Welcome to Tour of Websites:

Integrating technology into your teaching

 

Dr. Rebecca Evers, Ed.D.
Virginia Watson, Graduate Student in Special Education

Richard W. Riley College of Education

Winthrop University

 

This Tour is based on several presentations that Virginia and I developed for conferences and teacher in-service workshops. This particular presentation focuses on technology that will support content learning in general education classrooms, primarily for supporting literacy (including mathematics literacy). As you learned in the Universal Design for Learning, technology is an extremely important component in removing barriers to learning for students who are not print users. Auditory discrimination problems also present a significant barrier to literacy and learning in most classrooms, technology also presents a solution to those difficulties.

 

As you travel through the tour, consider this:

Assistive and accessible technology (AT) can help people of all abilities realize their full potential, but for people with disabilities there is no middle ground. According to the National Council on Disability, "For Americans without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For Americans with disabilities, technology makes things possible."

 

To begin, here are several of the major AT organizations: 

 

South Carolina Assistive Technology Project and North Carolina Assistive Technology Project are state members of a national network of technology-related assistance programs. SCATP/NCATP provide training, technical assistance and work with consumers, service providers, state agencies and policy makers to support children and adults with disabilities in their efforts to acquire and use technology as a routine part of day-to-day living.

Closing the Gap highlights hardware and software products appropriate for people with special needs, and explains how this technology is being implemented in education, rehabilitation, and vocational settings around the world. The in-depth articles, product reviews, and extensive product guide offer a variety of resources that help solve your technology implementation problems today.

Parents, Let’s Unite for Kids (PLUK) offers an on-line guide for families. You may find it useful as well.

Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) is a not-for-profit membership organization manufacturers, sellers or providers of technology-based assistive devices and/or services.

Enable Mart is one of the best websites to surf for all types of AT. Most of these applications are for students with severe disabilities, but you many find just the thing you need to help any student in your classroom. 

 

If you are interested in seeing how inclusion teachers have used technology to help students learn, you may be interested in watching these videos. You will need QuickTime software. Scroll down the page for middle school examples. If you are using a phone modem, these may not work well and may take a long time to download. You may want to save this activity until you have finished the remainder of this Tour.

http://www.intime.uni.edu/vidsearch/Display/Display_Special_Area.asp

This second link is for videos of special education classrooms where AT is being used. http://www.intime.uni.edu/vidsearch/Display/Display_Special_Area.asp

 

 

Using Technology to Support Inclusion

 

Not all AT has to be expensive; in fact considerable amounts of AT is free on your computer.

 

Microsoft Network has a number of websites and helpful templates for teachers and students. You will want to see these!

 

*      Begin with the general accessibility information provided by MicroSoft

*      Bill Gates introduces a series of videos by adult workers who have disabilities and are AT users. I think the videos are worth looking at because you can see how AT is used in the real world and why we need to help our students learn to use AT in schools, so they can be productive adults. You may want to have co-workers and students who are reluctant to use AT view these as well.

*      series of videos

*      Below the photo of Bill Gates is a table with individual links to the various videos. More importantly in the left column are links to more information about the person and the particular AT he is using on the job. Check those out as well.

 

*      Not sure how to use your software as AT? Try this webpage from MicroSoft

*      Now take a moment to check out what is on your computer. Go to Start; then to programs; then to accessories; and then to accessibility.

 

*      Need to compose a form for the class field trip, a grade book, individualize a quiz, then take a look at MicroSoft Templates. After you get the homepage, scroll down to Publications and Education. You will find great stuff!

 

*      Not everyone knows how to use all of the special features of the software that comes on most computers, such as Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. If you want help with a particular program, check out the Assistance Center online. Be sure to look at the Office in the Classroom (has links to several sites not listed on the Templates page).

 

 

Graphic Organizers

We will read about and discuss the use of graphic organizers in teaching later under cognitive strategies. I LOVE these things. My students back in Chicago used them all the time. Please consider teaching students how to make their own using Inspiration (http://inspiration.com/), offered here in case you missed it in the Cognitive Strategies comments.  There is a kid’s version, known as “Kidspiration”. However, we have used Inspiration with 5 year olds and they do fine. The difference is primarily in the clipart; Kidspiration has more child-oriented artwork.

*      You can download a free 30-day trial. Play with it and then ask for funds to purchase. Your school district tech folks can get free sample CDs by asking for them. The links listed here are specific pages I show in conference presentations and get good responses from participant.

*      Allowing students to create their own graphic organizers is a very powerful teaching strategy. But we must teach students how to use them or they will not be successful.

*      Dr. Ed Ellis, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa is my guru of graphic organizers (and learning strategies). http://www.graphicorganizers.com/

 

 

Resources to support writing in content courses

*      AlphaSmart

*      Be sure to check out the next generation, Dana

*      Learn how classroom teachers use the AlphaSmart.

*      With Co:Writer software

*      Lewisville Elementary School example of what students can do with PowerPoint. (You will need to go back to the WebCT to view this; titled Lewisville.kids.ppt.) These students used the AlphaSmart to write a short essay introducing themselves to me. Then they selected three main points of interest to put on a PowerPoint slide. Finally they used a digital camera to take each their photo. They had to work as a team to select the theme and colors for the presentation. Think about how you might use this idea in your classroom. You will need to return to WebCT to view this PowerPoint (best to save to your computer first. . .faster too). 

 

*      Don Johnston Software has a number of useful writing software applications. They are reasonably priced and very helpful. During my methods course the special education majors take these programs out to their schools and find that P-12 students enjoy using these and find them helpful.

 

Dictionaries: Dictionaries have gone digital and talk to us as well!

*      Web based dictionary: Your kids will love this one because they can hear the words as well as find definitions. You will love it because it is free.

*      Plumb’s Visual Thesaurus: This one is so much fun that students will forget they are learning new vocabulary words. This site is particularly useful for students who use the same words over and over again because they only use words they can spell. You may find it helpful when writing papers as well.

*      Confusing Words is a collection of 3210 words that are troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused.

*      Quicktionary Pen This is expensive and students will need to practice using this one.

*      Franklin Spellers This is my favorite. Many kids think these are cool. But best of all they are very reasonable.

 

Note taking is another area of difficulty for students with attention, writing and spelling problems. For some the processes required for attending to the teacher’s words interfere with their ability to complete the task of note taking; or they become so stressed by trying to spell correctly that they miss the next thing said by the teacher; or they simply can’t tell what is important and should be written in the notes. Often we suggest that students tape the lecture to listen to later, but remember that may make the student feel different. Well, technology has a solution. . . digital voice recorders. This little sweeties look much like the digital recorders/players that many student carry around today. In addition, they come with software that allows the voice file to be uploaded to a computer to save and listen to later (or burn to a CD for easy transfer to home computers). The uses are almost endless; the price is right. Recorders that save 90 minutes start at $79. You have to look at it. . .much less "geekie" than those black pocket recorders; Then go up to the top of that page and click on "voice recorders" that will take you back and you can look at a model that will hold up to 3 hours of recordings. http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=292970&pfp=BROWSE

 

Some students need more substantial help with writing tasks. For students who can speak what they know voice-activated software may be helpful.

*      Dragon Systems    (Dragon Dictate, Dragon Naturally Speaking)

 

A personal digital assistant (often referred to as “Handhelds” now) can be very helpful. You can do much more with a handheld than keep a calendar or phone numbers. Check out the two websites below.

*      PDAs

*      Palm, for example

*      SmartPad – transfers handwritten notes directly to PDA and then the written material can be uploaded to any word processing program. Very cool, I have one!

 

Websites that will offer support and information for writing tasks

 

Research: Help you students get started on that research paper or essay topic.

*      Got a question?

*      Library of Congress

*      World Atlas

*      The List

 

Resources to support reading of content material

 

Reading Resource  This is a very rich resource with links to excellent articles on strategies for teaching reading. Those of you who had reading questions may find your answers here. Some students are never able to do well in content courses because they just can’t keep up with the reading assignments. If a student can learn from auditory presentations, you may be able to use digital textbooks. In some cases you may be able to download the print addition and use it with a text reader (see below for text reader websites).

 

Electronic Books: Textbooks

This is one of the best examples of a UDL website to support student learning through text reading I have found. While this is only one publishing company, I am assuming that if one does it, they all do it. Here are the directions to see and hear a truly digital textbook.

1.     Go to The McGraw-Hill Learning Network at http://www.mhln.com/UnregisterController?ACTION=POST&MANAGER=LOGON&OPERATION=LOGON&JSP=index.jsp

2.     You may get a prompt for a member name, but you can just close that window and proceed. If it appears again, just keep closing.

3.     On the left side you will see a box to “Select Subject”; click on the arrow, select Literature, and click “Go”.

4.     Select the first text in the left, Glencoe American Literature.

5.     You will find page 54 of the text, scroll to the bottom of the page and check out the vocabulary links (be sure your sound is on).

6.     Then go to page 55, where you will be able to listen to the text read in either English or Spanish.

7.     On page 58 you will find end of the selection questions, note that the answers can be printed or emailed to the teacher.

8.     If you have time, explore other texts and other sections.

 

Electronic Books: Literature

*      Library of Congress Services

*      Digital textbooks from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic: http://www.rfbd.org/apb.html

*      University of Virginia E-book Library: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/ebooklist.html

*      Reference Desk: http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=electronic+books&sp-a=00020250-sp00000000

*      Other digital materials (UDL materials)

 

Many of the e-books have features that will support all readers (where were these when I was an English major and teacher!) Take a look at the special features offered in these examples; you can find hundreds of similar sites on line.

Examples of e-books: I have provided these examples because they are illustrative of what is and can be done with digital text materials.

*      Jane Austin

*      Hyperlinked text (click on the words in blue to see what happens)

*      maps of places of Austen’s life

*      Billy Budd

*      Table of contents

*      Resources

 

Study Guides: Remember Cliff Notes. These are Cliff Notes gone digital. Your students may already know about these! Again, take the time to surf and preview the feature offered.

*      Spark’s Notes

*      Pink Monkey

*      Free BookNotes

*      Monkey Notes (printable)

*      Cliff’s Notes

 

These are useful for students who are non-readers but have intellectual capacity to learn.

Readers

*      Web readers

*      ReadPlease: Reads any text you see on your screen - all purpose text-to-speech software.

*      NaturalReader: NaturalReader is a Text to Speech software with natural sounding voices. This easy to use software can convert any written text such as MS Word, Webpage, PDF files, and Emails into spoken words. NaturalReader can also convert any written text into audio files such as MP3 or WAV for your CD player or iPod.

*      IntelliTalks – This company has many useful computer devices to help students use computers and access information. Take the time to surf this site.

*      Text readers: These are expensive, but can be used by multiple students if they are loaded on a class or media center computer.

*      Kurzweil 3000, L&H Kurzweil Educational Systems: http://www.kurzweiledu.com;

*      WYNN3: http://www.freedomscientific.com/WYNN/index.asp

 

 

In addition to reading e-books many web sites now offer articles and reading materials in the PDF format. Here is a reader that will allow students to read these materials on line.

PDFaloud: http://www.texthelp.com/dlPDFaloud.asp?q1=downloads&q2=pdfaloud

 

 

We don’t want to leave out students who need help in Mathematics:

Online Calculators:

*      Martindale’s Calculators On-line Center will be useful for high school and college level work.

*      Math.com will be useful for elementary and middle school students.

*      Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC) provides links to effective curriculum resources, create high-quality professional development materials, and disseminate useful information and products to improve K-12 mathematics and science teaching and learning. One of the sites I found interesting was the Digital Dozen. In addition you can find online textbooks and tutorials that students can use independently.

*      Math Tools offers a number of links to tools that allow student to practice math skills independently for as long as they wish. One of these is Factor Tree which allows student to practice finding prime numbers. Browse the other links to find tools best for your grade level. When you are finished with the Tools, check out the links in the frame on the right side. . .this site has many other resources.

*      Ask Dr. Math is a question and answer service for math students and their teachers. A searchable archive is available by level and topic, as well as summaries of Frequently Asked Questions.

*      Ask an expert provides links to math and science experts. Have a question? 

Web Quests

Two college professors, Tom March & Bernie Dodge, have reshaped learning on the web by creating a new way to research and teach content to P-12 students. I love this method because it is wholly student centered. I hope you will enjoy looking at the many ways to teach content. Webquests are a wonderful way to teach content in a Project-based Learning environment that uses an Authentic Task Approach.

 

*      Tom March (to learn about WebQuest): http://www.ozline.com/

*      Working the Web (How to use WebQuests with examples.) http://www.ozline.com/learning/theory.html

*      Bernie Dodge (to find a WebQuest): http://webquest.sdsu.edu/ Be sure to look at the Examples page at this page. You will find many WebQuests ready to use.

*      Training Materials: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/materials.htm

*      Taxonomy of Tasks: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html

 

The best webquest I ever saw!

*      China; The WebQuest: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/ChinaQuest.html

Learning to build quests

If you have become interested in Web Quests here are some more sites that will help you build your own.

*      One: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/materials.htm

*      Two (template): http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/

*      Picking the task: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/taskonomy.html

*      Assessing the project: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquestrubric.html  

 

Web Copier

Reasons to copy websites

*      Many teachers do not like to allow their students to surf unattended.

*      Some parents will not give permission for their child to use the Internet at school.

*      Allows you to have access offline and on unconnected computers.

*      Burning to a CD allows you to keep forever and to send the CD home with students who have computers but not internet access.

 

*      So now that you can see a reason to copy here is the software that does it. Not free, but cheap ($30.00) Web Copier

 

Note: Copying some websites may be a copyright violation, although a majority of websites you will want to copy are considered open access websites (meaning the developers want people to print, copy, and use the materials presented: with proper credit of course). You should check with your district’s tech department regarding the district’s “Fair Use” policy. Also, Just to be on the safe side, you can contact the Webmaster of site you want to copy for permission (no one has ever turned me down when I am using the materials in my teaching); or contact the web master just to tell them that their work is so awesome that you are sharing it.


Evaluation of sites

Students often need help evaluating the appropriateness or accuracy of information on a web site. Quick: http://www.quick.org.uk/

Funding

Our greatest problem as teachers is to find the money to do the wonderful things we can do. . .so perhaps you are ready to go get your own money. I can tell you from personal experience that having a grant to pay for your dreams is the next best thing to a real raise!!

*      Grants: http://www.educationworld.com/grants/index.shtml

*      Grant writing: http://www.educationworld.com/grants/writing/index.shtml

*      School Grants: http://www.schoolgrants.org/Links/technology.htm

 

I am going to stop here, because I could go on, and on, and on. I have a serious surfing problem. . .anyone know a good 12-step program for that?

 

I hope that you have enjoyed this tour of the web and its many uses in the classroom. There is so much more . . . if you have a good web site in your favorites list please share it with all of us by emailing me at eversr@winthrop.edu

 

Want more?

*      See my list of Web 2.0 and other AT applications @ http://del.icio.us/eversr/web2.0

*      I have a list of websites that is always being updated. Please visit and look for more interesting and student/teacher-friendly websites.  Evers’ List of Favorite Websites

 

Here are some books that you may want to purchase. I use them all the time.

 

Burgstahler, S., & Utterback, L. (2000). New kids on the net: Internet activities in elementary language arts. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.  www.abacon.com
$10 ISBN:0-205-30587-3

Cangero, K., Dwight, V., Meers, T., & Skahill, N. (2000). Consumer guide: 101 Best web sites for kids. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International, Ltd.
$6 ISBN:0-7853-4052-1

Caughlin, J. (1999). PowerPoint workshop for teachers. Watertown, MA: Tom Synder Productions. www.tomsynder.com
$24 ISBN:1-57809-808-4

Garfield, G.M., & McDonough, S. (1996). Creating a technologically literate classroom. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
$10 ISBN:1-55734-887-1

Grillo, R. (2000). Teaching with digital cameras. San Diego: Tech4Learning, Inc. www.tech4learning.com
$30 ISBN:1-930870-07-8

Reed, P. & Walser, P. (2001). Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative. http://www.wati.org/bestpractices.htm#u

Sparks, C. (1999). Teaching with the internet. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
$10 ISBN:1-57690-475-X

Williams, R., & Tollett, J. (1998). The Non-designer’s web book: an Easy guide to creating, designing, and posting your own web site. Berkley, CA: Peachpit Press.  $24.50 ISBN:0-201-68859-X