Assistive Technologies

One assistive technology that I would find useful for an elementary classroom would be the online-stopwatch.com. This website could be helpful in keeping the students on task. If they have to do several things in the computer lab, the time can be divided between those things and the stopwatch used to signal the time to switch. Students in general seem to have some trouble managing their time, and the online stopwatch could improve their ability to do that.




Another assistive technology that could be used in an elementary classroom is Kurzweil 3000. This software can help students who are learning to read or students who are having difficulty reading. Kurzweil 3000 highlights the words that are being read, so that the students' attention is focused on the reading. It also allows students to look up a word that they do not know, find a picture that helps them understand a word, find synonyms for words, check spelling, and find the syllables of words. All of these things can enhance the students understanding of words and what they are reading. It is a great tool for elementary students.




Text to Speech is another useful tool for elementary students. With this website, you can type something into the text box and the computer will read it back to you. This allows students to hear aloud what they are saying, and in several accents. It highlights the words as it reads them, which helps students to follow along. This website is useful for students who are learning to read and students who are learning to type complete sentences. Personally, sometimes it helps me to hear what I am writing. This way you hear the mistakes and can fix them. It can also be helpful when talking about different cultures. This allows the students to hear how people of different origins speak, and can open a discussion or lesson on different ethnicities.

Data Analysis and Collection

My Table:

A plot graph comparing height and wingspan:

A plot graph comparing height and foot length:

Part I: About the Station

• Station 2
  
• Braxdon and Micah
  
• This station required us to obtain the height, wingspan, and foot length of each group member. We then had to plot this data in graphs. We answered questions pertaining to the relationship amongst our data. We were required to make the data table and graphs using InspireData.
  
• We recorded each group member's height. We then found a website that converted shoe sizes into foot length inches. We converted our shoe sizes and recorded the length in inches. Next, we measured each other's wingspan in inches. All of this information was put into a graph in InspireData. Lastly, we put this information into two different graphs. The first graph dealt with comparing height and wingspan. The second graph compared height and foot length.
  
• I made my table and graphs and answered my questions individually. I recorded the data that my group members measured, and then gave that informatin to my group members for their data tables.
  

Part II: Your Work

• We were required to record information about our group member's height, wingspan, and foot length. The next task in this station required us to make graphs using this information. I made two graphs. The first graph compared the height and wingspan of each group member. The second graph compared the height and the foot length of each group member. We were asked if there was a relationship between the height and the wingspan. My table and graph both showed that the taller the person was, the greater lenght their wingspan. We were asked if there was a relationship between the height and the footlength. My table and graph did not give me any conclusive results in this area. I expected the foot length to increase with the height, however, this did not happen. This could be because of an unusual circumstance. If more data was gathered, there could be a better answer given to this question. My information, unfortunately, does not allow me to come to a general conclusion for this question however.
  
• Give group answers, but add your own perspectives as necessary (you can add to your group's response).

Part III: What did you think?

• Answer the following questions individually:
  • In the role of the student, I would find this activity engaging. It allows the student to get away from the norm. It would be more engaging, because it requires the student to get up and do something, rather than sit in their seat. They have to come up with their own data, and draw conclusions from that, which can be fun for a student. For these same reasons, in the role of the teacher, I think this activity would be worthwhile. It allows the students to play the role of scientist, and find their own data and conclusions. This will teach them to think about their assignment.
    
  • The inconclusive information could be a frustrating or confusing factor for the student.
    
  • The most surprising part about this activity was the inconclusive data. I expected to find that the height increased with the foot length. However, according to our results this is not true.

Elementary WebSites

• Website: http://www.seriousgamegroup.com/muchoMath/
• Sponsor: This website does not give any information on who created it. There is an option for teachers to sign up, however, and more information may be given once you become a member.

• Purpose: The purpose of this website is to help students understand mathematical concepts through games and activities on the computer. It helps in many ways, and one of the best things about this website is the response given to wrong answers. When a student answers a question wrong, instead of saying the obvious it gives them a response that tells them to keep trying. They then go on to the next question, instead of the game ending because of a wrong answer. It will also explain what is going on in a math problem, instead of just leaving the student with no idea of what he/she did wrong. This website not only helps to build mathematical skill, but it also helps to build morale and self-confidence.

• Design / Usability: From what I can tell, MuchoMath seems to be free of advertisement. I cannot go past the home page, because it is a website that requires you to sign up and enter a teacher ID#. As I am not a teacher yet, this website cannot currently help me. However, the purpose seems to be taken seriously, so I do not expect to find many advertisements, if any, when I am able to use it.

• As a future teacher: This website has the potential to be of much use to my future students and myself. It is a way to get out of the routine and have fun with math. It could also be used as a study tool for children who are struggling. It also helps to teach mathematical vocabulary and mental math techniques, which would be useful to me as a teacher. There are many possibilities where this website could benefit my future students and myself.

• Website: http://funschool.kaboose.com/

• Sponsor: This website was produced by Kaboose Inc.
  

• Purpose: This website contains many games and activities for elementary school aged children that teaches skills such as math and English. It roles education and entertainment all into one package, which is important for children at a young age.
  

• Design / Usability: The design of Funschool is very colorful and fun. It makes it easy to search for the type of games and activities you need. You can search by grade as well as subject. There is even a tab for parents and teachers. However, there are quite a few advertisements on this website.

• As a future teacher: This website would be of good use to me as a teacher. It gives me a way to teach the students in a way that is fun for them. There are also printable pages of activities and coloring book pages that could be useful to the classroom.

Passion for Learning

While looking through the website
K12 Online Conference 2009, I came across a video called Engaging Our
Youngest Minds by Angela Maiers. I watched this video, and it just blew
me away. It is about how passion drives learners, and technology is
used to aid that passion in students. Maiers shares with her viewers an
experience she had with a 5 year old girl by the name of Haley. Haley
had posted flyers throughout her town about endangered animals and
warning people not to kill them. Through these posters, Haley raised
about $200 to send to a wounded panda bear in China. She also made
T-shirts supporting her cause, so that her message could be seen
everywhere she went. Haley read about these animals, and learned many
facts about them at the age of 5, before she had even entered
kindergarten. Haley's passion for animals drove her to these projects.
Maiers points out that it was not technology that enhanced Haley's
passion for learning, but her passion for learning paired with the use
of technology could enhance Haley's schooling experience. It is just
mind blowing that a 5 year old girl can have that much passion for
something, and actually find a way to make a difference. We, as
teachers (or future teacher), need to find this passion in our students
and expose it to resources that allow it to grow.

This video can be viewed at http://k12online.ning.com/video/engaging-our-youngest-minds