Access and Accessibility

There are a variety of accessibility tools and options that can be offered to students and library patrons. I want to focus this blog on one particular resource, South Carolina Talking Books (SCTB). SC Talking Books is a free service for anyone with a physical or print disability that inhibits their ability to access normal print materials in some way. There is a short application for eligibility that must be filled out prior to using the services. Individuals of all ages can apply and be eligible as well as institutions such as schools and nursing homes.

 This service provides patrons with braille or audio versions of print materials. They currently have 17,460 large print copies and 236,275 copies in their digital books collection as well as braille materials. Materials can be delivered free of charge through the U.S. mail or digital download into personal devices.  SCTB not only offers books, they also offer magazines and descriptive DVDs. 

There is a quarterly newsletter, Connect the Dots, that keeps patrons up to date on the most current information at SCTB. The also offer programs such as summer reading program, book club, and reading challenges. On the website there is a frequently asked questions section as well as phone numbers and an email for anyone with questions or in need of assistance. This is an excellent resource for individuals with a variety of disabilities and ages, and I encourage you to explore it further. Below is a video that may be helpful about one of the pieces of equipment they offer.

Interactive Whiteboards

In the field of education today teachers are surrounded by technology. It seems that new technology presents itself constantly. Teachers often struggle to keep up with the ever changing technology resources that are available. It is difficult to determine what is most useful for education and learning in the classroom with so many options out there. The piece of technology I would like to highlight in this post is the interactive whiteboard. The interactive whiteboard is what it’s name implies. It is a whiteboard that can be written on, but it has many other interactive features. In addition to just writing on the board, movies and videos can be played, objects can be manipulated and moved, work can be saved, and other features. Most interactive whiteboard allow you to connect to your laptop so you can share your screen. You can access the internet through connecting your computer, or some interactive whiteboard will allow you to directly connect to the internet. There are too many features to name in one post. 

In 1998 Dr. Hughes created the R.A.T. model which stands for replacement, amplification, and transformation (Hughes, 2019). When using this model to categorize the interactive whiteboard, it clearly fits all three categories. The interactive whiteboard could be used as a replacement if it is simply being used to write on like a standard whiteboard or chalkboard. An important feature that it offers if teachers are just using it for notes is that material can be saved so it can be brought back to the screen later that day or another day to allow the class to continue where they left off. The interactive whiteboard can amplify instruction if teachers are using it to play videos about the content they are teaching such as phonics videos or introductory videos to a book or unit. The interactive whiteboard becomes transformation when the teacher uses interactive lessons where the students can come to the board and manipulate, move, or change elements on the board. Another way they can be transformative would be to use them for virtual field trips. There are a multitude of organizations and websites that offer this type of content. It is evident that the interactive whiteboard is a valuable piece of technology with a variety of uses and levels of use.

I've included a few links where you can access some resources about using interactive whiteboards.

https://insights.samsung.com/2022/03/29/8-ideas-for-using-an-interactive-whiteboard-in-the-classroom/

https://www.commonsense.org/education/lists/top-interactive-whiteboard-apps

 

References

Hughes, J. (2019, June 12). Replacement, Amplification, and Transformation: The R.A.T. Model. Tech Edges. https://web.archive.org/web/20190612101737/https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/

Blog 3: Tech Planning and SLM Leadership

Hello Math Teachers! 

The What I Learned Today blog featured a great resource on her Tech in 20 Mini. The website is call 99Math. Kanneken described 99Math as "Kahoot but for math" on her blog. After exploring the website, I agree with her assessment, but I like it more than Kahoot. Teachers can create a free account and once you log in, you will see a screen similar to this.

You have the option of choosing one of the 4 basic operations, or you can choose a grade level and see a variety of skills including basic facts, fractions, time, money, geometry, and others. From those topics you can choose subtopics and adjust the range of numbers used. You also have the ability to customize further by choosing the number of rounds and length of each round as well as whether you wish to play synchronously or asynchronously depending on your students. The program then provides a code to give to students. The students then play the game with the goal of answering as many questions correctly as they can in the given time. One feature I really liked about this particular program above some of the others like Quizziz is that on the first round and at the very end it gives the top three, but it also gives a leader board for most improved between rounds as well as most accurate (the winner isn't always the most accurate). This allows different students to be recognized so that it isn't just the same few students who are your best math students always on the winner podium. I tested this out with a group of students this week, and they LOVED it. They were so excited. It is fast paced and only takes a few minutes to play. After playing it with student, I think it would great for a warm up or a closing activity. I encourage you to check out 99math, and I would be happy to give you a quick tutorial at anytime. I would also encourage you to check out What I Learned Today. She has many resources and tutorials in her Tech in 20 feature that would be very useful in your classrooms.