Assistive Technology

I am going to descrive a lesson plan I created for an artifact propsal in class. I have a original plan and then adjustments I can make to help facilitate those students who need technology assistance.

Case: Mrs. White teaches a 5th grade English class in a 2 hour block period. Currently, her students are reading “Bridge to Teribethia”. With the new movie that came out a few years ago, Mrs. White would like to have her students compare the book to the movie. Mrs. White would like to have her students review, evaluate, and revise their writing for meaning and clarity (Language Arts 5.4.8). By exchanging papers with other students, they can practice reviewing, evaluating and revising their writing. Because students will be taking the standardized state tests when they return from Spring Break, she would like them to finish the paper by collaborating with other students over break.

My original plan: The book would be read and the movie would be watched. Discussions would then start in class about the similarities and differences between the two. It would be up to the students to each create a blogger account, shown how to do so by the teacher. The teacher would also have one. An assignment would be to list as many similarities and differences they could think of. Others would then be allowed to comment on their peers blogs and ideas. Each student would then have to write a paper about two or three similarities and differences he or she felt were important to discuss. Over the spring break, it would be their responsibilities to peer edit them through the wiki webpage, after the teacher demonstrates how the web page is used. When the students return from break, the papers will be turned in and the class will be given time to illustrate pictures from the book and movie via the paint program on the classroom computer. They can be printed out and hung in the room for extra community building.

For students who may need assitance: some students may need an online keyboard that can be found in the control panel of the computer. Other students may need to just magnify what they are typing if their are any visual problems which can be done through the control panel or on thrall.org/largeprint. When we draw pictures using thr paint program the students who may need assitance could type their thoughts into the widgit site and have symbols made for them.

Content Exploration Tools (My Favorites)

I have chosen 3 content exploration tools my class has found to meet academic standards.

My most favorite tool is http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/energysources/preview.weml. It is called BrainPop and meets standard 3.3 for Physical Setting of Science. It is a reference tool because it is a video, but the site includes drill and practice and simulations as well.

Another one of my favorites is http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/maths/maerdy_2d/e_index.html. It meets the standard Gemoetry 2.4 for math. There is no ultimate goal of winning. It is more of an open ended tool that helps learn basic shapes. I think it would keep students interest and get them to think about shapes in a different way.

A final favorite is http://library.thinkquest.org/J002611F/. I think it meets the standard 1.1 for kindergarten social studies well. It is an easy way to be able to experience and see the lives of people in the past. Its great for kids because kids are the ones giving the information.

There are many great examples of content exploration tools my classmates found.

Modified Lesson Plan

The area of concentration chosen is Mathematics for the 2nd grade level. The standard 2.5 under this category, from the Indiana Academic Standards, is "Measurement: Students understand to measure length, temperature, capacity, weight, and time in standard units." For the sub-standard 2.5.1: Measure and estimate the length to the nearest inch, foot, yard, centimeter, and meter...a lesson plan can be upgraded by integrating technology.

The lesson plan from the Indiana Academic Standards I want to discuss can be found at http://www.indianastandardsresources.org/files/math/math_2_5_1.pdf.

By integrating technology, students are able to be more engaged in the learning process of measurement. After surfing the web, I came across a website that included "The Ruler Game." This can be found at http://www.rickyspears.com/rulergame/. Students can learn to read a ruler via the game provided by getting answers correct or incorrect based on clicking on the proper measurement asked for. By doing this activity, students will feel more comfortable using an actual ruler since they are learning how to do so beforehand through the online game. This form of technology integration not only engages interest of students, but can allow them to feel a sense of accomplishment by winning a game.