These are a few steps to help make the screen easier and clearer to read for students who have a disability of visual impairment. If you go to this page and click on the different things you want to apply, they will automatically start working on your computer. You can pick a high contrast color scheme to make everything bolder and brighter, you can turn on a narrarator to read aloud the text on the screen if the student is a better audio learner and has trouble seeing the screen, there is an audio description that can be turned on that will allow for the information on the computer to be described to the student tso that they know what is in front of them (such as what is going on in a video or a short clip), when possible turn off all other animations that are not necessary, make the focus rectangle bigger, and whenever it is possible remove any background images so that there is only one thing on the screen for the student to be looking at. Although time consuming you can personalize every computer to have custom sound effects and custom animations and also by just maximizing the window you are looking at can help too. This steps and procedures can be used for visually impaired students, hearing impaired students, students with ADHD, or any student with a disability for that mater.

On my iGoogle page, which is my PLN, I have included e-mail, blogger, weather updates, CNN for news updates, the date and time, YouTube, a Colts website for anyone who is a fan of the colts, and a technology tab that has a link to my delicious account and a link to a free technology website for teachers. It is always nice to have updated time, date, and weather so that you know what to wear that day and so you can keep the days straight because being a teacher can be a little hectic. I also have included my blogger so that I can have easy access to use it anytime I would like instead of having to type it in and opening up a new page. It is really helpful to have my e-mail right there on hand so once again I can be doing other things on my iGoogle account and then shift quickly to my e-mail if need be. Plus with the e-mail I can see the last couple of ones sent when I log on so I don't actually have to go into it all the time. I like to keep updated on the news so CNN comes in handy and also with the Colts. iGoogle is just an easy fun way to be interactive and chat with friends, put all of your important links in one spot, and get things sent to you that can be extrememly helpful in giving you advise on classroom management or lessons.

Ms. York's 3rd grade class
Week 11

Overview of the week of November 9-13, 2009:
This week we will introduce multiplication and begin our times tests, discuss the different types of clouds, and practice our nouns and verbs.

Assignments:
Monday:Draw each cloud and list two characteristics of each
Wedsnesday: Take home a practice multiplication test and bring it back to class completed on Thursday
Friday: Circle the main nouns and verbs in the children's book we are reading that allow you to understand what is happening in the book

Events:
Guest speaker on Tuesday about bullying and on Thursday don't forget we get to go to the school play!

Extras/Reminders:
Pizza party Friday so remember you do not need to bring a lunch or lunch money. Also the field trip permission form needs to be signed and turned in by Thursday!

Let's Have An Awesome Week!

Google Group

For my Google Group we were assigned to investigate how to use a tool known as Edmodo. Edmodo is a smilar program to OnCourse in the sense that teacher's can communicate with their students. It is a private tool so no one from the public can access it like they can with Twitter. Teachers can post assignments, calendar events, and updates for the class to look at. The teacher creates a group and then invites only their students and/or their parents also. This is cool becasue parents can get involved and know what is going on what is due when even if their children do not bring the information home. This program is a great communication tool and it is effective and efficient for the classroom. In my classroom I would use this site to keep my students updated onn their assignments and post future assignments so that they can get a head start on their other work.

Content Area

http://marilee.us/kidworks.html#myprojkdg link to student example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NQ1w07blDw link to tutorial
This tutorial is a good, innovative way to provide kids with a fun structured way of learning how to make a simple slide show. Painting, transitions, sounds, and pictures are provided for children to play around with in order to create their own slideshow that expresses themselves in a unique way. It is a simpler version of iMovie or MovieMaker that is appropriate for chiildren at a younger age.

Example of Effectiveness

Effectiveness is a word that describes what the students are actually suppose to be learning. A good example of Effectiveness would be: http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ This site provides different activites and lesson plans for teachers that can and will engage the students in their learning activities. It has every subject and you can also pick which specific age group you want to look up the lessons and activities for. It gives you a step by step analysis of the lessons and activities so that it is very easy and clear to explain to the children.

Efficiency is a word that describes different things that can be done in the classroom to take up less time. A good example of Efficiency would be: http://snapgrades.net/ This site is an online gradebook, making it easier for teachers to enter in students grades. Not only will this site help teachers enter in grades faster, it also will reduce the risk of human error and also provide a clean, organized gradebook at all times. Writing down the grades can get extremely time consuming and you can only do one thing at a time. Being able to do it online provides you with a better opportunity to get other things done as well.

Enhancement is a word that describes opportunity/experience. Such things that fall under the category of enhancement would allow the students to experience something in "real-life" that they make not have been able to experience via powerpoint or pen and paper. A good example of Enhancement would be: http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic35.htm This site allows teachers to take their classes to places that would be unrealistic to actual be able to take them too such as Antartica. Kid's can tour whichever location is selected and be virtually guided by the "tour guide" in order to learn about what is in their text books. It is an excellent website to allow students to experience the impossible if you will.