Adaptive Tech Bonanza!

Our trip to the disability office was a vastly informative experience.  There are so many great technological resources available to people that I was not aware of.  My notes have a complete list of the things we looked at, as well as a brief description.  There were several items that stood out to me, as well as several that I was familiar with already.  I had never heard of the Audio Notetaker software that we looked at.  I was interested in this program because it develops good studying habits, so I looked at their webpage.  The software allows you to do a number of things with an audio recording.  The program separates the file into phrases and words that the user can color code.  It also allows the user to attach PowerPoint slides to the notes, making for a fully comprehensive study guide to go along with the audio.

One of the programs we saw that I was familiar with was Kurzweil 3000.  My fiancee uses this software to read her e-textbooks, and it has made a huge difference for her.  I can see how this program would benefit anyone.  I have trouble staying focused while reading large sections of text, so I am sure this software could be beneficial for me.  Not only does the program read the words on the screen aloud, it does so in a fairly pleasant voice.  The paragraph being read from is highlighted on the page, as well as each individual word as it is read.  This contrast paired with good audio makes this program a must for people who struggle with reading.  I had a great time learning about all of these adaptive technologies, and I hope the information will benefit you as well!

Service Project Session 2

Everyone has had a time in their life where they were having so much fun they didn't realize how much time had passed.  This was definitely the case for me during this session.  Our original plan was to research our questions, create a storyboard and then work on the blog post.  We got started researching the unit questions that the students developed last session.  We used the methods and websites I had introduced them to during the last session.  Both students seemed equally comfortable doing their own research on the internet, and the only times I had to take over was when Manuel was having trouble typing.  I introduced Manuel to the idea of a works cited page, as he is a little young to have experience with them.  Hudson was familiar with them, so I didn't have to explain much to him.  We kept track of the sources in a Google document, which was another new tool the students were introduced to.  Because Manuel wasn't as comfortable with typing Hudson did the majority of it.  I was sure to ask Manuel to do some typing in order to get him more familiar with it.

The students were interested enough in this topic I had to do very little of the work for them.  Because they were having so much fun researching their topics we lost track of time and didn't get to spend as long on the storyboard as we had planned.  We did get a finished product, and each student had a piece of paper with their lines on it so they could practice them between then and our next meeting.  The blog post they put up this week was a little short because of our time crunch, but we should have plenty of time next session to make up for it.  This project has taught me many things already, but one I have learned is that if the students are interested it is in their nature to use inquiry as a tool.  With the little amount of assistance I gave them these students were able to complete their own research.  I can't wait to have my own classroom and put everything I have learned to work!