Welcome
to Tour of Websites:
Integrating
technology into your teaching
Dr.
Rebecca Evers, Ed.D.
Virginia Watson, Graduate Student in Special Education
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 this 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
Writing
devices:
Be sure to check out the next generation, Dana
Learn how classroom teachers use the AlphaSmart.
With Co:Writer
software
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/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=digital+voice+recorders
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)
Websites that will offer support and information for writing tasks
· Grammar Bites: well, at least the name might get your students to try out this interactive website. http://www.chompchomp.com/ You may find some useful tid-bits here. Mostly professional materials, but occasional interesting articles.
· National Council of Teachers of English http://www.ncte.org/second/
· Busy Teacher’s Website: A link to links galore! This is a page of links to references that would help students write research papers, etc. http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt/eng.shtml
· English Companion: Scroll down the page to the Six Traits of Writing materials. http://www.englishcompanion.com/
· Sometimes you find a gem when you are surfing, this one is a real gem. . Everything you ever wanted to know about grammar. . . http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
· Mrs. Smith’s English Page: Here’s a teacher’s web page where she published her student’s work. Seeing what other students do might motivate or inspire your students. http://home.earthlink.net/~jesmith
· Elements of Style is a classic reference for writers; considered the seminal reference. http://www.bartleby.com/141/
· Anthony Hughes' On Line English Grammar Thorough Writing reference, this guide describes correct English grammar. Search table of contents, part of speech or keyword. http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm
· Good Grammar, Good Style Archive provides more than 100 pages of useful articles and frequently asked questions! Someone will answer questions about style, grammar, or mechanics via email. http://www.wordsmyth.net/ From this page you can link to several other useful sites such as WordSmyth, a thesaurus or OnLine Resources for Writers, links to others helpful sites.
· English Plus - Grammar Slammer Grammar and style guide for students and writers has sections on punctuation, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, common mistakes and more. http://englishplus.com/grammar
· GrammarNOW provides answers to your specific question free and will edit your paper for a fee. http://www.grammarnow.com/
· VocabularyU offers games & vocabulary fun for your students. Browse around before you leave as there are many hidden treasures here. http://www.syndicate.com/
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:
Literature
Library of Congress Services
Digital
textbooks from Recording for the Blind
& Dyslexic: http://www.rfbd.org/
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.
Hyperlinked text
(click on the words in blue to see what happens)
maps of places of
Austen’s life
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.
Free BookNotes
Monkey Notes (printable)
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.
Browse
Aloud: this software allows you to hear the websites you are surfing.
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;
video: http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k3000demo/k3000demo20.html
WYNN3: http://www.freedomscientific.com/WYNN/index.asp
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.
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
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.
Students
often need help evaluating the appropriateness or accuracy of information on a
web site. Quick: http://www.quick.org.uk/
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.
$10 ISBN:0-205-30587-3
Cangero, K., Dwight, V., Meers, T., & Skahill, N. (2000). Consumer
guide: 101 Best web sites for kids.
$6 ISBN:0-7853-4052-1
Caughlin, J.
(1999). PowerPoint workshop for teachers.
$24 ISBN:1-57809-808-4
Garfield, G.M.,
& McDonough, S. (1996). Creating a technologically literate classroom.
$10 ISBN:1-55734-887-1
Grillo, R. (2000). Teaching
with digital cameras.
$30 ISBN:1-930870-07-8
Reed, P. &
Walser, P. (2001).
Sparks, C. (1999). Teaching
with the internet.
$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.