Week 3

Visual Images:

Why are visual images important?

Visual images are important because they can illustrate a point better than written words in some cases.  Visual images reach across language and cultural barriers to present a message.  Two poignant visual image examples are the restroom signs, and the emergency exit sign.

In text heavy applications (presentations, reports, books), visual images can lighten the text and give the reader a different image to focus on.  The will reduce eye strain and keep the reader’s interest longer.

How have you used visuals in the past or are now using visuals?

I have used visuals in the past to make brochures, posters, flyers, reports, signs and other materials.

I have lead children’s camp programs where the students learn about various types of animal camouflage and then have to create a new undiscovered species using paper, markers, pipe cleaners, buttons, tape, string, etc… and need to make that new animal camouflage into its environment.  Visually it is amazing to see what creatures the children create and how they can explain its adaptations to the rest of their class.

WEEK 3 BLOG

With great power, comes great responsibility.

This week, we learned about word processing and Desktop Publishing (DTP).  I was surprised that people are still making a difference between the two.  Most current DTP software also does word processing and the only software that I can think of that does only word processing is the 'Notepad' that comes as a free install on most PC's.

We also studied Bloom's Digital Taxonomy Pyramid developed by Samantha Penney (shown below), and I side tracked to learn what the original and revised Bloom's Taxonomy Pyramid was/is.  For those of you who don't know (and I was one of you a short time ago), Bloom's Taxonomy is a visual representation of 6 learning categories.  By working your way up from the bottom, you can master each level before moving onto the next.  It was developed to be motivational to reach all 6 categories.  The Digital Pyramid layers the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Pyramid with modern on-line and software programs to show what programs and apps can be used in education to further student learning.  Not surprisingly, it is Google heavy (as the world now is).

We’ve been asked to review documents that we hand out to students.  As I am not yet teaching, I can reflect on the documents that I remember seeing in school and show you a sample of a visual I recently helped create.

I think that anything printed should be visually appealing.  Even in simple black and white print, graphics, fonts, sizes, bullets, lines and white spaces should be used to attract and interest the reader.  I clearly remember handouts I received in school for memorization that had simple text instructions on the top and a line of questions to answer below.  As soon as I saw them I was already bored.  If the pages can be visually interesting, hopefully students will want to read and complete the assignments.   Visuals need to be used appropriately to help state a point, not just put on the page to distract and confuse the reader.

Below, is a flyer that I recently helped create for a public event.  I think it turned out pretty well.  It was printed on paper sheets cut 8.5 inches wide and 5.5 inches tall.  We wanted it to act like a ticket (even though it was a free event).  I think that it came out pretty well, but the text on the bottom was a bit small for readers who wanted to look at it quick.  Also, it was hard to reproduce on a personal printer once the originals (professionally printed) ran out.  Reflecting on it now, I also don't think that the photo does much to help deliver the message.  Unless the reader knows that the person in the photo is the presenter, than it just looks like any ordinary man.

 

TECHNOLOGY EXPLORATIONS

**Just a quick thought on Technology Explorations: Although I am enjoying seeing and learning about many of the products and resources available to teachers, I am sometimes having difficulty answering the third question about whether or not I would recommend the products.  There are so many tools and resources available to teachers and through the internet, I am making my decision on whether or not I like the resources that we have been asked to explore.  My recommendation (or lack thereof), does not reflect on other similar programs available and generally does not compare similar programs to say that I would prefer one over the other. 

Assistive Technologies: gpat.org

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Gpat.org is the homepage for the Georgia Program for Assistive Technology through the Georgia Department of Education.  I learned about the requirements for assistive technology to be used in a disabled child’s education.   In 1997 (and revised in 2004), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed into federal law requiring services to children with disabilities.  Although gpat.org is focused on Georgia’s use, every state must meet IDEA’s requirements.  Basically, Georgia requires IEP teams to take assistive technology into account to help students requiring an IEP plan.  Assistive technologies are very broad and can be low-tech such as pencil grips for children who have trouble with fine-motor skills, or high-tech such as computers with audible feedback after typing and anything in between.  I was impressed that IDEA and gpat.org give the IEP team the flexibility to select the assistive technology tool that would best help the student without seeming to take budget into account.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Assistive Technologies would and should fit into any classroom.  Since Assistive Technologies is any device that helps a child with disabilities learn, it is not necessarily subject specific.  I am not yet teaching, I would use assistive technologies to help disabled students with science.  If a child had vision impairment it may be difficult for them to make observations in science experiments.  I would like to use a video camera to record the experiments and then show them on a large screen or PowerPoint presentation.  I could also enlarge the text for measurements on the side of beakers or rulers.  If I can enlarge the visual part of the experiment, the child may be able to complete the work as other mainstream students.  If a child has difficulty with fine-motor skills, I could put larger grips on beakers and bottles, or have the child wear neoprene gloves to help them hold different tools.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend gpat.org as a resource to other educators.  Since Assistive Technologies are required for use by students with disabilities as identified in their IEP, gpat.org gives a clear overview of what Assistive Technologies are and how they can be used.  Further research and individual consultations with a student’s IEP team will be needed to make certain that each student is getting the services and resources that will best help them.  For teachers in states other than Georgia, this page still gives good information and they should also research Assistive Technology in their own state.

Zoho: zoho.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	For this technology exploration, I learned about cloud computing through Zoho (zoho.com).  Cloud computing is the term for software and hardware that can be accessed remotely over a network.  Zoho’s motto is to allow users to focus on their businesses while they take care of the rest with apps.  Zoho has dozens of integrated applications to increase collaboration, business and productivity.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Zoho is geared for a professional business, and like many programs can be adapted to classroom use.  Although I am not yet teaching, I can image Zoho to be used in an English class to help students write reports and learn language skills through Zoho Writer, Zoho Chat & Zoho Docs.  By using Zoho in a math class, students can create their own business model then make brochures with Zoho Creator, invoices with Zoho Invoice and track model expenditures & income with Zoho Books.  Zoho Wikis can be used in any education classroom.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I think that I would not recommend the use of Zoho in the classroom.  Zoho is much more geared for professional use and it would take a great deal of time and creativity to use it effectively in a classroom.  I think that there are better software packages available for classroom use to help students learn the same things.  The initial sign-up is free, but the customizable suite of applications is for a fee.  I assume that the fee is high because I could not find what the fee would actually be.  I have generally found that if you cannot see what the fee is, it’s probably high enough that you don’t want to know! I think that the apps are easy enough to use, but the first page is a bit overwhelming so that you don’t really want to explore it further.  I really had to force myself to research more about Zoho.

Online Tools for Teachers: http://www.4teachers.org/tools/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	I learned that 4teachers.org is a wiki that offers tools and resources to teachers to help them integrate technology into the classroom.  It is organized by ALTEC from Kansas.  4teachers.org provides the “4Teachers Family of Tools” which consists of 15 different online programs that help teachers make the most effective use of technology.  I researched three tools. Academic Skill Builders (http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/) where students can play arcade games to practice and reinforce math and language skills.  I had fun playing ‘Swimming Otter’ and practicing basic algebra. Classroom Architect (http://classroom.4teachers.org/) is a nice tool for teachers to adjust the layout of their classrooms without moving a single piece of furniture.  Teachers can easily create a mock up of their classroom and place furniture, sinks, carpets or draw custom items as a blueprint.  Taking the measurements of their real classroom and furniture, they can see how much space is available to work with and what furniture arrangement may work best.  Think Tank (http://thinktank.4teachers.org/) is a tool that helps students with projects and reports by using a Research Organizer.  By answering straight forward questions and statements, students create an outline for their research, and can export their reports into a word processing program (NoteStar).
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	4teachers.org would be useful for a teacher looking for easy ways to integrate technology into the classroom.  They provide easy simple tools to help teach many subjects.  4teacher.org also offers professional development opportunities.  4teachers.org is a nicely compiled list of resources that any educator can use with many grade levels.  Many of the games would be good assessment and refinement tools to followup a lesson.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend 4teachers.org.  As above, it is a large compiled list of resources for educators.  All of the resources that I looked at are free, readily available and easy to learn and teach new users.  This is a good reference for educators to look at to get new ideas for their classroom or for use in student review.

Dimio (http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/)

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	I learned that Dimitrios Coutsoumbas, aka Dimio, creates freeware that he posts on his website (http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/).   The most appropriate freeware program for educators that he has written is DSpeech.  DSpeech is a Text to Speech program that can recognize vocal responses, read aloud written text, and save files to a variety of audible formats (.mp3, .wav, and others).
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	DSpeech would be very useful for a student with a speech or hearing impairment so that they can write something or upload something already written and be able to hear how it is read and pronounced.  They are able to slow the rate of speech and playback as often as they need.  DSpeech would also be useful for a student with a vision impairment so that they can type a paper and hear it read back so that they know it was typed correctly. Another way that DSpeech could be useful would be in an English or Theater Arts class, students could write scenes between 2 or more characters, select appropriate voices for the characters and then have their scene read back to the class.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend the use of DSpeech.  It is a freeware program so there is no cost and it does seem easy to use.  Teachers would need to research other Text to Speech programs and select the best one for their needs.  I do not like that the voices are not included in DSpeech (you have to search and possibly pay for ones you want to use), but it seems easy and I do like that it uses minimal computer memory and does not write anything to the registry.

PowerTalk: http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	I learned that Power Talk is a freeware program that was created in England for a person with Asphasia (a communication disability).  Power Talk is a program that can speak the text from a MSPowerPoint presentation.  Power Talk can use a variety of voices to speak the text on PowerPoint slides and regulates the cadence depending on how many text boxes the text is written in.  PowerTalk can also speak hidden text for images.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	PowerTalk can be used in a science classroom to help students with presentations created with after lab experiments have been completed.  The presentations can be written in MSPowerPoint, spoken with PowerTalk and posted on the class wiki so that parents and others can view and listen to the presentations.  It could also be used to speak a quiz through PowerPoint.  A question can be asked on one slide and spoken with PowerTalk, then the answer or solution can be explained on the next slide.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend PowerTalk to other educators for use with students with a communication disability.  If a student had a disability where they could not speak in front of other people, writing a presentation and having it narrated by PowerTalk could be helpful.  I think for a mainstream class, the capabilities of this program can be done in person by the students or teacher.

WebQuest: http://www.webquest.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	I learned that webquests are inquiry-based lesson designed for all materials to be found and used on-line.  I looked at a High School Earth Science webquest written about volcanoes (http://questgarden.com/134/00/9/111025185641/index.htm) It seems that webquests are what we used to call research projects.  Instead of looking through dusty encyclopedias, information is found on the internet verified for accuracy and written into reports, presentations, brochures or some other final gradable project.  WebQuest.org provides a large selection of already written webquests (2500 at last count), so that teachers can write their own or use one that is already written.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Webquests are designed for use in a school setting.  As an inspiring science teacher, I would use webquests to help students gather preliminary information at the start of a unit.  If the unit were on gravity, students can do a webquest to gather data and understand that basics of gravity, they can use the information to write their own lab experiment.  Then when the lab experiment is completed, they can use the webquest information and lab results to create a poster presentation for their class or for students in other classes.  As a teacher, I would first search webquest.org to find a webquest that would be relevant to the course of study and write my own if one were not already available. If I write one and the students respond favorably, I would even submit my webquest to the database.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend Webquest.org to other educators.  I think that the search engines are easy to use, change searches and save the results.  I like to see the variety of webquests available.  These webquests are free and the resources to help make webquests are also free.  I think webquests would be an easy and fun way for students to research and gain background knowledge.  Students can even do webquests independently or in groups about a topic and then teach other classmates what they have gathered.

Read the Words: http://readthewords.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	I learned that Read the Words is a program that can have avatars read aloud written text.  Unlike other TTS programs, Read the Words, can read aloud text from reports, ebooks, webpages and various other sources.  Avatars can be customized to make them more engaging for students, too.  Read the Words can save read text to make videos or read dialogues between characters.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	As suggested in one of the customer reviews, Read the Words can be used with students with auditory disabilities.  If a disabled student comprehends the spoken word better than the written word, Read the Words can be used to have text questions read to the student. Read the Words can also be used in English or Theater Arts classes to write and present scenes and dialogues between characters.  Similarly, in Spanish or French classes, Read the Words can be used to listen to a dialogue and learn native pronunciation.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend the use of Read the Words to other educators if their budget allows.  This program has a teacher package for $99/year.  If the teacher will be using the program regularly, the price is worth the expense.  It is probably not worth the expense if it’s only used once or twice.  There are a few TTS programs available.  The unique aspect of this program is that it shows avatars and can read from a variety of screens (web, MSOffice, Notepad, etc…)