Annotated Playlist-Civil War

Introduction Video

Well here it is! I am not a fan of public speaking and if I am being frank I hate it! HAHA I know there are many more people who feel the same as me! I always feel like my face looks funny or I am stuttering or I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about. This was a bit easier because I could just talk about me, but still awkward that is for sure!

Making A Presentation Look Extra Better with Color and Animation

Many students can sometimes find school fairly boring and they get distracted easier and lose focus on what is actually happening in class and what the teacher is actually trying to teach. One way teachers can help improve student attention to the class period is making sure their lessons and how they present them draws the students attention by making sure they are bright and interactive. I recently revised a power point presentation that I made earlier in the semester after listening to a couple lessons on colors and how they work together and animations. The color theory gave great information on how to match colors with the right pair on the color wheel. After listening to that lesson I went through my presentation and matched up certain colors that I did not have matched up with their right pair to their friend on the color wheel, for example yellow should be paired with purple. The multimedia video went over how to create your presentation with animations to keep the students attention but not to go overboard with the animations so that they are overwhelmed with what is happening on the screen. After watching that video I went back through my presentation and added simple yet interactive transitions from slide to slide.

Reflections of Assistive Technologies

        Technology is a crazy, scary and awesome thing. It is scary on what some devices can do now and what people are saying technology will be able to do in the future. We went from Johannes Gutenberg's movable type with the printing press in the time of the Italian Renaissance to computers speaking for people by that person simply looking at a picture and a camera seeing what that persons eyes are looking at. Technology helps in so many ways in the education fields, but the biggest impact it probably has is for those students who have disabilities. Students who have learning disabilities, to student who are non verbal or who have down-syndrome, are physically handicapped or are mentally handicapped can use various amounts of different technologies to help them succeed in school and education and help them participate in ways that they might not be able to if they didn't have the use of some the technological devices that are out today.
          Students who have cerebral palsy have had some sort of damage to a part of their brain which had led them to have problems with muscle coordination and body movement. Their condition can cause muscle tightness and spasms and can also lead to problems with speech. Not having the power to speak can make school and education very difficult for student with cerebral palsy. That is why the invention of the dynavox has been so important for the students who are don't have the power to speak. People with cerebral palsy often have a difficult time communicating simple personal needs, let alone participate in a classroom discussion or simply answer the teachers question.The dynavox uses a path finder which allows the student to simply look at a picture on a screen and the computer speaks for him or her. It can also be used to write emails, communicate with other students and teachers and answer assignments. If the staff, school and district find it necessary for student to succeed it will be put on their IEP then go through the insurance process then that school or district will get the funding to provide it for the student so that they can succeed in school.
          Students who are visually impaired or blind could find it very difficult to succeed in school. Unless they go to a "special" school for their impairment, everything in most school is very visual. Even in schools for the blind or deaf, all the sign, posters or boards are bright and colorful, but have braille so that those who are visually impaired can read what the sign says. One awesome piece of technology that those who are visually impaired may use is the Mount Batten. It resembles an old school type writer. The student would press different keys that are numbered and the device would say out loud what the student typed, producing a paper with braille. Many of these machines are provided by the district for as long as the student needs it. Another device that students who are visually impaired might find helpful in school are tablets or smart boards. The keys and icons on these devices are typically larger and easier to see for those who are visually impaired.
        There are many limitations to students in school and education who have physical disabilities. Their disability may leave them with limited or no use of their limbs, so writing an answer to a question on a test, or typing a research paper could be difficult or unattainable all together. Some may be able to use laptops to participate in school and class discussions. Some students with physical disabilities like to participate in an array of school activities and don't want to be limited by their handicap. Like playing a musical instrument. Adaptations can be made to many musical instruments so that students who may not have full movement or use of their limbs can play things like the piano or a horn. A simple joystick that controls and triggers the valves of a horn can help a student who may have partial use of a limb.
       It is with devices and technology like this that help students participate and succeed in school, who may not be able to otherwise.

Adaptive Technology in Education

There have been three main laws the have assisted for equal opportunities for those with disabilities. The American Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disability Act Laws and the Assistive Technology Act have set out different laws and accommodations to help students with disabilities in school and education and to help all people with disabilities in everyday life. From working in a middle school in the special education department I have seen first hand how some of these programs and technologies have helped students succeed in school. The ADA is a federal law protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities in employment, state and local government, public accommodations and telecommunication services. The IDA and ATA protect students with disabilities in education. Grants are given to state agencies to help fund the programs to help these students succeed in life. People with mobility impairments, health impairments, learning disabilities, speech and hearing impairments and those who are blind or have visual impairments, are given different ways to succeed in education by using different forms of technology. Some of these forms of technology are screen enlargers, braille displays, text to speech programs or speech to text programs and enlarged keyboards. I have worked with students with some of these items and it changes their whole personality when they are able to participate. I hope that in my future classroom I will be able to work with these items to help student succeed and cant wait to see what else will come out in the years to come to help students with disabilities succeed in education.

Educational Apps

Technology in education is ever evolving and apps on cell phones, tablets and computers have become huge components in today's education system. They can be very helpful and useful in many cases. I am big proponent of keeping education old school. I believe in that because test scores throughout the nation have severely dropped since I was in my grade school years. I think kids these days have their noses in their phones or tablets enough as it is, do they really need to have their nose stuck on a computer screen all day while they are at school too??? The middle school that I have worked at the past three years has tablets and computers, but so many kids were caught on apps playing games instead of the assignment at hand, or on a website that had nothing to do with his or her research paper that they were on the computer to write in the first place. So the jury is still out for me on whether school should go full tech! However, I have used a few educational apps and really enjoy them and the kids that I have worked with these past few years have enjoyed them as well. Working with special education kids it was nice that many of the apps were easily accessible for my students. Some of my lowest students who had trouble reading could use the app because there was an option for it to be audible, or the buttons were very large or bright in color. The apps should have a healthy balance of interactive features like animations and noises. Especially depending on grade level. You may need to have more animations for the lower grade levels or even higher grade level special need students to keep their attention. There should most definitely be a purpose and goal in the app or game they are playing. Make sure that it communicates the subject matter and gives results or feedback. Many apps could be used as reviews or assessments, to put what they learned in the classroom with the teacher to practice or how they can use what they have learned in real life.
 evaluating apps/slide share

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