Daniela's Introductory Blog!

About me...

Hi everyone! My name is Daniela Orasel. I am currently in the ID/Autism program at TC. My focus is in grades 1-6, and I will be dual certified in Special and General Education.

I always think it's funny looking back at how I got here. I completed my undergraduate degree at Binghamton University, where I originally intended to study law. During my first semester, while taking my prerequisite classes for law, I realized that was the farthest carrier I wanted to pursue! However, amongst the classes I was taking that first semester, was a psychology course that I fell in love with! I continued to take more psychology classes, and was privileged to worked at the ICD (Institute for Child Development) an ABA clinic for children with Autism, on campus, which then led me to declare my major in ABA Psychology.      

After graduating Binghamton, I then worked at an ABA school in Manhattan, MCC, and decided to go to TC, which was my first choice, to get my masters in ID/Autism. I love working with children with Autism, especially the elementary age. The greatest reward is seeing their progress every single day. It may be something small, but every breakthrough is a step closer to their success and the ability to for them to lead a prosperous life!

So, here I am graduating in December and very excited for my career ahead! I am looking forward to taking this class in technology very much! I have always been baffled by the fact that many of my students are non-verbal and may not be able to tell me which color is blue or purple, but when it comes to computers, many times they can manipulate them better that I can. I will always remember one student of mine would change the desktop background every time he went on the computer and he would rearrange all the icons. I barely knew where the control panel was to edit my settings!

Technology is very important for children in this generation and will continuously become more important as there are more developments, and I want to make sure I am always up-to-date!

A quote that shapes me...

My favorite quote, and one that I think says a lot about me is, “With every closed a door, there is a window that opens.” I truly believe that this is true, especially because of the path that I have taken. As I have mentioned, I truly never believed that I would be a teacher. Throughout High School I was on many debate teams, Mock Trial, Moot Court, and Model UN. I always thought it was my hearts desire to be a lawyer. I had every intention of pursuing law when I first got to Binghamton. With in the first few weeks it dawned on me that I was not happy with being a lawyer. In that moment I panicked, I was so unsure of myself, and my future.

However, because of an amazing psychology professor Dr. Merrywether, I followed a different path, which led me to where I am today. I saw a door close but a bigger and better window opened! I am now very happy and eager to have my own classroom and work with students with Special needs, especially Autism! The rewards are endless, and I am happy to wake up everyday and take pride in what I do!

Technology in my life...

Technology plays a huge role in my life! My boyfriend is an IT specialist, so in my house we have 5 PC Desktop computers, an iPad, an Android Tablet, and a MacBook Air. I update my cell phone every year to the latest model, and I am very into what the “specs” are of the phone I am purchasing. I am also constantly on my computer and phone, searching Google, on many social media websites, and constantly checking my email! At this point in my life I don’t know what I would do without technology! 

I think I have always been adept to learning about new technology. Technology truly intrigues me! There are endless possibilities with technology! My favorite part, and definitely my learning style with technology is just troubleshooting. I like clicking on different buttons and seeing what happens. I like to learn about all the different features “by accident.” This helps me feel very comfortable with technology because it can definitely be daunting and even threatening. I think it is truly unbelievable how far technology has come, and how easy it is to use. I remember my first computer was huge, half the size of my desk, and now my Macbook air is thinner than most of my notebooks, and fits in my purse! I can’t leave home without my phone, I truly feel empty and disconnected! Technology gives you the power to have everything at your fingertips. Every piece of information is available through the Internet, it’s truly remarkable!

I do believe however, that people need to have an open mind with technology. The creativity and possibilities are endless as long as you are patient to learn about them and explore them! Like I mentioned, it can be scary and overwhelming at first! However, with time, technology makes everything easier, in my personal opinion, and I love learning about new technology!

I know that technology will only continue to develop and I know that it is important for me to stay updated. I have students who can manipulate an iPad better than I can! I remember asking a student of mine, with Autism, how to change a setting on my iPad, and he knew exactly how to do it (it was scary)! Technology will only enable students with special needs to continually find the support they need, because new programs come out everyday for them! Technology is truly amazing!

Problem solving is a must! ...

When reading your thoughts and those of Dr. Martinez, I fully agree with your thoughts on technology. I also feel that technology is all about problem solving. My favorite part about new technology is finding out what it does and all the endless possibilities it can provide! Unfortunately, it is true that if you do not utilize technology and attempt to problem solve with it, it will remain unused and it is a waist!

A great example of problem solving skills that I needed to utilize, was in creating this blog and setting up a wiki. I have never done either one before, and that took me a very long time. There were many steps and many windows that I needed to open and organize before I got a handle on what I was doing! I think it is put wonderfully by Dr. Martinez, that even though I was feeling a lot of anxiety and I was confused and threatened by this new form of technology and posting, I did not give up! Problem solving was the key!

I also love the idea that was pointed out “If no mistakes were made, then almost certainly no problem solving is taking place.” I think is very true! I made quite a few mistakes and was highly confused, until I problem solved and felt very accomplished! I think this is a very important factor. Problem solving especially with technology can help open so many doors (and windows!). As Dr. Martinez points out, we have to “choose the path that seems to result in some progress toward the goal,” which is how I and many ended up with our end result, a successful blog!

Dr. Martinez mentions that we can’t be daunted by looking at our end goal all at once, because it will seem impossible for it to be accomplished. But, the idea of breaking it down and tackling one aspect, a piece at a time, makes the end goal more manageable. This was definitely the route I took and encourage others to take. Take a deep breathe, and take it one step at a time. In the end there will be success, or if not, as mentioned by Dr. Martinez, you can work backwards, which will ultimately lead to that success! I also like the idea of working backwards, thinking of what must be done right before reaching your goal, and continuously thinking of each precursor needed to be accomplished in order to reach the end result.

Another great point made by Dr. Martinez is that problem solving involves error and uncertainty. This is such an important concept because with the feelings of making an error and being uncertain, we want to quit or automatically ask for assistance. Instead, it is important to realize that the greatest learning that can be done is by making your own mistakes, ad learning from them in order to take the next steps towards your end goal.

The accomplishment is greater, and the learning is stronger and will take you further than someone else showing or doing it for you, when you problem solve it yourself! As Dr. Martinez so beautifully puts it, “great things are accomplished when great things are attempted…” and this is a value I want to keep for myself and instill in my students! There is no such thing as perfect even though in our society we would like to think so. However, there is such a thing as doing our best and using our knowledge to aid in problem solving to get as close as possible!