Educational Technology

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Educational Technology

• Emerald Cousin
• Computer Literacy

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Using Technologies

• Technology is a tool, just as a pencil and paper,
  and should become a seamless part of the learning
  process
• At first, teachers and students do need time to
  practice using the technology to become fluent
  users of the technology

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• Later, when the use of technology is seamless,
  the focus is exclusively on learning and
  instructional practices

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Using Technologies

• Assistive Technology vs. Instructional Technology
• Assistive Technologies are programs and devices
  students partner with during the learning process
• Instructional Technologies are programs and
  devices teachers partner with during the
  teaching/learning process

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Writing SupportWord Grids

• Wordbar by Crick Software is a software program
  that runs along with a word processing program
  (ex., Microsoft Word)
• Custom grids can be developed
• Students navigate between grids to identify the
  terms or phrases they want to use

Ex. Grid for a Science Unit
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Wordbar

• Wordbar sits under a users word processing
  program
• Wordbar Online Guide
• Example
• Grids containing phrases and vocabulary for an
  activity
• Grids with vocabulary specific to a unit of study
  or course

This is potentially a success-making
accommodation for mainstreamed students, not yet
researched with deaf/hard-of-hearing learners.
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Vocabulary DevelopmentWord Prediction

• Word Prediction software offers word prompts for
  students to chose from while typing
• Specific to the subject-area
• Specific to the unit or title being read
• Specific to the students reading level and
  writing needs
• Allows students to focus on their ideas (getting
  them down on the computer) and not be limited by
  spelling abilities, especially in content areas
  with specialized vocabulary
• This is a more common Assistive Technology and
  can be used on computers and Alphasmart-types
  of portable devices (ex. Alphasmart or Neo)

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Word Prediction Programs

• Adaptive Technology Resource Center
• The above site explains the definition of word
  prediction software, lists many products,
  research and other resources
• National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP)s Word
  Prediction Collection
• The above site has a wealth of resources, links
  to different companys products, research
  reports, and user profiles
• A few programs not exclusively used for word
  prediction have incorporated this feature (ex.
  IntelliTools Classroom Suite)

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Word Prediction Programs
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Portable Word Processing

• Dana (or Neo) by Alphasmart help when students
  need extended time reading and writing
• The ioPen by Logitech records everything that is
  written and then a user will sync the pen with
  their computer to download all the files
• Both wonderful for documentation of student work
  for digital portfolios

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Vocabulary Development Image-to-Text Support

• Many Image-to-Text Programs provide supports for
  students who may have ideas about what they want
  to write but who have significant reading or
  writing limitations
• These programs present text along with
  image/symbol supports, usually in grids below a
  word processing part of the screen
• Some programs allow for animated images, signed
  and action animations

Ex. Picture It/Pix Writer, Writing with Symbols,
Clicker 5, Boardmaker Plus and Signing Exact
English Interactive
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Picture It and Pix Writerby Slater Software
(left) Picture It - Type and have images
associated with text.
(right) Pix Writer - Fill the grid with words
(with or without pictures) for students to select
from when writing.
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Image-to-Text Programs

• Print out materials
• Schedules
• Class Books
• Make computer-based materials

• Picture It was used to develop recipe directions,
  which are printed on the board in front of the
  teacher

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Image-to-Text ProgramsSigning Exact English
Interactive

• Signing Exact English Interactive is a program
  that can be used to print out sign images with
  text

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Image-to-Text ProgramsClicker Cloze Pro
Top two are Clicker activities and bottom two
Cloze Pro
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Digital CamerasStill and Video

• Activities can be documented for student
  portfolios
• Images or video can be used for additional
  student activities, such as captioning images or
  video-clips
• Video-clips can be made into digital dictionary
  items

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Digital Image for Portfolio

• Student completing a Kidspiration activity on the
  SMART Board

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Videocameras Literacy

• Students can capture their ideas prior to putting
  them down in print to focus on meaning and
  creative thought
• Students can then review their video and write
  their content in English, focusing on their
  intended meaning and English vocabulary and
  grammar
• Students can record themselves reading to
  self-evaluate or peer-evaluate reading fluency

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Multimedia Authoring Programs

• Students with low writing and reading skills
  benefit from using multimedia authoring programs
  to assist them in demonstrating their knowledge
  (ex. PowerPoint, iMovie, KidPix)
• Students can put together the sequence of digital
  images and supplement with less text and more
  through-the-air explanation
• Students can add more text content over time with
  guidance and instructional support
• Students can demonstrate their understanding of
  content without being penalized for their lower
  English abilities

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Graphic Organizers

• There are many uses for graphic organizers across
  the curriculum
• Templates are available for Planning and Thinking
  Skills and research-based strategies including
• Venn Diagrams
• Compare and Contrast
• Vocabulary Development and Book Reports
• Timelines
• Cause and Effect
• Experiment Design and more

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Inspiration Software

• Above is the Template for Scientific Method
• The yellow note provides additional information,
  examples, resources or whatever is put into the
  note

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Graphic Organizers

• Computer-Based Study Strategies (CBSS) are
  research-based learning strategies that utilize
  Graphic Organizer and Outlining software
• Examples include
• Chapter and Book Reviews
• Notetaking
• Summarizing
• and many others

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Graphic Organizers

• Graphic Organizers can be used during
  brainstorming and pre-reading activities
• Students can list predictions or things known
  about the topic which are then organized and
  categorized
• Organization can be enhanced by shape and color
  coding

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Checklists

• In Outline or Graphic form checklists can be used
  in Inspiration

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Graphic Organizers

• Custom templates can be created for note-taking
  or subject-area activities
• Graphic Organizers can be used on the computer or
  as printed guides to help students remember
  strategies
• Diagrams of processes can be printed out to guide
  students implementing new strategies

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Classroom Presentation

• Digital White Boards (ex. SMART Boards) are
  making a tremendous impact in classrooms
• There is an increase in motivation and
  participation
• There is an increase in retention of content
  learned
• There is an increase in engagement and modeling
  by teachers and students
• There is an increase in the diversity of
  curriculum materials used

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Digital White Boards

• Content can be presented to students in a manner
  that allows the students to view both content and
  sign language and/or speech at the same time
• Content can be manipulated
• Annotations over content
• Use of highlighting over content
• Hotlinks can be integrated to immediately bring
  up related content as other files, programs, or
  websites
• Text-books now come with CD-ROM or web-based
  Companions that can be used with student groups
• Curriculum materials can be scanned into the
  computer for use with the digital white board

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Document Cameras
(Ex. Elmo)

• Materials, print-based and 3D objects, can be
  presented to students through a projector
  allowing for both content and sign or speech to
  be seen simultaneously

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Document Cameras

• Many incorporate magnification (zooming in on
  content)
• Many allow for a screen capture of whats being
  projected to be saved onto the computer
• Related devices that connect to a computer to
  document content
• Probes
• Microscopes