Around the World in 80 Minutes...

Recently in my Curriculum class, we discussed different ways to use Google Earth in the classroom. This is a GREAT idea to allow students that geography is much more than maps and measurements. This GoogleDocs presentation I found quickly and easily explains many, many ways



One of the coolest ways to use Google Earth to integrate Social Studies and Literature is by using Google Lit Trips, these trips document locations in many books, and  fully integrate the travels in these books in Google Earth. These give students a very concrete view of travels made throughout novels, and can help students picture the settings of the books.

Assistive Technology: AAC

Not too long ago, we had a lecture on Assistive Technology. As a Special Education minor, this is something that I find really interesting... and really cool! I had done a little bit of research about assistive tech prior to this lecture, and the tech that was the most striking to me is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). This is a type of assistive technology that helps students communicate by putting word or pictures in a sequence to form a sentence.

The most common mode of AAC that I have used before is PECS cards (Picture Exchange Communication System). These are a series of cards that a teacher or parent carries with them that the student can select what they want to do or say and show the card to the parent/teacher. When a student with disabilities knows how to use these, this works great! However, if a student doesn't understand how to use the PECS system, it usually ends up with cards being thrown across the room (in my experience). These are also very cumbersome to carry place to place and to find the card that you (or the child) want to use. As I stated in a previous post, iPods and iPads (and even Android smartphones) have this capability. This adds a great deal of simplicity and portability to what could be a hassle to communicate with students. One app in particular Voice4U, makes this very simple. It comes with pre-loaded AND customizable icons and categories to really make the AAC fit the students needs. 

This is a video of Voice4U in action. I think that having this accessible at all times, right from your pocket, opens a very exciting new frontier for AAC and communicating with students that under other circumstances, would not be able to communicate.

PREZIntations? Maybe!

Huh Can't You Spell?
For my work as an office assistant this week, I was asked to research Prezi, a presentation tool that is seen as an alternative to PowerPoint, without the linear restrictions that Powerpoint has. After playing around with Prezi and making a very rough sample Prezi, I can say that the easiest comparison I can make for Prezi is a mix between Powerpoint and Inspiration.

Thoughts on using Prezi as a teaching tool on Prezi

Final Verdict:
After quite a few days of playing with this new tool, I've decided to reserve using Prezi for simpler presentations, like taxonomies or pyramids... things that could be very very dry to students. Prezi adds a great deal of flair, and ease to presentations, and teachers just need to make sure they do not add too much flair that it detracts from the main idea of their lesson.

Oh, and for added fun... Here's that rough Prezi I made as an experiment

How t0... on Prezi

 Yes. That was a bear with glasses! Until next time Ed Tech people!

iPad in Special Education Classrooms

Today in my Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners class, my professor mentioned that some students are using  the iPad or iPod Touch in classrooms as assistive technology. I did a little research on this, and found quite a few cool uses of this technology in classrooms:

- Why I Love the iPad for Education: Initial Observations This is a blog post by a special education teacher that describes many uses in the classroom. It seems to me that this post only skims the surface about what the iPad is capable of in the classroom, but still has me excited to attempt to use one in my own classroom someday!
-iPhone, iPad and iPod touch Apps for Special Education Although the layout of this blog is dreadful, the collection of apps and their use in classroom setting is exceptional. Ranging from TTS (text to speech), Pecs systems (Apps like "model me", "look to learn"), and even music apps, this list covers almost anything that you might need in a special education classroom and could be used as a great source when looking for ways to differentiate instruction with technology.

Finally, I found this YouTube video showing the iPod touch in use in the classroom!