Emily Langdon's Blog - New Media and New Literacies

For my post, I decided to evaluate two digital platforms that I use daily in my classroom, Nearpod and Proloquo2Go.  Nearpod Nearpod Overview: Nearpod is an interactive, digital classroom tool used across grade levels and subjects in education. It allows teachers to do away with antiquated PowerPoint presentations, which can be dull and lack interactive features in order to create more engaging presentations that incorporate multimedia, virtual reality opportunities, collaborative gamified assessment (as in their Time to Climb feature) and instant formative data on student response ( McKnight, 2024) . The application became one of the leading digital tools within our special education sector at BOCES particularly since virtual learning during the COVID-19 shutdown. In our classrooms, it continues to be the primary way that we present information to students and has continued to be successful – even more so in-person (Nearpod, 2024).  Nearpod User Engagement: Nearpod can be used in mu

As I teach a very niche population of students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities, when reflecting upon what I have learned this semester I wanted to lean more into how new media, literacies and technologies apply directly to my students’ needs for practical application in my own classroom. I would like to ensure that I am not stagnant and am using the most up-to-date and relevant approaches and resources, as I have seen these things be truly transformative for many of my students throughout my career. For my final project, I would like to explore how to better support my students with such resources, specifically focused on communication, literacy skills, behavior, sensory regulation, math skills and life skills. Below are several sources that have informed my research on this topic so far:  Johnson, R. W., White, B. K., Gucciardi, D. F., Gibson, N., & Williams, S. A. (2022). Intervention Mapping of a Gamified Therapy Prescription App for Children With Disabilities

  In the current age of rapid technological and social changes, it is more important than ever to redefine literacy relevantly to fit our modern society. Conventional literacy education is antiquated and mainly focuses on written texts and often neglects modern digital and multimodal literacies, neglecting to address the inclusion of cultural or linguistic diversity (Sang, 2017).  As a special education middle school teacher, the principles of new literacies and multiliteracies provided in Sang’s article are highly relevant to the educational setting I work in. Integrating digital technologies such as smartboards, tablets and educational apps enhances student engagement and participation as it relates to things they already enjoy and have fluency in. Encouraging students to create digital content fosters creativity and collaboration. Recognizing students' diverse backgrounds and tailoring lessons to individual needs aligns with Multiliteracies' emphasis on cultural and linguist

       New literacies can be defined as “the ability to navigate, consume, create and communicate online information appropriately in the digital world. Such skills can include media literacy, visual literacy and technology fluency (Misha, 2023).” As a special education teacher, I see my students digital fluency and literacy and try to capitalize on strengths and help grow areas of need. Many of my students are fluent in using things like iPads for leisure activities such as playing games, taking photos or watching YouTube. However, they need support when applying this fluency to actual literacy . I do this by teaching foundational skills concretely and by embedding relevant technology tools in our daily routines and tasks, fostering an emphasis on comfortability and access to tools. I work to increase their critical thinking, communication, processing and analyzation skills, which is often supported by technology and media (Vanek, n.d.). Additionally, regular use and training of ne

  Hello! My name is Emily Langdon. I am from Lindenhurst, NY (Long Island) and have been a special education teacher of students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities in an 8:1:1 classroom for BOCES for six years now! I also provide in-home ABA therapy as well as Parent Training for students and parents after school. I am on track to graduate with my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from SUNY Empire at the end of this year! I became interested in this program because as a special education teacher, a lot of the "mainstream" curriculum that I see (even that is supposed to be geared toward students with special needs) is still not appropriate for my students' levels and I am constantly modifying and creating my own materials and lessons to tie into what we are required to use. I love being a special education teacher but also hope to have opportunities open up if needed to possibly expand into a curriculum design/writing or coordinator role in addition to wh