Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Week 8 - Twitter Reflection

Twitter, oh Twitter, what shall I say??  I am certain that I have learned more from you than you have from me!  I came into #ED505UWARAY with absolutely no clue on how Twitter even operates yet how to "tweet".  I have always thought it to be useless but have discovered that my views have changed since this class began.  Twitter has opened my eyes to a whole new world of technology.  I had no idea that you could search and actually find pertinent information for any particular subject.

One hashtag search that proved useful to me was the search on #assistivetechnology.  I found several videos and articles pertaining to various forms of assistive technology.  Here are a couple of items that I found interesting. 



Here are tweets from my three favorite "tweeters"!


Apps That Teach (And Might Be Fun Too): http://t.co/NcKBuj77Is





Here are some of my own posts from this semester!
 


I plan to use Twitter to post assignments and make a page for my class.  I'm am anxious to get started and make this year the best yet!  Thanks to all who have followed my blog! 
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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Week 7-Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology can be described as any device(s) and/or service(s) used to help a student with a disability to meet the goals of his/her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and to participate in the general education setting to the fullest extent possible.

Mild disabilities are cognitive impairments that limits normal activity.  The degree of disability is determined by how it affects daily activities and the level of assistance a person needs.
Website suggestion -     www.wizcomtech.com 
Hardware suggestion -   Wizcom's Quicktionary Reading Pen

Moderate to severe disabilities are cognitive impairments that typically require more assistance for day to day living.  At times, moderate and severely disabled students have physical disabilities in addition to the cognitive inabilities.
Website suggestion - www.ablenetinc.com
Hardware suggestion - software to aid in functional and community living

Physical disabilities are strictly physical in nature with no cognitive deficits noted.  
Website suggestion - www.adaptivation.com
Hardware suggestion - touch screen accessibility for computer

 Sensory disabilities by definition is the impairment of vision and/or hearing.
Hearing impaired: 
Website suggestion - audioenhancement.com
Hardware suggestion - FM Transmitters for teacher and student
Visually impaired:   
Website suggestion - www.visioncue.com
Hardware suggestion - screen readers, page magnifiers

At-risk behavior/situations are identified as those who are at risk for school failure.  They are not recognized as disabled by the federal definition of disability but the lack of school performance mimics that of cognitively challenged students.
Website suggestion -  www.brainpop.com
Hardware suggestion - iPad

Gifts and talents by federal definition are "students who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities" (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p 411).
Website suggestion - www.tip.duke.edu
Hardware suggestion - Provide various multimedia tools to engage in self directed research.

This is a video that I found about how one teacher uses Assistive Technology in her classroom!! Interesting...must watch! 



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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Web 2.0 Resources - Week 6

As I have said all semester, technology has come a long way!  As I see it, it will soon take over in classrooms across America.  I am excited about the changes that technology can bring.  

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Change can bring up many controversial issues.  The primary issues relate to inappropriate content, safety and privacy issues, fraud, viruses and hacking, as well as copyright and plagiarism.  There is firewall and filtering software that prevents inappropriate material from being seen while at school.  "Firewall software protects a computer from attempts by others to gain unauthorized access to it and also prevents access to certain sites" (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 214).  "Filtering software limits access to sites on the basis of keywords, a list of off-limit sites, or a combination of these" (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 215).  Social Networking Sites or SNS, are "online locations that allow users to upload their own content,  meet and connect with friends from around the world, and share media and interests" (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 215).  By accessing SNS, the student could be prone to online predators, privacy issues as well as cyber bullying.  Cyberbulling is defined as "the online version of regular school bullying and can produce the same harmful consequences to young people"
(Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 215).  Fraud can be a concern in the event a student is sharing personal information online such as full name, date of birth, and/or social security number.  A good firewall software program comes into play again by preventing viruses and hacking from taking place.  The last potential problem is with copyright and plagiarism issues.  Many times, images as well as entire documents, such as essays, are available online and are easily obtained and used by someone without the correct copyright permission.  

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Mobile Technology and Application

As I have stated previously, iPads are one of my favorite technology resources in which to use in my classroom.  I would love to have an iPad station in which to reinforce skills already learned and introduce new skills.  The iPad can be an ideal tool for use with mathematics and language arts.  

Watch this short video showing how iPads are used in one classroom! 

Here is a Tweet I found from a guy I have been following....This article is full of useful information!


I found several excellent free mathematics apps on iTunes.  These applications are for basic math skills and can be set for individual skills such as addition or random facts (+,-,x,/).  My daughter loves these games! These apps are in game format to gain their attention.  "Teachers say technology's visual and interactive qualities can direct student's attention toward learning tasks" (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 25).  Technology supports student's learning needs by giving them practice.  "Drill-and-practice type (apps) offers privacy, self-pacing, and immediate feedback that makes practice most effective"
(Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 25).

Math Zombies
My Math Flash Card App
Math Puppy - Bingo Challenge 


Here are more free applications from iTunes!  These applications are for primary reading grades.  I have played them all and they are fun and very engaging to me even though I know how to read!  I can't wait for my daughter to try them!A couple of these apps can turn disabilities into capabilities by giving them visual and auditory feedback to aid them throughout the application.

Sentence Reading Magic 
Sight Words Grades 1 & 2 
Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe Interactive 
ABC Reading Magic 2-Consonant Blend Sampler 


These guys have some awesome information on their website!  I enjoy seeing what they have to say daily!




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