Word Processors in My Classroom

Using a word processor in a special education classroom at the elementary level can be a very challenging task. The students have a wide variety of needs. It takes quite a bit of research and a crowbar in the school department’s budget to find appropriate software or hardware to best meets these needs. But as far as word processing goes, I have had experience with integrating it into my instruction in several different ways.

First, when word processors came out in the early 80’s and into the 90’s, I used them to motivate students to publish their writing pieces. I still use them for this purpose. It can be a very enticing tool, especially for kids who do not have access to technology. Soon, I began to use the programs to teach editing skills, making changes based on edit marks.

As programs improved and features were added, I could adapt them in different ways in my classroom. For example, Word Perfect introduced a highlighting feature. I would use it to have students select all the nouns, verbs, etc. I could also use it to leave comments on my more advanced students’ pieces.

I have also used other kinds of software, such as Zoomtext to enlarge the screen and read text for visually impaired students. Click and Type is a free download that puts the keyboard in alphabetical order and lets the student type with the mouse.

Hardware, such as waterproof keyboards and boards with larger keys have been valuable tools in the past. They can be easy to break or wear out, so their effectiveness is inconsistent.

Currently, I use word processors for the students writing pieces, symbol matching, copying text, and simple publishing. My more advanced students will insert pictures from saved files or from the internet. They also are learning to use text boxes and format text style, font, borders and color.
I like to use them daily, but time and lack of equipment make it difficult. I would also like to get them to create hyperlinks in their pieces, as well as showing them how to use them for note taking. And seeing shows like Digital Nation and the prevalence of computers in classrooms, I think my students will be behind if they can not utilize the technology.

Assignment #5: Webquests

Webquest 1: 3rd grade level

Webquest 2: 3-5th grade Social Studies

I found these webquests for my particular grade level, but it was not without a lot of trying. The Webquest site is not very user friendly. I found the search feature to be hit or miss as far as locating subject matter. Also, there is no database I could find to access to see a listing of available webquests. Furthermore, if the webquest is more than a year old, many of the links do not work, so they must be double checked before using.

All in all a great tool to use, but it requires a lot of research by the teacher first.

Assignment #4: Portfolio comparison/contrast

Portfolios, for me, began years ago. The use of portfolios as an assessment tool is not a new one, but now in the digital age, it has begun to reassert itself as an effective assessment tool. Back when I first began compiling a print-based portfolio, it was very difficult to gather all the needed pieces. Today, however, students of all ages can easily combine media types and develop well rounded digital portfolios.

I am speaking of working portfolios of course. Those used to gather artifacts to document a teacher’s or student’s progress toward meeting performance standards. I have experience using a working portfolio as an assessment tool for my students. The RI Alternate Assessment began as a print-based assessment portfolio, and then progressed to digital media as a way to generate the print-based assessment. I hope they move to completely digital soon because keeping track of all of the pages and corresponding artifacts can be difficult. Items can be lost or misfiled and cost the student a good score because of a paperwork error.

I have never had to build a showcase portfolio, which is used to promote oneself into gainful employment. I feel like I’ve missed getting in on the ground floor of a new technology, because now the trend is moving in the digital direction, and I have a very limited experience with the tools needed to even make the most basic presentation. It is one of the primary reasons I enrolled in a class with a focus on technology.

Assignment #2

Classroom Organization Resources

This website contains many useful links to other websites. While some may require a fee, others contain a variety of free information and teacher resources. I found a bullying archive that had step-by-step interventions at school, classroom, and individual levels. In addition, some organizational tools on another site could help keep my students work and materials in order. I also found some good tips for room arrangement that could provide a more effective configuration. Finally, I found a great link to a website that generates very useful project based checklists that I will use to create rubrics. I will also generate some for my students to evaluate their own or their peers work.

Education World

This site is full of units that cross all areas of the curriculum. I could use these as a whole, or use selected pieces, such as some charts, graphs and timelines to enhance my own lessons or my students’ progress. Another website with easy science experiments using common school objects would help meet district requirements. Another link led me to a variety of free lesson plans. Finally, I found a place value lesson that would provide a change of pace to my “usual” delivery.

New Horizons

This site has many good resources for teachers and parents of children with special needs. I found a great link that shows 55 ways to manage a “tough” class. It could very useful in planning environment, interventions, peer and teacher interactions. I found an article providing examples of how some networked computers could guide instruction in many areas, not just reading. Finally, I located an article that explained some approaches that will be helpful in working with a student I have that has a spectrum disorder.

Hubble Web Site

Here's a link for Hubble exploration.

Hubble

Hubble

I have created this blog as a requirement for my Technology class. I am hoping to use it to discuss ideas, get new ideas, post links for my colleagues, get links, and enhance my professional development, applying it to my I-plan.