Sept. 11th class

* Planning unit: For next week's class can use whatever unit that already has. If teaching
towards CAPA standards, going to use the SECO? binder. SECO binder - those
are your standards. ** Important to look into how much the binder and/or
where the binder might be available within the district.
** Can be based on a theme unit - such as United States.
**** Looking for how are going to set up your theme. Should be across the
standards linking all subject areas and linking everything together.
I.e. - ties into math, language arts, technology, science, social studies, etc.
** When creating your ULD theme unit, look at the model provided on the Intel
binder.
** Resources to use: Intel Binder, CAST.org and one other reference provided in your ULD book. - No complete unit - just a 3-5 pg. overview with researched bibliographical design using citationmachine.net for APA format. Conclusion - how could you use ULD to best support your students. Need to make sure the paper is formatted in APA style format.
9/11/07 Notes:
I. PowerPoint presentation about the way that societies are changing
A. If we are having such an information glut - how do we help our special needs kids figure out
how to navigate through it. Where does this leave us? Where does this leave the kids?
1. What can we help them with so the they can compete? To level the playing field when
kids are adults in society? Teachers, districts can't do it.
2. Every publisher is supposed to provide books/curriculum that is on CDs.
II. Power Point
A. Creating a worksheet
1. You can make many worksheets locking the document and can save it as a document
or document template. To unlock your document you can restrict the permissions such
to just fill in the fields without someone messing up the document. You still have to lock
the document and students can answer the problems for a worksheet that has been
created.
2. When creating a watermark - you don't want it to be too dark so that you can't see it
too heavily when creating a document.
- Not recommended for worksheets for students because it will be too distracting.
Important to do for when creating documents that you don't want people to
plagiarize and or for reports.
How to: Go to: View - click on Header and Footer
Go to: Insert - Picture - click on Clip Art to find picture you want.
3. Double click header and footer to make the box disappear.
4. Click on paragraph symbol to space out words/numbers etc.
5. Create worksheet
6. To create answers - click on drop box field
7. When creating a check box go to: check box field in upper left hand corner.
***** Important when saving work - need to save on first initial/last name.doc*****
Remember when uploading you need to open up the documents folder first to send work.
****** Rule of thumb on a power point : Should be no more than 20 words per page!!!*********
1. You can use Power Point to tell a story. Or you can use a presentation for practicing
eye/mouse coordination.
2. Write Out Loud - great computer program where if a student types out a letter, it
sounds out/says the letter to make sure what it is - it's an auditory processing
reinforcement.
Interesting fact - keyboard that working on is called a QWERTY keyboard. You can get Assistive Tech. keyboards - that are in alphabetical order, color coding, etc.
3. Power Points - need to be clear, few words on the page, lots of visuals, have to be
careful with the graphics so that they support the text that you are teaching. You
want to make sure that both correlate with one another.
4. What is important to remember that as human beings the one thing that we
remember are pictures. Need to remember that pictures need to correlate with the
text and is relevant to what the text is conveying. I.e. - not having snow for a winter
picture when it doesn't snow in CA.
5. When creating a presentation, you don't want to have to do more than 3 different
transitions.
II. Creating Power Point:
1. Create or upload template
2. Insert new slide (s)
3. Click on Insert text box
4. High light text that you want to hyperlink to and from
5. When creating a hyperlink to home, all have to do is copy and paste.
6. Before pasting - have to insert text box and then click on copy.

Reflection:
This class definitely went a lot slower than last week's. I am feeling more confident about what we are learning in class and I was able to really take extensive notes and follow step by step how to create word documents that are pretty cool. I am looking forward to creating worksheets on the computer for my students now that I know how to do them - this is very exciting and I can't wait to start playing around with Power Point. I learned so much more than I have previously about creating hyperlinks as well as inserting objects. It was all very interesting. It was also pretty neat learning how to create a watermark. I am looking forward to playing around with everything before class next week. Sharon, as a reminder, I will not be in class next week due to Back to School Night but I will have my assignment sent in before class next week. =)

9/4/07 Class

* PB wiki - easy to have kids work on documents online.
- Wiki is like an authentic audience and can monitor online. - In terms of students working
together.
*Today - joined a list serve, PBwiki, and created a blog.
- Neat factors about wikis - parents can add to a support group, students can work on projects
together.
* Why technology is important for students with disabilities: (Universal Design Classroom)
- Technology allows people to see what they can do not what they can't do.
- How do you structure student learning so that it allows students to structure learning in
their own way.
- What does it mean? To design a classroom that is accessible for all learners.
* CAST - (cast.org)reduce the barriers to provide universal design. - You want to make sure
that whatever you design, students can participate and do the best of their abilities.
**** When aiming to teach universal design, follow through with teaching universal design.
Be careful with universal design - yes you need to do it but it needs to be multi-modality.
PDF - If you're going to have scanned text, you're going to have to scan it as a text, not as a photo so that it will be read aloud.
- Word: Can set up Word documents so that it will read documents to a person.
*** Assistive technology is not just computers. There are low-tech./no-tech. assistive tech.
supports.
*** STAGES - software solutions for special needs (another great resource for assistive tech.)



Reflection:
I'm excited about using CAST and accessing the ULD solutions finder. Support lists for hi-tech and low tech. supports is an excellent resource that I can't wait to access. Currently at my school, we do not have access to the internet but should be gaining access within the next few months. Low-tech/No-tech supports will be really useful in my classroom, I am always looking for new ways to develop universally designed lessons since I am required to teach toward grade level standards. I am constantly looking for ideas and ways to modify curriculum to successfully meet all of my students's needs.
At the end of class, I feel overwhelmed with all of the information that was given to us today. Taking notes will take some time - trying to type accurately while taking copious notes concurrently was a little slow today. Practice makes perfect!
I learned soo much today in regards to all of the technology that is at our finger tips that I can't wait to go home and explore all of the resources that we were introduced to today.

Hi Melinda Lee