This article is all about how disabled students are benefitting from assistive technology. It says that assistive technology is defined by any item, piece of equipment, or system of products that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. I think that in today's world, this type of technology is incredibly important. Because our world is moving and evolving at such a rapid pace, people with disabilities need extra help to help them keep up. With assistive technology, this is happening with ease.
Some examples of assistive technology are Speech Recognition Systems (students control their computer simply by speaking to it), Personal Reading Machines (students scan a printed page and it automatically reads it aloud), Talking Calculators (recites numbers, symbols, or functions as keys are pressed), and Video Description (written text on the bottom of the screen for the hearing impaired or audible explanations of the video for the blind).
According to this article, well over 50% of schools are beginning to use some of these types of technology. Also, many schools say they don't have enough computers in order to support all the needs of their disabled students. I believe that this will start to improve, as technology is becoming more and more supported and necessary in todays world. And while disabled students are definitely reaping the benefits of newfound technology, kids everywhere are able to use these things and gain from them as well.
Works Cited:
Author Unknown. (2005). The online school. Assistive technology helps all kids learn. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech220.shtml.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Journal Response--E
Wikis are becoming more popular as technology is advancing. One place that the wiki can especially be put to use is the classroom. While most people usually concentrate on how students can learn using the wiki, there are many ways that educators can use them as well.
In the article I read for this week, the author gave 8 specific ways that a wiki can help educators complete tasks and collaborate with one another. One way that wikis can be useful to educators in the classroom is it decreases interruption of instructional time. Instead of wasting classtime to tell teachers announcements, etc., this information can be posted right on the wiki for teachers to access during freetime. Also, all teachers' schedules, bell schedules, meetings, and other things can be posted on the wikis so each teacher knows where to find their colleagues at all times.
Another advantage is that wikis can make meetings more efficient. Before the meeting, information that will be shared can be posted on the wiki to give faculty an idea of the things that would be discussed. That way, when the meeting started, the instructor would be able to jump right in. Also, teachers could use the wiki to discuss issues even after the meeting was over.
In many schools, more than one teacher teaches a certain subject. Wikis can also be used to let these teachers collaborate and bounce ideas off of each other. Information, lesson plans, websites, videos, and other sources can be easily shared online in order to help these teachers out.
Wikis are also a great way to keep things organized. Instead of getting papers, documents, newsletters, brochures, etc., in their mailboxes every day, this information can be uploaded to the wiki. This ways, these things won't be scattered in desks, file cabinets, and offices. Instead, they will be easily accessible online. Also, teachers will never have to worry about having enough copies or writing on the only copy, because there will be an endless supply on the internet.
After reading this article, I am thoroughly convinced that wikis are a great tool. Not only can they be extremely helpful in the classroom, teachers can use them to communicate with their colleagues as well. I think that wikis are going to become more popular as time goes on, and they will change the way students and teachers communicate with one another.
Author Unknown (2009). Tech & learning. Eight ways to use school wikis. Retrieved March 16, 2010, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/22126.
In the article I read for this week, the author gave 8 specific ways that a wiki can help educators complete tasks and collaborate with one another. One way that wikis can be useful to educators in the classroom is it decreases interruption of instructional time. Instead of wasting classtime to tell teachers announcements, etc., this information can be posted right on the wiki for teachers to access during freetime. Also, all teachers' schedules, bell schedules, meetings, and other things can be posted on the wikis so each teacher knows where to find their colleagues at all times.
Another advantage is that wikis can make meetings more efficient. Before the meeting, information that will be shared can be posted on the wiki to give faculty an idea of the things that would be discussed. That way, when the meeting started, the instructor would be able to jump right in. Also, teachers could use the wiki to discuss issues even after the meeting was over.
In many schools, more than one teacher teaches a certain subject. Wikis can also be used to let these teachers collaborate and bounce ideas off of each other. Information, lesson plans, websites, videos, and other sources can be easily shared online in order to help these teachers out.
Wikis are also a great way to keep things organized. Instead of getting papers, documents, newsletters, brochures, etc., in their mailboxes every day, this information can be uploaded to the wiki. This ways, these things won't be scattered in desks, file cabinets, and offices. Instead, they will be easily accessible online. Also, teachers will never have to worry about having enough copies or writing on the only copy, because there will be an endless supply on the internet.
After reading this article, I am thoroughly convinced that wikis are a great tool. Not only can they be extremely helpful in the classroom, teachers can use them to communicate with their colleagues as well. I think that wikis are going to become more popular as time goes on, and they will change the way students and teachers communicate with one another.
Author Unknown (2009). Tech & learning. Eight ways to use school wikis. Retrieved March 16, 2010, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/22126.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Journal Response--D
In the article I read for this week, the author wrote about five specific ways texting can be valuable for educators. The article was written in response to the New York Department of Education's decision to deactivate texting on employer-issued phones. The reasoning for doing so was because texting seemed to be used by most educators for personal use only. However, the author of this article listed just a few very positive, professional uses for texting.
The first reason to keep texting on employer-issued cell phones is obvious: it is an extremely efficient and effective method of communication. Teachers can quickly send short messages to their colleagues with ease, and texting can be used when phone conversations are impossible or inappropriate. Also, all cell phones, no matter what brand, speak the same language. Whether coworkers have the same type of phone or not, they would be able to effectively talk with one another.
The second reason the author wanted to keep cell phones around was because the use of texting could improve the communication between parents and teachers. Teachers can talk to parents easily or quickly notify parents of certain situations using texting. Also, during meetings, workshops, or classrooms, not all participants will have laptops with them. However, most will have cell phones.
Poll Everywhere was the third use the author mentioned for texting. Poll Everywhere is a tool that can be used by anyone. After an account is set up, all participants can text message their opinions to a certain number in order to vote or give instant feedback to what is being discussed. That way, when a meeting is being conducted, instructors can instantly become aware of how the rest of the people are feeling about the present issue.
The fourth use of texting for an educator was the ability to twitter directly from a cell phone. No downloading or special software required, all users need to do is set up an account. Through twitter, educators are easily able to communicate with each other about certain issues.
The last use the author mentioned was the ability to aquire endless information from Google directly from a cell phone. In order to do so, all users must do is text certain codes to g-o-o-g-l-e, or 466453. Texters can see a complete demonstration of how this works at www.google.com/mobile/default/sms.htm.
In conclusion, there are many ways that texting can be used in the professional world, especially when it comes to educators. While the author of this article only wrote about five of them, the opportunities and benefits of text messaging are endless.
Educator, I. (2009). The innovative educator. Five ways innovative educators can use sms texting to enhance their work. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/10/case-for-funding-innovative-educators.html
(Do not know the author's real name. In the article it only said that it was posted by a user going by the name of "The Innovative Educator.")
The first reason to keep texting on employer-issued cell phones is obvious: it is an extremely efficient and effective method of communication. Teachers can quickly send short messages to their colleagues with ease, and texting can be used when phone conversations are impossible or inappropriate. Also, all cell phones, no matter what brand, speak the same language. Whether coworkers have the same type of phone or not, they would be able to effectively talk with one another.
The second reason the author wanted to keep cell phones around was because the use of texting could improve the communication between parents and teachers. Teachers can talk to parents easily or quickly notify parents of certain situations using texting. Also, during meetings, workshops, or classrooms, not all participants will have laptops with them. However, most will have cell phones.
Poll Everywhere was the third use the author mentioned for texting. Poll Everywhere is a tool that can be used by anyone. After an account is set up, all participants can text message their opinions to a certain number in order to vote or give instant feedback to what is being discussed. That way, when a meeting is being conducted, instructors can instantly become aware of how the rest of the people are feeling about the present issue.
The fourth use of texting for an educator was the ability to twitter directly from a cell phone. No downloading or special software required, all users need to do is set up an account. Through twitter, educators are easily able to communicate with each other about certain issues.
The last use the author mentioned was the ability to aquire endless information from Google directly from a cell phone. In order to do so, all users must do is text certain codes to g-o-o-g-l-e, or 466453. Texters can see a complete demonstration of how this works at www.google.com/mobile/default/sms.htm.
In conclusion, there are many ways that texting can be used in the professional world, especially when it comes to educators. While the author of this article only wrote about five of them, the opportunities and benefits of text messaging are endless.
Educator, I. (2009). The innovative educator. Five ways innovative educators can use sms texting to enhance their work. Retrieved March 8, 2010, from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/10/case-for-funding-innovative-educators.html
(Do not know the author's real name. In the article it only said that it was posted by a user going by the name of "The Innovative Educator.")
Monday, March 1, 2010
Journal Response--C
As technology is advancing, the classroom is changing as well. Different websites, Smart Boards, Wikis, and many more things are becoming very popular in education. One of these new technologies is blogging, or online diaries or journals.
Blogs (short for web logs) are internet websites where people can write entries about anything they want. Blogs can be private, shared with only a small network of friends, or they can be visible to the entire world wide web. After posting a blog, people can read the blog and comment on it. They can respond to each other on their own blogs, and they can also become "followers" of certain blogs. With these capabilities, blogging can be very useful in the classroom.
Brenda Dyck, a teacher, shared her new experience with blogging in her article "Log On to a Blog." While teaching a unit on homelessness, Dyck created blogs for each of her students that they could use to respond to discussions and activities done during class. She found the experience to be extremely successful, as she was able to view each student's personal feedback and efficiently respond to it all online. The students brought up interesting points that she was able to use in class, and the overall learning that occurred was extremely great.
As Brenda Dyck's experience shows, blogging can be an immensely useful tool in schools. It is quick and efficient, it is clean and organized, and students are naturally attracted to it because it is a new method. I think that blogs will become much more popular as time continues, and all teachers with students old enough to use blogs should learn how to get started.
Works Cited:
Dyck, B. (2010). The online school. Log on to a blog. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/voice123.shtml
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