About the Author

One hand reaches out, and pulls a lost soul from harm. While a thousand more go unspoken for, and they say what good have you done, by saving just this one. It’s like whispering a prayer in the fury of a storm. And I hear them saying, you’ll never change things. And no matter what you do, it’s still the same thing. But it’s not the world that I am changing. I do this so this world will know that it will not change me.

                                                                – Garth Brooks, The Change

 Who I am

Well, at heart, I am, and always will be, a teacher, but I am also a learner. For the past 19 years, I have been a special education teacher for students with significant multiple disabilities. I was a student teacher in the same school where I currently teach. Basically, I fell in love with the school and never left.

Over the years, I have taught students of various ages and functional levels. I think that I have found my niche in my current class, with students ages 18-21 who are preparing to transition to the world of adult services. My students continue to amaze and inspire me everyday.

What I am doing here

I am very close to completing my Master’s in Instructional Design and Technology through Seton Hall University. By August 2016, I hope to have this degree as well as a certificate in  Transition and a Supervision certificate.

I also have a certification as a Structured Learning Experience Supervisor (SLE) which has allowed me to help my students get volunteer jobs in the community to increase their independence, awareness, self-esteem and motivation. They are making an impact on everyone around them and becoming part of the local community.

Recently, I have started a Special Needs Religious Education program in my home parish. Coming to religious education classes is a luxury that many children with special needs have not been able to access. It is a very small program and we have a lot to learn, but so far so good.

So basically…

As the above song lyrics state so eloquently, like most teachers, I am not here to change the whole world, but I am doing what I was meant to do in a world that continues to change around me

Changes to Capstone Reflection

Regina Murphy

EDST 6306

April 17, 2016

Reflection #9 Changes to Capstone

After receiving feedback from the class regarding my Capstone and based on my own review of my project, there are a few tweaks and changes that I plan to make before the final presentation. Overall, I really like the way that my project has come together. I think that it has a cohesive, easy-to-follow design and clear, helpful artifacts. I also feel that it has a strong basis in educational theory and is geared towards the needs of the teachers. However, there is always room for improvement and I appreciate that everyone took the time to offer me some constructive criticism.

First, I plan to recheck each hyperlink  ensure that they work and that each opens in a new window. I do not want the reader to have to leave my web page in order to view the external content, such as learner resources or references.

I have already edited the project based on some of the comments mentioned by others. For instance, the google survey was inadvertently set to private, but I could not see that since the file always opened for me, through my Google account each time I checked it.  I also need to double check that I have uploaded the final version of each document. After so many revisions, a few files may have been reversed. I will go back to ensure that the correct files are linked on each page.

Finally, I will go back and make sure that each page and file appear on-line as I intended. It seems that some formatting changes may have occurred when the files were uploaded. I had not considered that changes might happen during this file transfer.

Overall, I plan to review each page as objectively as possible and perhaps get an objective 3^rd party to take a look as well. A fresh set of eyes my be helpful.