EME 2040-Blog #7

Hello again! We are now officially over half way through the semester. For the past two months I have been using Twitter, and I can easily see the benefits of this technology. It is fairly easy to use and operate on my cell phone and I have been following some educational resources that post some interesting things. Twitter can be used to keep up with people, learn new strategies, and interact with fellow educators or resources that can help teachers. I have had no issues with twitter and find it easily accessible every day. 

Another project I have been working on is the web design assignment, which took me a long time but taught me many skills. I haven’t used a program like Weebly before, and it definitely had a learning curve. After finishing, I now know how to change the layout, insert a google calendar, and the basics of creating a website. If I were to make a new website now, it would be much easier, and I would be more efficient at completing it. I like the fact that the designs on Weebly were very simple, but I wish I could have added more information of some of the pages, so that I would not have had to make a whole new page for similar information. If I were doing this exact project again, I would keep most of my content the same, but I would format all of my pages similarly and make sure they all matched in color and design. I can definitely use the skills I learned when I am a teacher to make my own class website for my students and their parents.

Here is the link to my Website: http://devaneme2040webdesignproject.weebly.com

Assistive and adaptive technologies are used to help students in school perform everyday tasks that help them avoid alienation in the classroom. These assistive technologies help students to remain as active participants in the classroom. Examples of assistive technologies are voice recognition software, a trackball or joystick, and text-to-speech technology, all for students who may be unable to operate a mouse or see the screen. This allows the student to still use technology, but it is altered to help make life easier for them. I have not used adaptive technologies, and when I was in school, I was not around any students who I saw using adaptive technologies. I assume some students used them, just not in the typical classroom setting. Before I am a teacher, I will have to familiarize myself with more adaptive technologies, so that I can help my students the best way possible. I will abide by the law, and ensure I am helping all of my students and giving them all an equal chance to succeed.