DTP and Word Processing

DTP and Word Processing

Wow! There was a lot of information to take in this week.  I have let myself get behind, so I’m still trying to absorb it all.  The desktop publishing and word processing aspect of this week’s lesson was pretty straightforward and easy to follow.  Most of us have been using these types of software for years and are pretty familiar with what both of them can do.  I believe that it is true that word processing software is becoming so sophisticated that the two things are relatively the same these days.  The go-to desktop publishing software for me is PowerPoint.  That’s also the case for most of the teachers at my school and the students are given assignments involving the creating and presentation of a PowerPoint on a pretty regular basis. I would say most of them are better at it the teachers at this point because they have been playing around on it since their middle school days.  I did enjoy reading the tips for making sure their DTP documents are the best that they can be, such as encouraging them to make a copy to play around with and giving them samples.  I also think that this type of interaction and creativity makes learning personal and meaningful for them.  Many times they take a great deal of pride in what they have produced.  I hadn’t thought of this until I read it on the Technokids website, but it does build decision making skills.  Since they are responsible for the design, colors, layout etc., it makes them think through different  options until they decide on what they think looks best.  One thing that stands out from reading about DTP this week is that when I am around students who are creating something, I need to remind them to think about their intended audience.  I don’t know if that is an aspect they are considering and I don’t believe I’ve done a good job of reminding them of that.  That’s something I will definitely take away from the lesson this week. 

The next thing I looked at was the Bloom’s Technology Taxonomy pyramid.  I hate to admit it, but I’ve never heard of this.  I have not had a class in which this has been discussed.  It seems like a complicated concept to grasp when you first look at it, but after thinking about it and looking at it for a while, it did make sense.  .  I studied it and did see some correlation between it and the ISTE standards for teachers, however.  I think the whole thing fits easily into the first standard of facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity. 

Then the websites! Wow! So much information to take in and things I didn’t know.  The one I thought was the most overwhelming was the webquest site.  The description on the website is that it’s an “inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.”  I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that means.  I looked around on the website and really was not able to make heads or tails of what it is or exactly how this is used in the classroom.  I will have to investigate this further when I am not pressed for time.  My favorite website that we looked at this week was the 4teachers.org site.  Such a great resource and so many different ideas!  If I were already teaching, I would use this one a lot. 

I also found the websites containing information technological assisted devices useful in terms of finding out what all is available to special needs students.  Many of the things I saw seemed very specific to a certain type of learner and I’m not sure could be implemented on a wide scale but it’s nice to know that there are so many new and creative things to help with different types of learners. 

Going back to the topic of using desktop publishing and word processing in the classroom, there are many ways to get creative and keep the students interested in the topic at hand.  One of the things that I personally do not like to see when looking at a PP or other DTP document, is for it to be crowded with too much text.  If I am sitting in a classroom and an instructor puts on a slide show that is crammed with monotonous words, I immediately lose interest.  I like to see simplified texts with interesting visuals accompanying them.  I like seeing big headlines, differences in font and lots of color.  I think there is a fine line though. You don’t want to overdo it and make the presentation itself a distraction from the message you are trying to convey. 

 

 

 

Technology Exploration Resource Explored: 7.  Assistive Technologies

 

1.            Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.

                I was aware that there are many assisted technological devices being used in the classroom today as I see many on a daily basis at our school.  The students in our FMD and some of our LBD students use many devices, such as augmented communicators, specialized seating and positioning, living devices, and academic and learning aids.  I found the GPAT website to be very informative about other devices that I have not seen being used, such as environmental controls. 

2.            How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.

                I’m not sure if all states provide the resources that were listed on the GPAT website, but I would like to see what is offered in our state and how I could apply for funding if I am in charge of a classroom for my students.  As a future LBP teacher, I need to be aware of the different products and services that are available and how to obtain them.  I would like to see more academic and learning aids given to our LBD students.  Many of them learn more effectively if they are given visual aids or can use a computer for an alternative assignment.

3.            Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?

                I would recommend this for every teacher that has special needs students in their classroom.  If it can be funded by the state, there is no reason to not take advantage of this resource to offer each student the best chance at success through whatever devices they may need to assist them. 

 

 

 

Technology Exploration Resource Explored: 8.  Online Tools for Teachers

 

1.            Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.

                I learned that Dimio offers a text to speech device with automatic speech recognition, which could be extremely useful in the classroom with special needs students.  I found it especially interesting that it can create interactive dialogues with the user.  I loved looking at the 4teachers.org website and spent a lot of time exploring what all that site has to offer.  I had no idea there was such a vast database of different educational resources available on one website.  My favorite ones were trackstar, which provides online lessons and activities; persuadestar, which can help students develop essays by offering instruction and feedback, and the academic skill builders site, which is educational games.

2.            How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.

                I would definitely use the 4teachers website probably on a daily basis if I were a teacher.  There is so much creative and interesting things on there.  I would let the students use the game site as a reward for meeting academic or behavioral goals because I think the games would provide a fun way for them to learn without them even realizing they were learning something.  Also, Dimio or other text to speech software could be useful in certain environments, but I’m not sure how likely our school system would be to put this into place.  I don’t believe it would be used enough to warrant it’s purchase.   

3.            Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?

                I would recommend the 4teacher website but I’m still not clear on exactly the benefit to cost ratio would be on the dimio or other text to speech software.  I didn’t see a price on their website but I would bet that it is probably an expensive software that a small, rural school system like mine would not be able to afford.  Without knowing really how many students would benefit from it or in exactly what way it would help them, I would hold off of recommending that particular resource. 

 

Technology Exploration Resource Explored: 9.  Powertalk

 

1.            Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.

                This software seems similar to Dimio.  However, it will read off any presentation or slide show that is presented in PowerPoint, and is able to speak the text as it appears.  It was created especially for people with Asphasia.  It can aid people who have trouble speaking or if you have an audience with visual disabilities.

2.            How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.

                I would think this would have to be a very specific classroom setting to use this resource.  It seems designed to fill a particular need that may not be present in most classrooms.  I can see how it would be very useful for people who are visually impaired or who benefit from having a presentation read aloud to them as it is presented, but many times the teacher reads the presentation to the class.   

3.            Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?

                I don’t believe that I would unless it was a situation where the teacher had trouble speaking or there were several visually impaired students in the classroom.  Again, I don’t think that the cost to benefit ratio would warrant the application of this software in most classrooms.