Assistive Technology

Assistive technologies are priceless items for people with disabilities. However, part of the problem with many great assistive technologies is that they are too basic. Because so many disabilities are individualized and specific to each person, not every program will be perfect for everyone's disability. Realizing this, Microsoft has equipped its computers with some of the most basic technologies that can be used in a variety of ways. More specific technologies need to be purchased, but these 'starter' assistive technologies can be incredibly helpful for basic computer processing. Here are some examples of what I have found to most heplful:

Zoom
This option allows users to magnify whatever is on the screen to whatever degree is necessary so that they can understand what would be indecipherable text. Geared towards the visually impaired, this tool is extremely helpful in its simplicity and effectiveness.

Onscreen Keyboard
In order for the physically impaired to more easily operate a computer, the onscreen keyboard can be extremely helpful. The colors in the keyboard make the keys distinguishable and easy to see. The keys are also much closer together which means that the user need not move as much as he or she normally would with the regular keyboard. A slight shift of the mouse can take you from 'Q' to 'P.'

Examples of Satire

Here are a few online sources that might help demonstrate how satire works. Try using the rubric provided to see why they could be considered satirical.

• Blog on teaching satire: This website has been put together by a teacher who has obviously run into the same problem that is being seen in this case study. On the blog the teacher has compiled a list of various modern examples of satire. In fact, this website is where I found many of the other examples listed here. It is a great resource.
• "Kill the Poor" by The Dead Kennedys: This is a Youtube video of a satirical song by The Dead Kennedys. It is an example of satire used in song in the modern times. The lyrics of the song located here could be compared to older satirical texts.
  
• SNL skit "I'm on a Boat": This satirical music video takes a look at popular music and spins it in a satirical fashion. The video is skillfully done and would be a great example for students that would surely get them engaged and laughing.
• Jonathon Swift's "A Modest Proposal": This classical piece of satire is renown for its excellent use argument in a satirical fashion. It is older and only a text, so the students might have trouble relating to it at first. However, it might provide a good source of satire to be compared with others.
• Video clip from The Office: The Office is a popular TV show that does an excellent job of demonstrating satire in the typical office space. Although students will probably not have had first-hand experience working in an office like this, there are characters that could surely be related to faculty and staff of a school. It is a great source of humor and satire.
• The Onion: This is a fake online newspaper. Their sole purpose is to make up news stories that concern real people and potentially real events with the goal of being satirical and funny. It is a great example of textual satire that could be compared to some of the older textual pieces of satire.
  
• Hating Literature: Here is another textual example of satire. This article "advocates" hating literature and attempts to get the reader to do the same. Obviously, the intent of the article is quite different, making it a clever source of satire in text format that compares nicely with older textual pieces of satire.

Using iGoogle as a PLN

I've been working a lot with my iGoogle homepage a lot lately and have discovered a lot of new ways to incorporate my teaching needs into the site. Various RSS feeds from Ning websites really help me stay updated with what's going on with other teachers in my field of study. As a personal learning network, it works really well especially because it can be constantly updated.

Using Delicious Socially

Delicious is pretty useful on its own. It makes it easy to keep track of websites you find all of the time, regardless of where you are and what computer you're using. However, I never thought about how useful it would be to bookmark certain pages for other people as well. Delicious provides a service for its users that allows such a thing, and makes it very easy too! This screenshot is of a bookmark that I successfully passed on to another Delicious user. Kudos to me.

ProfilerPro Survey Accomplished!

One of my goals at the beginning of this semester was to learn how to conduct a survey on ProfilerPro.com. I finally learned. Unfortunately, I couldn't just conduct a survey with the people already in my class because of my status of a member in the group, but I did create a test group and put a few sample questions on a survey just to get a feel for what it's like. ProfilerPro also makes it possible to use other surveys for your group. For example, as a secondary language arts teacher, I can search for surveys that have a literature or english content and assign them to those who are in my group! Crazy cool. Here is a screenshot from my work.

Citations

With the world of technology growing all the time, new and different media sources are constantly being used in research. These different sources are helpful, but also need to be properly cited. I found that one particular Wikispace's sole concern is this kind of citation help. Here is a link to the site if you ever need help with citing different technological sources.


This site helped me when creating my digital story which I created in my Education course here at IU:

Station 6: Persuasive Speaking Survey

Here is the link to the actual google form.

HotChalk

This site provides an easy way for students, teachers, and parents to communicate and keep track of quizzes, homework assignments, and grades. And it's free! The site concentrates on practicality and ease of use instead of fancy gadgets and flashy html work. I am not a dry and empty person, but I much prefer this kind of setup when it comes to staying organized. HotChalk is also great for communication amongst all parties involved.

Pivot Tables in EXCEL

Working with EXCEL can be rewarding in all sorts of ways. Not only is data collection easy, but different tools that the program provides make it easy to present the acquired data as well. Here is an example of what the results would look like when plugged into EXEL from two survey questions. Various other changes can be made to the graph when it comes to labeling and/or color.

Oxford English Dictionary Online

What's that? The Oxford English Dictionary is online and free?! What's that? It tells you the origins of words along with accurate definitions?! What?! It also says when the word was first used?! What?!

Although it may seem a bit dense at first, but the dictionary is really useful and straight-forward besides that. Plus, you should always be on the lookout for cool words, and this way, you might just learn another cool word while learning the definition of the first word!

This resource, like many of the others, would be presented at the beginning of the school year. My students would then have absolutely no excuse for not knowing any word. Ever.

PBS Resources

PBS is great and wonderful in all sorts of ways. One of the many things they do however, is to provide teachers with resources specific to their subject matter. Teaching language arts at a secondary level could prove to be challenging at times, especially when it comes to motivating kids.

PBS provides classroom exercises that are engaging and educational. Discussion prompts and quizzes are available to use in the classroom as well.

I would use this as a resource for myself. But instead of following word for word what an instructional article said, I would use it more as a guide. I would try my best to use prompts and quizzes for an inspiration, rather than a way for me not to have to do anything.

Check it while I wreck it.

Citation Guide

Here is a basic citation guide for potential sources used in any formal paper. Purdue University's instructions are clear and reliable. They are also up-to-date at a time when everything is always changing.

This tool can help to enhance the overall experience of students who, while writing a paper, might need additional help on how to cite certain sources. It's incredibly complicated to keep track of the various sources' particular rules regarding citation.

By providing my students with the website at the beginning of the year, I could avoid wasting precious time on small details like the year and publishing company of texts in class. The information is already laid out in simple terms for them to use at this site.

Free Harvard Course Online

Harvard is providing a free online class on ethical justice. A free class is always awesome, but a free class from a prestigious ivy league school like Harvard is really awesome. It provides video feed of the lectures for each week and the supplemental readings that go along with it.

This improves the effectiveness of learning by offering a potentially inspiring and invigorating experience for students who are caught up with regular school work in class. By telling the students about this website, they are made aware that you are looking out for free and interesting ways to enrich their educational experience outside of the classroom.

I would use this in my classroom much like the online etymology dictionary, showing my students at the beginning of the year so that they knew investigating the class online was an option.

Check it out here!

Online Etymology Dictionary

This online etymology dictionary is really convenient and fun for various students and teachers. Knowing where words come from is certainly entertaining, but it can also help derive the meanings of other words.

This improves the effectiveness of learning because of its convenient online location. The simplicity of the website also makes finding the root or history of any word possible and easy.

I could use this in my classroom as a resource for my students. Solely letting them know of this site could be helpful and also educationally entertaining.

Check it out here!