Mary+Beth


 * Web 2.0 tools:Application and Analysis**

Location and brief description of tool http://edorigi.wikispaces.com/ Due to my current position in my school district as an assistive technology consultant I am looking for resources that are usable for students’ productivity. I also look for resources to share as a part of professional development in-services for teachers and support staff to increase productivity and understanding of how to use digital tools with students receiving special education supports. This blog and wiki site provides information for both platforms. It is well organized with many embedded videos from well respected knowledgeable people. It displays information in a variety of media (videos, charts and graphs, articles). The discussion area I found extremely helpful as I read about what people in schools are thinking about the use of hand held devices such as cell phones, MP3 players, iPod touch etc. The current discussion was about how to include the use of these tools in their classrooms and their district policies about mobile technology. This is currently a hot topic in my school district. http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Traditional+and+Digital+Practice I followed this link and discovered a grid that was designed to compare the traditional approach for writing and communicating to the digital alternative and software tools. What a find! This really helped me to understand and sort out all these tools and how it relates to school tasks. As an assistive technology specialist it will help me to match tools to students who struggle to accomplish these tasks in the traditional ways but are unable to do so independently due to their learning challenges. He also matches tools to Blooms revised taxonomy. This information helps me as an OT to relate to the educational components. This information will help me as I design presentations for the occupational therapists, assistive technology staff and district support staff to increase their comfort level for using digital and web 2.0 tools to differentiate for students that may be struggling in the traditional school setting.

How this site can be adapted to the school setting individual class setting and other educational groups? The starter sheets are a tool that I can use instantly when I go out to consult with teachers about ideas for students to use to increase their productivity and independence. The approach of one tool at a time and a reference sheet is outstanding and not overwhelming. According to the author of the page: “ The Starter Sheets are resources for the classroom teacher. The intention of each sheet is to introduce a tool, technology or activity that could be easily adapted for use in the classroom.”

Why this would help support differentiation in the classroom setting? This wiki also contains documents that match web 2.0 and digital resources (ICT) to the learning styles of students. An important part of designing differentiated instruction for students is knowing their learning styles. This chart suggests resources that could help teachers to start looking at the features of the digital media. It is a great start to help teachers feel more comfortable as they start or continue their journey of discovery of empowering tool for students.

Second web 2.0 Site Web tool virtual tours [] Some specific sites that were recommended on this wiki were the virtual tours. I think this is a great resource for visual learners so that they can visit one of our national treasure museums. I looked at the Smithsonian tour. There is some reading involved but a minimal amount so students in the classroom can gather information by looking in the individual rooms. For students that have physical challenges but can control a computer it gives them great accessibility to control their tour. For students who are good map readers there is a map with picture support, but for those students who become confused by reading maps there are arrows to move between the rooms. To further engage students who may be easily distracted the tour includes audio and video clips as well as a zoom feature for a closer look at some items. Some of the video clips are under construction at the moment. This could be accessed either on individual computers or projected on a smart board for the entire class to view. As with all web 2.0 resources it could be accessed at home as a part of homework. I think this particular virtual tour has many features built into it that allow students with a variety of abilities to access it and learn from it.

Here is my updated chart!

Blog, Wiki, SketchCast, BrainPop, RSS Feed, Kerpoof, Twitter, Ning, Del.icio.us, VoiceThreads, Flickr, Skype, Moodle, YouTube, TeacherTube, Wordle, PodCast, bubbleshare, toondo, ThinkFinity, FaceBook, GoogleDocs, Diigo, 2nd Life, animoto, bubbl.us, tikatok, KidsZone,
 * Take the terms listed below and place them in the correct column.**


 * Know (can explain) J ! || Have Seen the Term! || Never Heard of This? ||
 * blog || Ning ||  ||
 * wiki || Flickr ||  ||
 * RSS feed || bubbleshare ||  ||
 * Twitter || toondo ||  ||
 * Delicio.us || thinkfinity ||  ||
 * Voice thread ||  ||   ||
 * Skype || Kidszone ||  ||
 * Moodle || tikatok ||  ||
 * YouTube ||  ||   ||
 * YouTube ||  ||   ||
 * TeacherTube ||  ||   ||
 * Wordle ||  ||   ||
 * podcast ||  ||   ||
 * facebook ||  ||   ||
 * animoto ||  ||   ||
 * sketchcast ||  ||   ||
 * Brainpop ||  ||   ||
 * Kerpoof ||  ||   ||
 * Diigo ||  ||   ||
 * 2nd life ||  ||   ||
 * Googledocs ||  ||   ||

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