Lesson 5!

Lesson 5 Blog

The Nets are standards that can easily be met if we can just utilize all this technology that we are learning about. The Common Core Standards that seemed to be hard to cover can be made easier with the use of these resources, along with Program Reviews.  I have been learning about so many resources, I am amazed that so many exist.

The Horizon Report was great because it was like our Technology Explorations. It had a lot of resources that had a hyperlink attached with a brief description of the site. This will be a great resource because the information is easily accessible, which is always the best kind for busy teachers!

The terms, synchronous and asynchronous, were new to me. I think these are good terms to know because I am sure they are used in dialogue about these resources we are learning about.  

E-mail is not used for students at my elementary school, but I definitely see a use for it in the older grades. It is important when implementing student emails and the use of technology in general that students are taught the rules and the etiquette of such resources. Interent safety is very importabt and it must be taught. This is a focus I can instill in my younger students, so as they grow they can continue to understand the importance of safety rules and internet regulations.  

1.    What did you learn that was totally new to you?

A few of the Tech Explorations for the week were very new to me, such as Glogster and Jing. I am not sure how I feel about Glogster because it seems like another social media website. They keep growing and it seems like too many, however it is a resource that can be used in the classroom. I think the best place for my student to use Glogster would be to implement it in during our Economics Unit  for the Entrepreneur Fair. Students can create posters to advertise their products and then create a digital poster using Glogster.

Jing was also a new resource for me. I think this is a very handy tool to have downloaded so it can be used as needed. It reminds me of the capture tool on the smart board technology and it would be great to use on the desktop. Both were new and I can see me using them in my classroom, so very beneficial.  

2.    How can you use this information to inform your instructional strategies with your own students.

All of this information is great because not only does it give me ideas on how to incorporate the resources, but it creates completely new ideas so I can incorporate these resources.

It was a good activity to review my District’s AUP because in the past I just handed out the form and expected it to be signed, without knowing what all it entailed.

I think the information learned this week will allow me to continue to think of ways I can implement technology to benefit my students. By doing this I not only will meet the Common Core Standards, but I will meet the NETS and Program Review expectations. It is a learning process for me that will highly benefit my students if used correctly.

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: Samantha Norman                            Date: 7/29/13

15. Prezi - http://prezi.com/ and SpicyNodes - http://www.spicynodes.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Prezi: Prezi is a really cool way to present information. It is the NEW Power Point in a way. It is free, but has the option for upgraded versions and it can be used on an iPad. It allows for more creativity for how information is viewed and what the eye needs to focus on. Students love it! Spicynodes: Spicynodes is similar to Prezi in the way it presents its information, however Spicynodes seems to be a better piece of software for showing connections between ideas rather than making a presentation. An iPad app that is associated with this site is called WikiNodes that displays Wikipedia information in the form of Spicynodes, which makes browsing really neat.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  Prezi: I used Prezi last year with my 4th graders in Social Studies. Their job was to create a Prezi in small groups on a certain Native American Region. They had different things they needed to include like what states they lived in, what they ate, what they lived in, etc. After each group created a Prezi they presented them as a class. It was very interesting to them and they couldn’t wait to work on it. They remained engaged and focused. I will definitely use this in my classroom next year and more often! Spicynodes: This site could be used to show the connection of ideas in any subject area. I love math so my brain immediately goes to that subject. You could have a main topic such as fractions, and then branch off of fractions to show how to compare, add, subtract, etc. It would be a good assessment tool for teachers and a fun way for students to show what they know. It then could be used as an information bank to referenced back to after the topic has passed.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Prezi: I would definitely recommend this for teachers! It is a much better way to present information compared to a Power Point because it is new and different and students will love it! Plus, it is very easy to use. Spicynodes: Not only will I recommend this, but also I would love to use it this year in my classroom. I think it will bring something new and exciting to class and students will really enjoy it. They are always excited to use technology and to integrate it into their student products would cover a variety of standards and follow the 21st Century Skills and NETS.

16. Edmodo - http://www.edmodo.com/ and a math dictionary http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Edmodo: This site is used a lot in our district’s high school and I created an account at a technology conference this past year. I look at it as an Educational Facebook/Twitter. You are able to follow different “people” or “pages” and you can have discussions with people. Teachers can also interact with their students and post assignments, send reminders, and get grades back to them quickly. Math Dictionary: This site is a dictionary of math terms that has interactive pictures and printable options. It is very easy to navigate and the print option is really neat! There is also another tab where there are math charts that you can print and put around your room or even give to individual students if needed.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting Edmodo: Edmodo would be a great tool to use if you are a high school teacher. I feel like it would work best in high school because students have more access to technology at that age and they have the freedom to get on the internet outside of school. I love all of the technology you can implement at the high-grade levels, which is why I think I am extending my certification through middle school. At the elementary level this site could be implemented if students used it to complete quizzes or assignments. Math Dictionary: This site would be good for students to reference back to if they forget a concept after it has been taught. It could be used as an example if you wanted to do a similar concept on a Wiki. You could also use it for students to explore and learn concepts on their own, with a follow up lesson.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Edmodo: I would recommend this site to teachers who teach higher-grade levels. I think it is a great resource and teachers could get a lot of benefits from it. I also think students would enjoy it because it is another Social Media site they can use. Math Dictionary: I will recommend this site to my fellow teachers. It is very easy to use and is student friendly. I think teachers will love the printable charts because they are one less thing we have to make!!

17. Glogster - http://www.glogster.com/ and Jing http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource Glogster: Glogster is a “graphic blog” that can contain music and video. It reminds me of a MySpace page, which I am not fond of. It is free to create and account seem easy to use. You are basically creating an interactive poster. Jing: Jing is a really cool site that would be a great tool to have downloaded onto your computer. It gives you the option to take screen shots and even just take “pictures” of certain items. Once you take the “picture” you can save them and share them.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  Glogster: I would use this site in reading. I would ask students to create a Glogster to describe a character. They could “become” the character and create a Glogster that represented them as the entire character or at a particular time in the book.  Jing: Jing could be used to snap pictures to create a how – to. It could also be used to input pictures anywhere. The only problem I see with this is copyright issues.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Glogster: This would not be my first recommendation, however I would suggest it, if it fit into something they were looking for or wanting. It could be used to discuss advertising, or even more subject specific and could be used to display a concept. It might work well in our 4th grade Entrepreneur Fair, because students could create a more tech savvy ad for their fellow students. Jing: I would recommend this to teachers to have on their computers because you never know when it would come in handy. I think it is an easy to use tool that is worth the download, especially because it is free!

18. You Tube for Education - http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400 and SchoolTube http://www.schooltube.com and TeacherTube http://www.teachertube.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.   All of these sites allow teachers and students to explore videos in a safer setting than regular YouTube. There are not inappropriate advertisements running on the side and no crazy videos popping up on searches. I also found that TeacherTube has downloadable documents and pdf’s that can be very helpful to teachers.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting? I would use these sites to search for videos to show to my class and I would also allow kids to use them to search for their own information. I feel more comfortable allowing students to search freely on these sites rather then the Google or YouTube. SchoolTube is one that seems very safe and full of information.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would recommend these sites to both teachers and students because I think they are good resources. They allow for safe browsing and are full of information students can use for projects or for their own personal learning.

Lesson 4

Lesson 4 Blog

Power Points were heavily used in high school and college, but now as a teacher I usually only see them when teachers are providing information to other teachers. As a student I had to create Power Points for speeches or for final assignments. In college, professors used them to relay information as students were supposed to take notes. At the elementary level I don’t feel that PowerPoints are the most efficient way to teach all material.  If I were to use Power Points for every class it would require me to make 20 presentations every week, which would not be feasible for me. I can see using it for some areas and I can see it even more for student assessments. I think it would benefit students more to create a product than watch one on a regular basis. The Professional Speakers Guide comments on the repetition of Power Points and how they seem to be everywhere and I think that is why there is a time and place for them. There is a lot of technology in the world and I think Power Points should be an option, but not a go to for teachers or students. 

TED is an amazing website. It is this database of amazing ideas and discussions that make your jaw drop. I think it would be great for middle and high school grades because students could explore the site, find something that interests them and then respond on what they viewed. The same could be done with elementary aged school children, except the video would probably need to be picked by the teacher, or at least provide a list of options for them to choose from. I myself have found a few videos that I have shared with family because they are so interesting. Another wonderful detail to the site is that the videos are offered in a wide variety of languages, which could help reach out to a variety of ELL students.

Sir Ken Robinson makes a good point in his video that schools today are crushing creativity. I think what is nice about technology is that it has the ability to bring back creativity into the classroom. Students are creating so many things online, using a variety of medias, and I feel it is my duty to use their interests and strengths and bring them into the classroom. By doing this it makes teaching more interesting and learning more fun.

1.  What was the presentation about and to whom did you present it?

The presentation was a PowerPoint that was made using information from Native Languages of the Americas! By Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis. This particular presentation was focused on the Chickasaw. It was one of four PowerPoints created using information from the site to give the students information on each tribe. I presented it to 4^th grade students in four different rotations. The first rotation was required to take notes from what they saw with guidance from me. The second rotation of students had a different set of students that needed some extra guidance. So I altered and created worksheets for every student so they could fill in blanks instead of constantly taking notes. This seemed much more developmentally appropriate for this group of students.

2.  Of which item in your presentation are you the most proud?

I did not love this creation. It was a means to get information to the students. It would have been ideal to let them explore Native Languages of the Americas! on their own but due to lack of technology facilities it was not possible. I had thought about making the slides more condensed, but I wanted the students to decipher through the information to find what they needed, instead of it being directly given to them.

3.  What might you do differently if you could create the presentation again?

I altered the way students wrote the information after the first rotation, and based on that change I do not think I would alter anything else for the purpose of this lesson. It was hard for the students to keep up with the papers, so if I were to change something it would be how we stored their notes or show them earlier in the year on how to be more organized. Best-case scenario would be for students to have a list of questions and resources they could use to find the answers. Then after doing research they could create their own Power Point. This would benefit them more than taking notes and filling in blanks. I would like to integrate projects like this but they will have to cover more information, which is why I am looking into a Wiki for our Kentucky unit in Social Studies.

4.  How did your students respond to the presentation?

The first rotation of students dreaded taking all the notes, but by the 4^th Power Point they had already gotten so much better and faster at taking notes. The other three rotations did better with the fill-in-the blank sheets and I think it worked better for time issues. Their favorite parts were definitely the pictures on the slides. It brought the information to life and allowed them to “put a face with a name.”

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: Samantha Norman                                    Date: 7-18-13

11. ComicLife - http://comiclife.com/ and iSpeech http://www.ispeech.org

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Comic Life is and iPad app, which is fantastic for our school. We have a set of 5 iPads per class so they are much more accessible than computers. The app itself reminds me of the collage app in that you can choose a template and enter photos. Except with this app you enter dialogue, which is great for writing skills. I wish I would have known about this app because I have so many students that love the BONE comic book series. I like the blog they have on their site because it gives a few educational ideas on how to use it in the classroom, like summarizing books. iSpeech is another website that changes text to audio. It is similar to the audio software in our past explorations but I like this one for more personal uses because of their neat apps. It would be great for auditory learners.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  On ComicLife’s website it shows how students summarized a book they read by creating a comic strip. I love this idea! My students would love being able to summarize by using something other then paper and pencil. They would get writing practice, while also showing me that they know what they read. This is a very neat resource that is very kid friendly. I will definitely be using this next year! Students could use this software to change text from websites to audio clips. This could help students read online articles or other readings. I know when I read online it hurts my eyes or it is sometimes hard to follow and keep your place as you scroll down the page. Transferring it to audio would allow you to sit back and listen. They could use this when doing homework or when in class during independent time.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I will definitely tell my colleges about Comic Life, especially because it is an iPad app. This site/app is user friendly and gives the freedom of creation to students. I can see a lot of unique products coming from this app. The site also includes a lot of educational ideas, such as breaking down advertisements or summarizing a book. Students would love to summarize their reading by using a comic strip app. I would inform my teacher friends of iSpeech so they could keep it in mind when they have students that would benefit from hearing material rather than reading it. It would be a good resource to have accessible, but it would vary on which teachers would use it for their students. I defiantly would inform people of the site for personal uses. It has some really unique apps and I would love to be able to pre-heat my oven by voice command! Too cool!

12. VoiceThread - http://voicethread.com/ and http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  VoiceThread is a website where you sign up to use the VoiceThread software. For one teacher it cost $79 a yr or $15 a month to use. It is an interactive whiteboard type software where students and teachers can leave comments using audio. It reminds me of EduCreations except you cannot add comments. VoiceThread 4 Education is a Wiki that contains a variety of VoiceThreads organized by grade level and other areas. It is a great resource that allows teachers to get ideas on how to use it in the classroom. Very helpful site, that showed me the capabilities of the VoiceThread and what it is used for.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  VoiceThread could be a great purchase by the school because of the new speaking and listening standards. We teachers need a way to record students and have them collaborate with each other using technology and this would be a great way to do this. VoiceThread 4 Education would be a great resource for the teachers in our building to get ideas on how to incorporate the technology in the classroom. Even if we did not pay for the service of VoiceThread we could use free versions of similar software and use the ideas on their Wiki. We teachers are always looking for fun and new ideas for our students and this site would help in doing this.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would bring up the idea of VoiceThread in a faculty meeting as a way to help cover the speaking and listening standards as well as helping with program review documentation. I think I would show the VoiceThread 4 Education first to give teachers an idea of how we could use it and then if we liked it I would show the regular site so we could purchase the software. I definitely would recommend this software, but that fact that it costs is never a good thing.

13. Storybird - http://storybird.com/ and Scribblar http://www.scribblar.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  I used Storybird my first year of teaching with second graders and they loved it!! You can create an account as a teacher and have up to 75 students, for free! Students can then log on using the name and password that you give them and access it anywhere. My students were able to create all kinds of stories and include pictures. Students can pick artwork based on a theme or artist they like and from there they can add dialogue. Storybird is a really neat and fun website where students can write and enjoy the process. Scribblar is a neat site where students can collaborate using whiteboard technology. There is a free version and multiple other versions that range in price. Two people can collaborate on the free plan but there is a possibility for up to fifty people to collaborate on the same board. It is like whiteboards we use at school but virtual.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  Storybird would be a great site for kids to work on independently throughout the year. They could be creative and publish stories that their peers could comment on. This would help students edit and reflect on their work. This site would also be good to create an assignment and allow students to use the site for their product. Scribblar would be a great site for older grade levels to use on a collaborative project, since it allows for students to interact at the same time. However, I think a fun way to use it for my 4th graders would be to give them a math problem and they would have to solve it with a partner using the whiteboard software during lab time or even at home.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would definitely recommend Storybird to other teachers. It is very easy to set up and use and students really enjoy it. It can be used at any level, except some images might be inappropriate for younger ages, so teachers must monitor. Scribblar would not be a site I would run and tell my elementary teacher friends about, but it is defiantly a good resource to know exists. I don’t feel that elementary teachers would get a lot of use out of it since students don’t always have technology access at school or home.  I think it would work better in the higher-grade levels than at the elementary levels because of the independent collaboration that could be done away from school.

14. Xtranormal - http://www.xtranormal.com/ and VirtualManipulatives: http://nlvm.usu.edu

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Xtranormal is a really cool site that I know my students would love! The site allows you to basically create your own cartoon, and not just the character. You can make it walk and talk, so neat! The downside is that it is not 100% free. There is a free version but it requires you to buy the characters. I love Virtual Manipulatives! We all have Smart Boards at school and the fact that we can make the manipulatives interactive on the board is going to be great for students. The site is for Math manipulatives and is organized by subject area and grade level. It is very easy to use and has an abundant amount of resources.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  You could use this software for all kinds of activities. You could have students create a character based on a character in a book or historical figure. You could have them make a character that gives a speech, use it to make an advertisement. The list goes on and on. It would allow them to work on their writing, dialogue skills and it would allow them to use technology. It would be really great to see what kids came up with. I could use Virtual Manipulatives everyday in math. This is the one site that will be easily implemented immediately in this next school year. I will use it to introduce a concept and then continue to sue it as students are called to the board to work out problems. Great site!
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would love to be able to use this in my classroom, but according to the site they are out of business for the time being. They are moving to Stage 2 and require some down time so it would not be something we could probably do this year, but could be a possibility in the future. I know my students would love this so I would really like to figure out the best way to implement it into the classroom. I would recommend teachers to take a look at the site because of how much enjoyment the students would get from it in class. I will definitely be telling my fellow teachers about Virtual Manipulatives! I think it will help a lot of us incorporate the Smart Board in the classroom, rather than just use it as a projection screen. I think if my colleges do not know about this site they will be happy to know about it now.

Lesson 3

Lesson 3 Blog

This week was full of new websites that I am interested in incorporating into my classroom. I am shocked that there are so many resources available to us that we don’t even know about. I feel like once school starts I am going to have to create a little presentation to share with the rest of my teachers friends. The reading for the week was material I am familiar with as a teacher and as a former student. We use word processing for our writing pieces and I use DTP tools for our class newsletter. I use them in the obvious way and reading and learning through Lesson 3 has given me ideas to bring new life into these programs, like converting text to audio. 

§  What makes the item visually appealing?  What distracts from the message you are trying to communicate? I create a monthly grade level newsletter and I find that it is visually appealing because it is written in chunks. Having it written in chunks allows the eyes to navigate across the page and look for important information. I think this is the best way to write a class newsletter because most people do not read it, but if they do read it they can do so easily and efficiently. One item that might not necessarily be distracting but more of a turn off to reading the newsletter is the fact that the beginning of the announcements usually remain the same all year. Having this repeat could possibly make the reader think there isn’t any new information in the letter and fail to read further.

§  Use a word processor or desktop publishing program to recreate the item and make it more effective.  Save the file as a .jpg and upload it to your blog. I have attached a picture of our newsletter. I added some bold print and underlining to help draw attention to important information. I did not include any color because they are copied and sent home. However, if I were to upload the newsletter on a class website I could include color, graphics, animation and more. We enjoy creating a monthly newsletter for our grade level because we can cover content related to the entire 4^th grade in a quick and simple way. A negative to creating a broad newsletter is that information specific to a class has to be transmitted in a different way, which sometimes creates more work than if we were to make a teacher specific newsletter. 

Slide Question 1: Why are visual images important?

·      Visual images are very important in education because there are so many types of learners. Some students are able to hear information and can automatically absorb it and use it for themselves, other learners need to be hands on with materials to fully understand because they need to be apart of the learning, while another group of students need visual aides to help them grasp the concept. Visual images are important in education because they provide students with another reference, they can connect with a variety of senses to immerse themselves in their learning.

Slide Question 2: How have you used in the past, or now using visuals?

·      I use visuals on a daily basis in teaching. I show videos a lot using BrainPop, I draw images to explain math concepts, my class and I read books and examine the pictures all for the purpose of furthering our understanding on a topic or issue. Images in education are vital because it is a way for students to connect with their learning in a deeper way.

EDOL 53301 – Lesson 3

Technology Explorations #7-10

Student Name: Samantha Norman                                             Date: 7/15/13

#7 Assistive Technologies – www.gpat.org  and Zoho http://www.zoho.com  

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Georgia Department of Education is a website that gives information on technology assistance in the classroom for students with disabilities. The site has some documents to help monitor the effectiveness of the technology implementation and give information on conferences to attend. Zoho had a lot to offer, but it was not directly focused on education. However, there were some resources that could be used in the classroom. The site itself seems to be a database for all kinds of software, such as Wiki’s, templates, survey makers, Dropbox-like software and it is all located in one location.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  I feel that the Assistive Technology Intervention Plan on the Georgia site could be used to monitor student’s abilities using a source of technology. If a teacher was concerned about a child’s learning abilities they could use the plan as documentation to help a student receive services they are not yet getting from the school system. This site could be used in a classroom in a variety of ways. You could create a Wiki using their software, you could have students use their templates to create newsletters and I thought the most interesting piece was the survey maker. Students could create surveys for teachers, parents and fellow classmates on a chosen topic or on a piece of their own work. It could be a way for them to assess their own learning.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would not recommend Georgia’s site to my fellow co-workers. I did not feel it provided enough information for a teacher to explore. I would recommend it for the Assistive Technology Intervention Plan if they were looking for a form of documentation. Knowing my fellow co-workers they would not enjoy Zoho. It is too much to take in when I feel they could use other software by searching for exactly what they wanted through the internet. I already use Dropbox so transferring my fillies to Zoho seems like more work; same with if I created a Wiki using Wikispaces and re did it using this software. Another negative to this site is that is cost money, which is never a good thing for teachers to hear.

#8 Online Tools for Teachers http://www.4teachers.org/tools/ and

Dimio http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource. 4Teachers is a great site that helps teachers implement technology into their classroom. A way that they help do this is by providing a list of tools that teachers or students can use. They are conveniently placed on the site and they have brief descriptions for teachers to read to know if that tool would be helpful to them and their class. I chose to explore the following tools. Think Tank: Think Tank is a really cool site to help students narrow a discussion or writing topic. It allows students to enter in a broad subject and then asks questions to help students narrow it to what they really need to talk about in their writing or presentation. It helps them come up with headings and subheadings for their topic. This would be a great resource for my 4th graders because it is difficult for them to think of a topic and narrow it down to something they can write about in an interesting and concise way. Quiz Star: Quiz star is a great resource for me because it would save me from grading a million papers! This site would take time to develop the quizzes, but once finished they could be used year after year and would be graded automatically. Very nifty for teachers. PBL Checklists: PBL Checklist would be a great way for teachers and students to work together to create a rubric. It gives suggestions on topics and lists, but it also gives you the ability to write in your own lists. This would cover a Writing Program Review area and would be great for students to use to help structure their projects and writing. Dimio is a neat site. It allows you to convert written text to audio using a variety of voices. It also allows you to save it in a variety of forms. When the voices change throughout the text it sounds like a conversation between two or more people, which gives the writing a different twist on creativity.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  4Teachers can be a great resource for teachers to find tools to use in the classroom. I explored three of the tools and explained how each of these tools could be utilized in the classroom in the above box. Dimio could be used to bring interviews or student written stories to life. Students could write an interview for a book project or complete a story, and once they were done they could convert it to voice-text using Dimio. By converting it, their interview or story would come to life because it would be read by multiple voices. For example each character in a story could have a different voice instead of being read all the way through by one person. This could add a creative element to their writing, and cover some Common Core Standards.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would recommend the 4Teachers site because it is an easy resource for teachers to explore and find quick tools they can use in the classroom. The accessibility to the tools makes it appealing to the busy teacher. I would recommend Dimio to teachers because I think it would be a neat tool to implement with student writing. It would allow the students to become more involved in their writing and it would help teachers find ways to cover those difficult Common Core Standards.

#9 FullMeasure http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  All of this technology is amazing! I did not know all of it existed and was accessible to the general public. This website allows you to create a power point and then this software has the capability to read any text or “hidden text” that the PowerPoint contains. It has a variety of voices and is very easy to use. The software was originally created for a person suffering from Aphasia to help them read the text. What is so great about this website is that the software is completely free and gives permission to use it in a variety of ways. A very special website that is out there to help people in need.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  This software would be great to use in a classroom if someone has eye problems or has trouble reading what is at the front of the class. With class sizes growing more and more, kids have to sit far away and some have a lot of trouble seeing. During the younger grades is where a lot of students figure out they need glasses so seeing can be very difficult. I also think this software would be great fro all students because it implements another one of their senses to help them understand.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would recommend this website to educators because it is a very easy thing to implement to help a student in a very big way. It is a friendly site and provides plenty of directions to help download the software and use it with your premade PowerPoints. Very easy and quick to implement!

#10 WebQuest –http://www.webquest.org and ReadtheWords http://readthewords.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  WebQuests have been around for a long time! I don’t remember using them as a student and I am just now hearing about them as teacher. From what I have read about WebQuests they are almost like an online class, such as this class. The assignment is posted and students use the internet to complete the task. It is an interesting tool to implement in the classroom. Read the Words is another neat site that converts text to audio. What is cool about this site is that it can change a page of text in 10 seconds and in multiple languages. It is very similar to Dimio but seems easier to use. This site not only allows you to convert text files, but also can change RSS Feeds and Webpages. Very advanced technology. The site also contains avatars for the variety of voices.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  I could use a WebQuest in my classroom during lab time. I could create a lesson for the students to complete during that time while I circulated around the room to help. I could create a lesson that lasted for one lab period or I could create a lesson that would require them to work on it week after week. I think this would be the best place to implement it because it allows students equal access to the computers and it is a way for me to manage their learning using the tool. I could use this site in the same way I would use Dimio by helping students bring their writing to life. I could also use this site to convert reading passages for struggling readers to read along with. I could convert quizzes and tests and a variety of assessment to help students who need the extra help in reading directions, questions and passages. It would be a great tool for assistive technology.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would recommend WebQuests for teachers who are comfortable using technology. It would probably be overwhelming for some to create but it would be a great tool to get the most out of students during lab time. I feel like we aren’t using lab time in the most efficient way and WebQuests could help in changing that and making it more worthwhile for the students and teachers.  I would recommend Read the Words over Dimio to teachers because it is much more user friendly. It is an easy to use tool that can have a great impact on students’ understanding of text.