TECH REVIEW
Learning and Leading with Technology (digital edition,
November 2009)
Author
name(s) : Kelly Ahrens
Title of article:
Build an assistive Technology Toolkit
Title of journal:
Leading and Learning with Technology.
Date of publication: November
2011
Volume of the
journal: 39
Issue number of the
journal: 3
Article Page numbers:
“pp. 22–24”
Assistive Technology (AT) is a group of customized tools aimed to
meet the needs of different learning styles and physical challenges. The goal
is to use these tools in the school, with the support of IT. The intended
audience is teachers, administrators, and central office authorities. You can
either use the options and tools built into your operating system or find some
online. Some in your OS could be Magnification, On-screen keyboard, Narrator or
Voice over, Speech recognition, Change text size, Personalization, Keyboard
shortcuts, Sticky keys, Mouse keys, Filter keys, Visual and Sound
notifications, and captions. Some online tools could be found in K12IMC.org.
“You can instill independence and
confidence in students with special needs by finding free tools and working
with you IT department…”.
“Once you find the tools you want to use
–both free and paid- you need to know how to work with your school IT
department to develop a systemwide AT program that successfully support
students.”
TED-TALK:
Technology
Ideas
Worth Spreading
George
Dyson
The
Birth of the Computer.
Feb.
2003 (Monterrey, CA)
The Birth of the Computer.
Dyson
takes us back in time and gives us the historic facts of the birth of the
computer. He goes back in 1945, with the atomic bomb. John von Neumann was the
one thinking about and creating the first computer. After Neumann, some people
got together and started working, designing, and implementing new ideas in
order to have what we have now in regards to computers. Dyson does a very good
job giving credit to the people involved in this process, for example he says
that Leibniz was the first one talking about building such a machine, in 1679,
arguing that arithmetic and logic are the same thing. The talk is directed to
people interested in technology and the history behind it. He describes the
importance of team work, perseverance, and the time factor in technology. He
also mentions that technology was inevitable; if those people mentioned by him
wouldn’t have done it, someone would’ve done it anyway, and this is seen with
RCA, they decided not to go into computers. Nowadays, we enjoy and use the
progress in technology done by many people. For people interested on technology
history, this is an excellent talk. For others this is just information that is
good to know; they prefer to enjoy the technology and the benefits of it.
“I am thinking about
something much more important than bombs. I am thinking about computers.” John
von Neumann.
“RCA, in probably one of
the lousiest business decisions of all time, decided not to go into computers.”
Webinar:
eSchool News,
Technology News for Today’s K-20 educator.
Barbara Rudolph
and Thomas Greaves: Powering the Digital Classroom: More Than Just Computers
March
28, 2012
Powering the Digital Classroom:
More than just Computers
Greaves explains
that DTP is not about eliminating something in education but using technology
to do it. He also talks about RED (Revolutionizing Education; a study of 997
schools) and the main focus of if: Improving student achievement and Evaluating
the financial impact of technology on budgets. He also explains the Key
Implementation Factors and the main findings in this RED project. The summary
of this project is that technology works best when properly implemented; and
DTP capabilities are integral to proper implementation.
Barbara talks
about her district and why they decided to adopt 1 to 1 DTP. They started this
as a summer project. She mentions it has great benefits but also shares some of
the things that did not work for them.
“Technology is becoming more powerful, more
reliable and more effective in education.”
Android
Market Android for Academics
Gradebook
Version
1.07
Requires
1.21 MB This seems to be a
very good app for managing student’s grades on our android device. It works
with Google Docs spreadsheet. You have to create a Google Doc spreadsheet and
then allow access from your device to import the file. You can change grades
from your android and save the new information. You can also email students
grades. The app has pin-numbered protection in case you lose your device.
ISTE.ORG
ISTE Connects Blog Teach Elementary Students How to Social Network
December
22, 2011 This blog promotes the
importance of teaching social networking in schools, in order to develop safe
and healthy social skills. Some schools may not be interested in social
networking, but the advantages are strong and under the right conditions it has
a lot to offer to elementary schools. Some of the social skills that could be
taught are: avoiding using inflammatory language, not sharing
personal information with strangers, thinking before you react because everyone
can see what you post, and picking your friends carefully.
“Most middle school and many elementary students are already
networking online, so why not teach them how to do it right?”
“Schools that ban social networking are missing an excellent
opportunity to teach safe and healthy social skills.”
Teaching Channel
Inspired
Teachers, Inspiring classrooms Teaching Channel
Videos
produced by video production experts, education advisors, and the classroom
teachers themselves.
Teaching Channel
launched publicly in June 2011. This
website is a great tool for future educators and new teachers to learn from and
apply what other teachers in America are effectively using in their classrooms.
Teaching Channel is a video showcase—on the Internet and TV—of inspiring and
effective teaching practices in America's schools. Their mission is to
revolutionize how teachers learn, connect, and inspire each other to improve
the outcomes for all K-12 students across America. The selection of the videos
could be made by subject, grades or topics. It is a great tool to learn new
classroom techniques, activities, strategies, etc. that can facilitate the
teaching and learning process. I reviewed some of the videos under the English
Language Arts section and saw how some teachers build vocabulary in a very fun
and active way that students are engaged and interested in learning and
finishing their projects.
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