability for the students because they know that their behaviors can be viewed by others. It slows them down enough for them to find the will to resolve the problem instead of continuing with inappropriate behavior. In addition to this, it provides them with visible and true feedback about their behaviors. They critique themselves, and see directly what they did well and what they need to work on without someone else pointing it out.

Since we are sharing the equipment, we were able to request individual equipment from the district office so that we will have our own due to our district receiving stimulus dollars for special education. We requested cameras and materials, digital cameras, smart boards, laptops, data sticks, and more equipment. We do not know if we get it yet, but we knew what to ask for and how to justify the request.

Also, we are apply to present at the ASU technology and education conference based on this work and the collaboration/support that we are receiving.