lily's blog assistive technology

My name is Liliana Renteria and I am currently seeking a mild to moderate special education credential at Cal State LA. As a young girl I dreamed of becoming a teacher but never knew that my passion to teach others would lead me to special education. Other interests that I have include traveling, spending time with friends and family, exploring new places to eat, and going to the beach. When I travel, some of the places that I especially look forward to visiting are national parks and it has become a goal of mine to visit all of the national parks in the U.S. Spending time with friends and family is important to me because I enjoy making those close to me laugh and have a good time. My five year old nephew is currently my favorite and the funniest person I know. When exploring new places to eat, I am extremely influenced by Instagram pictures and I look forward to visiting new vegan food pop ups. Lastly, when I think of down time my favorite place to spend it at is the beach which is why I am grateful that I live in L.A. where any beach is 30 minutes away!

https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Accessibility

I adjusted a piece of clothing that would help my client in her every day routines because she has trouble dressing herself. The buttons on her blouses are too difficult to manipulate, which is why I created a way that would allow my client to independently dress herself. The velcro attachments are a discreet way of helping my client get ready in the morning. The velcro was not an expensive fix as it was only $6 for a roll. Also, I used materials that people may already have in their homes or inexpensive. This solution will help my client tremendously, as the buttons on shirts can take a long time for her to manage.

For this assignment the app that I used for virtual reality was VeeR. In this app the adventure I experienced was climbing to the top of the Machu Picchu Mountains. The experience took me through the famous Inca ruins on a rainy and misty day. On picture 1 we start the adventure at the top of the mountain where we can see other tourists overlooking the Inca ruins. As you looked down to your “feet,” you are able to see the stones that formed the steps that are found throughout the ruins. Picture 2 shows what is behind the view of picture 1, while picture 3 shows what is to the right of picture 1. Picture 4 is at the top of the mountain where it leads you to more steps that when finished, you are at the highest point. The VR app takes you throughout the ruins and makes you feel as though you are also one of the tourists.

This VR experience can be implemented into the classroom as students are learning about the Inca’s history. This VR can take students into the ruins as they are studying Machu Picchu and the importance of this site to many historians. As students read about the history of the Incas and the Machu Picchu site, they can use VR to enhance their learning. This is extremely important to incorporate into the classroom because, as we teach in low-income neighborhoods, or in classes where our students may have disabilities, the access to travel is often inaccessible to these students. As we can see, the Machu Picchu Mountains contain many stairs where students/adults who use wheelchairs, cannot easily access these ruins. The VR experience allows them to explore the Machu Picchu Mountains without any restrictions. Engaging students in learning is also important so that students may also make connections that other wise would not be possible with reading history in books. This app allowed even myself to explore a world where I had never been to and motivated me to learn more about the site. This VR experience is essential and should be incorporated when teaching students about a historical site.

For my 3D object, I created a birdhouse using Tinkercad. The experience was fun, while also challenging. In the beginning it was difficult to manipulate the curser and because I was not used to the zoom feature, I made a lot of mistakes. However, after playing with the website, (and watching lots of YouTube videos) it became a lot easier to use and the process was fun. The most difficult part of this experience was making the walls and the bird hole for the entrance of the birdhouse. Once I got accustomed to the features the process became a lot easier and I was able to include text into my 3D design.

I can see teachers incorporating Tinkercad into their lesson plans to help students build a passion for areas in STEAM. This website inspires creativity while simultaneously encourages and effortlessly incorporates math into the equation. This website may inspire students to become future architects, engineers, and scientists. All teachers should find ways to incorporate 3D design into their lesson plans in order to inspire and engage students.

https://youtu.be/_3LcmL5z36g

NAME: Kathryn (Kate) Carter

SOCIAL HISTORY Agency # 04587
Prepared by: Winston Cramer Date: 7/10/2014

Presenting Problem

Kate, a 47-year-old married woman with one daughter away in college, is requesting help for a depression she states has lasted almost 2 years starting with the death of her mother. At the time her mother was ill, Kate did not follow doctor’s recommendations that she take off work and stay home. She was very involved in caring for her mother, who subsequently died. Kate states she was not aware of being depressed until after the funeral, but grew depressed during the 7-month period she and her husband cleaned out her mother’s house and settled her mother’s affairs. She describes this work as “heart wrenching” and involving several legal difficulties.

Currently Kate describes her depression as characterized by hypersomnia, an inability to go to work several days a month, and a loss of interest in social activities and friends. She states she is here in part because her husband insisted she get help.

Kate believes she needs medication “to jolt me out of this.” She blames herself for letting it go so long but says she felt it would lift on its own. She also states she didn’t want to disturb her husband with the problem. She is asking for a session with a “doctor” and a prescription. She seems uncertain that she needs therapy, stating “I don’t think there is anything wrong in my life, really.”

Family of Origin

Kate’s father died when she was 6 years old, and Kate describes feeling responsible for her mother most of her life. She describes her childhood as a happy one. A number of aunts and uncles took an interest in her, and she grew up with a number of cousins close by. She described happy family gatherings for holidays.

She depicts her mother as living from the Social Security that came after her father died and being unable to sustain a consistent work history. She states her mother sought her advice often, and Kate feels that she made many of the important decisions for the family. At present only one aunt remains and is in a nursing home, and the cousins have moved out of the state. Kate has some contact with them at Christmas.

Birth and Childhood

Pregnancy and birth were uneventful. In addition to what is noted above, Kate and her mother never had enough money. “That’s why I think my aunts and uncles took an interest in me.” She spent weeks away from home in the summer at the homes of her cousins and often went to camp with them. Her mother would come for family picnics and was always warmly received.

Marriages and Significant Relationships

Kate has been married to her husband for 25 years. They have one daughter who is 20 years old and currently a student at the University of Minnesota. She is studying engineering. Kate remembers the pregnancy as easy, but she suffered severe and incapacitating depression immediately following. She was unable to return to work at the end of her maternity leave, thus losing her job.
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Game or resource list for students. These include educational videos, games, and books!