Screen Magnifier: Utilizeing Assisstive Technology in the Classroom

One form of assistive technology that is available on all Windows Vista computers is a tool called the "Magnifier." It is available through the "Ease of Access Center." As can be seen in the image above, this tool will enhance whatever image or part of the screen that an individual goes over with their cursor. This piece of assistive technology could be extremely beneficial to students who are visually impared. As I teacher, it would allow a student with a visual handicap to more easily participate in classroom activities such as research, typing papers, and preparing PowerPoint presentations. Additionally, it would allow me to emphasize certain parts of a website or presentation when explaining information to all students, not just those who happen to be visually impared. The Screen Magnifier, and all the Ease of Access Center will be an invaluable to all teachers when working with students with disabilities.

Professional Development Plan Evidence: Excel Budget

This is a screen shot of the budget that I made regarding my monthly budget. This budget includes my income ad both necessary and discretionary spending. Learning how to utilize Microsoft Excel was difficult, because I have had almost no practice with the program. However, with the help of my brother, the TTL, and a budget template, I was able to create a detailed Excel spreadsheet that will better allow me to keep track of my income and spending. Creating this spreadsheet was an excellent learning experience for me. I was forced to ask for help and to make mistakes when learning this new program. This skill will be useful as I will be able to keep track of any discretionary funds I receive through the school or from grants that I could apply for. This may also help me keep track of student information as well. Overall, learning how to use Microsoft Excel will benefit me as a teacher.

Professional Development Plan Evidence: Inserting Video Clips into Slide Shows/Movies

This is an example of how I met one of my Professional Development Plan goals, inserting a video clip into a slide show or movie. I was able to accomplish this through a number of methods. The first resource I utilized was a friend of mine, however we were unable to effectively insert the movie and publish it. I was able to resolve this issue by visiting the TTL. There, I was able to clearly understand how to effectively insert a video clip into a movie or slide show. This will be very useful as it will allow me to make slide shows more interesting to students. It will also allow me to show parents what their student is doing in class. This could occur if I were to make a slide show of pictures for an open house. Parents could then see photos as well as video clips, allowing them to have a good feel for what their child is learning. Overall, learning how to utilize these video clips and put them into a different program was a very productive experience.

Professional Development Plan Evidence: Editing Photos

On the bottom is the originial photo of my brothers and I. On top of that photo is its edited counterpart. The changes that I made to the photo were cropping it so that our faces were centered, adjusting the lighting by giving us a "cartoon look," and adding text which reads, "Surprise Visit for Matt Pagano in Lexington, VA." As can be seen by the difference between these two photos, I was able to accomplish my goals of learning how to properly edit photos with regard to their lighting and cropping. I was able to accomplish this task by asking my friend to explain how photo editing software works and by then practicing with that software. Overall it was an excellent learning experience. I will be able to use this knowledge in the classroom when editing photos of classroom activities, field trips, etc. It will allow me to show parents and my peers how I manage a classroom.

Communicating with Parents & Students

In order to effectively communicate with both my students and their parents, Twitter would be an excellent tool to utilize. This is an excellent tool because it will allow me to update others on assignments, field trips, etc. Another advantage Twitter has is that it allows me to make updates from my cell phone, so that I will be able to update my students from almost anywhere. Professionally, this is an excellent tool because it is age appropriate for students and my current professors recommend it as a useful, and professional tool. Twitter is also easy to access, as anyone with the internet can see it, so parents will be able to see it when at work. Students will also be able to see it during school and when they go home.
Twitter allows me to address a number of my responsibilities as a teacher. it allows me to quickly and effectively inform my students of assignments. If students get a Twitter account, they will also be able to communicate back to me should any questions about one of my updates arise when they are away from school. Overall Twitter is an extremely effective communication tool for the classroom, allowing me to reach both parents and students in an easy, convenient manner.

Station 7: Do Unemployment Rates Affect Presidential Politics?

This assignment was an example of how to gather and analyze data using a detailed PDF. This assignment showed us the different Unemployment rates depending on the different year. This is a way for social studies students to analyze gathered data and do some critical thinking about it. An example of this is finding the Lowest unemployment rates and analyzing why that specific year was lower than others.

Presenting "Ning" from a Distance: A Reflection

I had the opportunity to present information about a communication tool, Ning, from a distance. The experience was excellent. While a few minor issues existed at the beginning of the session, the communication between other groups and Serdar was clear and did not inhibit my ability to be understood. I did not like the fact that I could not hear the questions that were posed to me after completing the presentation. This, as well as the fact that I couldn't see the other groups, took away from the intimacy of being in one classroom together. Some of the challenges of meeting on-line are the fact that sometimes the audio breaks up, or there may not be enough microphones in the class for all to use. Additionally, it can be difficult to pay attention if there isn't a person in front of you speaking. I would not use this tool for my future class, because I feel that middle school students would not pay attention if I wasn't there to watch over them. Also, middle schoolers may not have the maturity or technological literacy to handle using this type of communication. Overall, this was a good experience and it provided me an opportunity to become more comfortable with communication technology.

Google Earth, A Social Studies Tool

I reviewed Google Earth, specifically for Social Studies Education. I plan to teach U.S. History, Government, and Geography. Google Earth is an excellent tool for all three of these subject areas, especially Geography. It is an excellent resource for identifying everything from continents, down to specific streets in small cities throughout the world. Having a clear visual representation helps students gain a deeper understanding of the different parts of the world that they are studying. Google Earth's feature utilizing latitude and longitude would also help teach these principles in a classroom setting.

While this program may seem intimidating at first, Google provides an excellent User's Guide that is easy for new users to understand.

Once the basic principles of Google Earth have been grasped, teachers can utilize it in a number of ways. Teacher Cheryl Davis uses Google Earth and images to teach history lessons. Her demonstration provides excellent insight on how to use Google Earth for such a lesson.

Overall Google Earth is an excellent content exploration tool for many different areas of Social Studies.

National Council for the Social Studies: Growing Effectiveness

An excellent resource for social studies teachers at both the middle school and high school levels is The National Council for the Social Studies. This organization provides a variety of resources for teachers such as opportunities to sign up for social studies conferences, as well as suggestions and tips on how to better utilize technology in the classroom.

The NCSS is an excellent way for teachers to improve upon their effectiveness. As previously mentioned, one aspect of this organization is the opportunity to attend national conferences, where the latest and most effective teaching styles will be presented and discussed. This will clearly benefit social studies students. Additionally, numerous classroom resources are available, which could help teachers present information in a way that is more understandable for students.

Edutopia- Improving Effectiveness

An excellent resource for teachers is called Edutopia. It provides teachers with a variety of tools and suggestions as to how technology can be used in the classroom to strengthen lesson plans already set in place. Put together by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia is a resource that teachers of any subject, at any grade level, should utilize in order to improve their teaching skills.

Edutopia allows teachers to become much more effective. This site has clear, well defined methods of teaching teachers how to use tools such as virtual field trips, wikis, and video production in their classrooms. Once these skills are mastered, teachers will be able to much more effectively present information, as not all lessons are best presented in the traditional lecture format. These tools will help teachers teach a number of topics, in a number of ways that will greatly benefit students.

Teacher's TV- Enhancement

An excellent tool for teachers to utilize when presenting on a variety of subjects is Teacher's TV. A website where any teacher can post videos that other educators may find helpful in their classrooms, Teacher TV is a resource that no school should go without.

Teacher's TV enhances the educational experience in a variety of ways. Whether teaching social studies, Literature, or Science Teacher's TV may have a video that could demonstrate the information in a clear, effective manner. For instance, if a class were reading "The Great Gatsby" there may be a video where a chapter of the novel was acted out, something that may not be possible to do in a fifty minute class period. Overall, Teacher's TV provides countless ways to improve on the traditional lecture format for any subject!

The Civil War- PBS: Enhancement

The Civil War made by noted documentary film maker Ken Burns for PBS. This excellent website utilizes interactive photos, film clips, and other interactive tools to make the Civil War come to life for students in both middle school and high school.

The Civil War benefits students in a variety of ways. The greatest advantage to utilizing this website is that it enhances the teaching of the Civil War in countless ways. One excellent example of this enhancement occurs through the excellent discussion questions provided by Ken Burns. The teaching of this material is also enhanced through the photos of the Civil War that students are able to closely examine and manipulate. Another advantage to utilizing this web site is that it is free for anyone, which means that the enhancement can continue at home for students.

Easy Bib- Efficiency for Teachers

An excellent resource for teachers is Easy Bib. Easy Bib allows both teachers and students to prepare citations for sources Easybib Another terrific aspect of Easy Bib is that it is free and requires almost no familiarity with the program in order to obtain citations quickly.

One way Easy Bib improves efficiency for teachers is that it allows teachers to quickly provide proper citation in a variety of styles. This will save a teacher time when preparing a Power Point presentation for class, as they will not need to take precious time to find a book and properly cite the sources for the power point. Easy Bib benefits students in many ways, as they will now be able to spend their valuable time in class focusing on the content of their projects and essays and not worrying whether they know the intricate differences between MLA and Chicago styles.

National Council for the Social Studies Review

http://www.socialstudies.org/

This website is an excellent professional organization for social studies teachers. While one must pay a fee to become a member in the organization, the modest cost has tremendous value. The organization's value lies in the resources teachers are provided, such as conferences discussing how to improve myself as a teacher and as a colleague to my fellow social studies teachers. Membership in the organization also provides one with a newsletter which contains pertinent information about quality teaching tools for social studies teachers. Overall this is an excellent website and resource for a social studies teacher to be a part of.