I have been using Apple computers for close to ten years but have not given much thought to the assistive technology that comes as part of the Mac OS (currently I am running Yosemite). Assistive technologies are features or tools that can help a user overcome a variety of difficulties (Roblyer, 2016). For the purpose of this article, I will be focussing on features that come built in with Apple computers that help to ensure that all users can use their device. Apple has a plethora of features and I encourage you to look at their website for additional information. For the purposes of this article I will highlight a few of the technologies that can assist people with cognitive, physical, or sensory disabilities.
Many of the assistive features on a Mac are found
Cognitive Disabilities:
Cognitive disabilities are those which impact the mental processing abilities of a person (Roblyer, p. 410, 2016). For users with cognitive disabilities Apple has several features including predictive text and dictionary which can be beneficial for users with dyslexia (Marshell, p. 184, 2013). For predictive text, when you start typing a word a user can press the esc key to bring up a list of suggestions for the completed word. A user with dyslexia can benefit from this because the word list contains words that are spelled correctly, thereby eliminating time later on deal with spelling errors.
Another neat feature that can benefit users with cognitive disabilities, is the dictation capabilities of the computer. This allows users to speak into their computer and have it converted into text. This feature can not only help those with dyslexia but other cognitive and physical disabilities by removing the need to type in words.
Physical Disabilities:
Physical disabilities are those which impact the movement of a person (Roblyer, p. 412, 2016). Apple provides several neat features for those with movement difficulties particularly focused on issues with hand/arm control. One of the features is sticky keys, which had always confused me. Sticky keys alters the way key commands need to be entered by switching from simultaneous button push for commands to allowing for sequential button pushing. In other words instead of pushing Command + C at the same time for copy, a user would first push Command followed by C. This change makes it easier for individuals who have difficulty pushing two keys at the same time.
Switch control is another neat feature which brings up a keyboard on the screen that can be controlled by a mouse. This is useful for users who have difficulty operating a keyboard but are able to control a mouse.
Sensory Disabilities:
Sensory disabilities often refer to disabilities which impact the hearing or vision of a user (Roblyer, p. 413, 2016). Apple has built in several neat features to help users with hearing or vision impairments.
For users who have difficulty hearing Apple has a screen flash feature which works like an alarm or sound for when an app needs to get your attention. For example, if you are downloading something normally there is a sound effect that indicates that it has finished but with screen flash a visual cue will prompt you. Apple has partnered with Purple which offers translation services for communication between the deaf and hearing communities. The only disadvantage is that this service focuses their translations on ASL which could be problematic for users who sign in a different format or language.
Users who have a vision impairment can turn to the Mac for a host of built in features including voiceover (a service which will read what is on the screen), zoom (for enlarging parts of the screen), and cursor size. These services make it easier for those whose sight poses a problem. For users whose vision impairments involve colour, like colour blindness, Mac computers allow you to alter the contrast of your screen thereby enabling you to choose the best colour settings for your vision.
Before undertaking this exercise, I knew that Apple computers came with a host of features to assist people in using their device. However, I did not expect it to be this extensive. I think it is great that users are able to customize their experience with Mac OS like this because it enables more users access to not only powerful devices but also to the world.
As I played around with the features, I found some that I enjoyed and will probably experiment with further to see if I might prefer to use them, specifically dictation. In the classroom the features can help to ensure that all of my students are able to access the tools that we are using to help them learn.
Resources
Apple. (n.d.). Accessibility. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/accessibility/.
Marshell, A. (2013). The everything parents guide to dyslexia. USA: Adams Media.
Roblyer, M. D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th ed). United States: Pearson Education, Inc.
mrbrenlea
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Maker Project
In EDTECH 597 this week, we had to create a Maker Style Unit. Over the last three weeks the professor encouraged us to create Scratch projects with a unified theme. Since I decided to focus on multiplication, I discovered that two of my projects did not fit and therefore I had to find a way to make a cohesive unit.
My first step was to create a simple way for students to easily bring up the times tables. To do this I looked at a few sample projects and created my own modified version of the game Multiples on Scratch. For my version I decided to use the list idea but instead of having it repeat forever, I decided to repeat the program only 10 times thus showing the times table 1-10 for a chosen number. The only fault that I have with this game is that the controls might be a bit confusing since in order to allow for a Makey Makey control I had to use the broadcast feature. In other words, when a user pushes a the program broadcasts a message which I have programmed to interpret as 1. This would be confusing if using a standard keyboard.
I decided to include my Multiples of 3 project because it fit with the theme and the game is easily modified to focus on other numbers. The final project I decided to include, confused me. I wanted to include a game that allowed students to focus on random multiplication tables and would allow for Makey Makey controls. After rereading the instructions, I decided to include a game from another user, RGACoach, which met my needs but was too complicated for me to modify on my own at my current skill level.
Once I had all three projects, I had to work to tie them altogether in a progressive order and provide ways for integrating the Makey Makey. The Makey Makey controls that I came up with are fairly similar across the board and involved the students making the necessary controls out of Play Dough. However, any conductive material would work.
Overall, it was a great unit to work on and I'm proud of what I was able to create.
My first step was to create a simple way for students to easily bring up the times tables. To do this I looked at a few sample projects and created my own modified version of the game Multiples on Scratch. For my version I decided to use the list idea but instead of having it repeat forever, I decided to repeat the program only 10 times thus showing the times table 1-10 for a chosen number. The only fault that I have with this game is that the controls might be a bit confusing since in order to allow for a Makey Makey control I had to use the broadcast feature. In other words, when a user pushes a the program broadcasts a message which I have programmed to interpret as 1. This would be confusing if using a standard keyboard.
I decided to include my Multiples of 3 project because it fit with the theme and the game is easily modified to focus on other numbers. The final project I decided to include, confused me. I wanted to include a game that allowed students to focus on random multiplication tables and would allow for Makey Makey controls. After rereading the instructions, I decided to include a game from another user, RGACoach, which met my needs but was too complicated for me to modify on my own at my current skill level.
Once I had all three projects, I had to work to tie them altogether in a progressive order and provide ways for integrating the Makey Makey. The Makey Makey controls that I came up with are fairly similar across the board and involved the students making the necessary controls out of Play Dough. However, any conductive material would work.
Overall, it was a great unit to work on and I'm proud of what I was able to create.
Sharing our Work
In EDTECH597 this week we had to choose one of our projects from the past several weeks and provide insights for users who may wish to recreate the project on their own. I have used Voicethread in the past and found the project easy to complete technically. My learning here focused on the content for the Voicethread.
The professor could have very easily asked us to write a step by step guide for recreating the project. However, he instead asked us to provide insights into our process, lessons learned, and what we felt were really important for our project. By focussing our attention in this way, I was able to create a more meaningful piece that provided greater insights into my project then if I had simply created a step-by-step guide to recreating the code.
The professor could have very easily asked us to write a step by step guide for recreating the project. However, he instead asked us to provide insights into our process, lessons learned, and what we felt were really important for our project. By focussing our attention in this way, I was able to create a more meaningful piece that provided greater insights into my project then if I had simply created a step-by-step guide to recreating the code.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Issues with Integrating Technology into the Content Areas
The emphasis in education these days appears to be the move towards integrating technology into the subject areas. However, the process of doing so is often difficult and there can be stumbling blocks for educators. These stumbling blocks are not insurmountable but ones that educators should be aware of and address when thinking about how to integrate technology into the classroom. While there are general issues of concern like access to devices, skill knowledge, and age restrictions, when we look at specific content areas the types of issues that emerge are entirely different.
Robyler (2016) highlights several issues facing the content areas when looking at the integration of technology. In English, Roblyer (2016) highlights the changing evolution of the meaning behind literacy. It's not uncommon to hear the terms "21st-century skills, media literacy, digital literacy and information literacy" (Roblyer, p. 261, 2016) in education circles. However, the rapid pace of technological development means that meaning of these terms is continually changing which adds an extra challenge to teachers who "must become proficient in the new tools that help define literacy in the 21st Century and possible strategies to teacher it" (Robyler, p. 261, 2016).
The solution for this problem is tricky and one that can't easily be solved. The only real solution is for educators to develop a Personal Learning Network of educators that they trust, blogs they like, and resource sites they like. Also, joining a site like Twitter and curating it for professional purposes is a fantastic ideas. Some people get bogged down in thinking they have to read everything, don't worry, you don't. The really good stuff on Twitter gets retweeted multiple times over and is often hard to miss. Finally, many third party services allow you to save hashtag searches which is incredibly useful as there are a plethora of hashtags out there for different subject areas.
While Robyler does address other issues with technology in English, I was most moved by the inclusion of motivating students to read and write (Roblyer, p. 266, 2016). A few years ago I attended a workshop led by Alan November who recalled a a girl he talked to. The girl was failing English and he wanted to know why. It turns out the girl was writing fantastic fan-fiction for an online site. Her response to Mr. November was along the lines of "I can write for just my teacher, or I can write for thousands of people who enjoy my writing."
The above situation brings up the idea of audience. In a world where people can connect with others from around the world, is it enough to ask students to write a piece of work that is only shown to the teacher and their parents. The prospect of opening our classroom to the wider world and encouraging students to interact with it can be a challenging thought. However, the book Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out (2010) provided countless examples students who were using new technology to not only share their work but also to learn and improve as well. Surely if we can harness this power and get students to use online technology in this way, it will improve the teaching and learning experience for all.
References
Ito, Mizuko. (2010). Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out. Retrieved from https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262013369_Hanging_Out.pdf
Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th ed.). United States: Pearson Education , Inc.
Robyler (2016) highlights several issues facing the content areas when looking at the integration of technology. In English, Roblyer (2016) highlights the changing evolution of the meaning behind literacy. It's not uncommon to hear the terms "21st-century skills, media literacy, digital literacy and information literacy" (Roblyer, p. 261, 2016) in education circles. However, the rapid pace of technological development means that meaning of these terms is continually changing which adds an extra challenge to teachers who "must become proficient in the new tools that help define literacy in the 21st Century and possible strategies to teacher it" (Robyler, p. 261, 2016).
The solution for this problem is tricky and one that can't easily be solved. The only real solution is for educators to develop a Personal Learning Network of educators that they trust, blogs they like, and resource sites they like. Also, joining a site like Twitter and curating it for professional purposes is a fantastic ideas. Some people get bogged down in thinking they have to read everything, don't worry, you don't. The really good stuff on Twitter gets retweeted multiple times over and is often hard to miss. Finally, many third party services allow you to save hashtag searches which is incredibly useful as there are a plethora of hashtags out there for different subject areas.
While Robyler does address other issues with technology in English, I was most moved by the inclusion of motivating students to read and write (Roblyer, p. 266, 2016). A few years ago I attended a workshop led by Alan November who recalled a a girl he talked to. The girl was failing English and he wanted to know why. It turns out the girl was writing fantastic fan-fiction for an online site. Her response to Mr. November was along the lines of "I can write for just my teacher, or I can write for thousands of people who enjoy my writing."
The above situation brings up the idea of audience. In a world where people can connect with others from around the world, is it enough to ask students to write a piece of work that is only shown to the teacher and their parents. The prospect of opening our classroom to the wider world and encouraging students to interact with it can be a challenging thought. However, the book Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out (2010) provided countless examples students who were using new technology to not only share their work but also to learn and improve as well. Surely if we can harness this power and get students to use online technology in this way, it will improve the teaching and learning experience for all.
References
Ito, Mizuko. (2010). Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out. Retrieved from https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262013369_Hanging_Out.pdf
Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th ed.). United States: Pearson Education , Inc.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Relative Advantage of Technology in Language
Over the years, there has been a multitude of discussions about the advantages of technology use in the classrooms. Overall, though technology can have a great impact on the teaching and learning that occurs within the classroom. Especially in the area of language.
When the push for technology in the classrooms started, the technology was somewhat limited and most people used resources like the Internet for gathering information. However, as devices became more powerful, a new emphasis has been placed on creating content. This is where the true power of technology is in today's world. Especially in language education.
Students are now able create their own multimedia and share it with the world. Their media can take on the form of a picture book, movie, or poem using one of a multitude of free tools. My experience with using these tools in class is that the students are more engage and interested in creating quality products that can be shared with the world. More importantly though is that through the process of creating "students solidify and strengthen understanding through spending more time in investigation and idea revision" (Moss, 2014). As an example, in grade two we have the students create movies exploring the weather cycle. The students know that the videos are going up online. This serves as a motivator for the students as they want to ensure that their information is correct and their ideas are presented clearly.
Aside from creating resources, of which there are plenty, to assist students with how they present information to an audience, there is a wealth of applications and services available to assist students with reviewing various different language concepts, many of which are free. With access to a wide variety of different resources, it is essential that educators take advantage of them to help them create lessons and activities that are not only engaging for the students but help them to develop essential skills of a student in the 21st Century.
Reference:
Moss, J. (2014, November 24). Students as creators [Web log]. Retrieved from https://iteachu.uaf.edu/2014/11/24/students-as-creators/
When the push for technology in the classrooms started, the technology was somewhat limited and most people used resources like the Internet for gathering information. However, as devices became more powerful, a new emphasis has been placed on creating content. This is where the true power of technology is in today's world. Especially in language education.
Students are now able create their own multimedia and share it with the world. Their media can take on the form of a picture book, movie, or poem using one of a multitude of free tools. My experience with using these tools in class is that the students are more engage and interested in creating quality products that can be shared with the world. More importantly though is that through the process of creating "students solidify and strengthen understanding through spending more time in investigation and idea revision" (Moss, 2014). As an example, in grade two we have the students create movies exploring the weather cycle. The students know that the videos are going up online. This serves as a motivator for the students as they want to ensure that their information is correct and their ideas are presented clearly.
Aside from creating resources, of which there are plenty, to assist students with how they present information to an audience, there is a wealth of applications and services available to assist students with reviewing various different language concepts, many of which are free. With access to a wide variety of different resources, it is essential that educators take advantage of them to help them create lessons and activities that are not only engaging for the students but help them to develop essential skills of a student in the 21st Century.
Reference:
Moss, J. (2014, November 24). Students as creators [Web log]. Retrieved from https://iteachu.uaf.edu/2014/11/24/students-as-creators/
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