Blog Assignment 2

I watched the videos and was pretty amazed at the impact of absence of sensory data to the brain.  I had heard of cochlear implants previously and just thought that modern medicine had worked wonders and isn't that great.  To find out that if children don't receive the implant prior to 3.5 years it might mean the difference in hearing versus not hearing was pretty stunning.
As a future teacher, the information in the videos makes me wonder what the procedure is for intervention.  If I notice anything about future students that sends up a red flag about a vision or hearing problem, I would assume that I would contact the school nurse as a starting point.  But, while noticing and citing a potential problem is crucial, I would hope any school that I would work for would give guidance on how to proceed.
I would think that the parents are a logical contact step, but a lot of information that I have read in just the past couple of weeks reminds that not every kid has mom or dad. 
I know from personal experience that the school nurse screens for any number of issues, so I can't help but think that this is the correct resource?  Hopefully?  This is tying into another class about classroom organization - that pretty much states you need to have everything prepared before day one and know your procedures if you want to function smoothly.
Once again, all of the material that we reviewed was very interesting.  I am, however, a little unnerved about the kitten experiment.  I know it is for medical advancement, but cannot imagine being in the lab and having to suture some tiny kitten's eye shut.  Teaching sounds so much better than lab technician right about now.

EDU 270 Lesson 1

I have heard references to a lot of information over the years about stress and its effects on the body and the brain.  I had not ever completely organized all of the bits and pieces into a cohesive thought about what that would mean to me, for me, or for anyone with whom I might come into contact.
After reading the information, and viewing the videos, it all sort of began to make more sense as to why everything covered so far in this class is actually relevant in everyday life.  It is sort of like hearing that you need 8 hours of sleep every night.  You ambiguously listen and file it away thinking you might make an effort, but it is sort of academic.  After reading about how every interaction is an experience, and every experience can actually shape brain architecture, it seems more obvious that thoughtfully approaching every class is not just about subject matter.  It seems a little intimidating, but now it is clear that as a teacher, you are not just educating but setting the tone for how each kid will proceed in life. 
As far as a practical application, I think that the information about trying to reduce stress and encourage interaction through more small group activities might be the thing that I would most want to incorporate.