Here is the article I told you I would be posting!

Here is the article on Chesterfield Job Cuts! I know this is not a really uplifting topic, but I figured this is something we would all be interested in.

sad article

education software

Today in my history secondary education methods class we were talking about how more and more teachers are incorporating technology, and specifically various forms of educational software into their classroom as a means of attaining their students' attention. And wouldn't you know... I have a blog due on that very subject that same day! I love it when worlds collide! I am particularly interested in the incorporation of educational software into the classroom because as much as I adore my field of study (history),I realize the vast majority of students do not love this subject. The use of educational software would allow me to make history fun and engaging for a variety of students who would otherwise be bored out of their minds! In my search for fun software that pertains to social studies, I must confess, I was a little disappointed! Though the more I searched and the more I sifted through the not so great educational software tools, I did find some pretty cool ones. My favorite was called Cultural Resources. This software was packed full of awesome stuff! It had everything from thousands of profiles on famous people throughout history and awesome maps, to links to great internet resources such as Encyclopedia Britannica! It is kind of pricey at $69.00 just for the CD-ROM but it is something I would definitely consider investing in. There are just so many things I could do with it! It's a social studies dream in a little CD form! :)

country music webquest

I chose this particular web quest for many reasons. I first found the subject matter quite interesting. It was really cool to see how a teacher connected country music ( something that was a part of their students' culture) to ideas of freedoms and other historical themes. Secondly, this web quest was chosen as by the state of Texas as one of the top ten Internet sites concerning American symbols of freedom. This web quest presented an interesting task concerning the use of the country music as a symbol of freedom. This site has an excellent introduction, task, and process, all of which are key components for any good web quest.And while, this site is very informative, it is also lacking key components of a proper web quest. it does not have an evaluation, conclusion, or a proper teaching page. It does have a "teacher's resources" option, but I question if it is as informative as a teacher page should be. Overall I would say that this web quest would be an excellent teaching tool, but may need to be tweaked a little to achieve optimal effectiveness. country music webquest

This article provides great insight into the reality into what education is really dependent on.... funding. New Governor McDonnell has been quite controversial in his reason attempts to fixing Virginia's budget crisis, particularly in his actions regarding public education. There have been many suggested cuts in the field of education. Some of these include: fewer teachers/ larger class sizes, the abolition of middle school football teams and other sports, and even possible teacher salary cuts. This article focuses on the issue of larger class sizes in Richmond schools. The picture at the beginning of this article is particularly powerful as it reveals just how worried people are about the future of their children's education in these economically challenging times. Overall this article covers the budget cuts in general, yet provides powerful insight into the reality that education is dependent on funding. Ever since I told my family that I was going to become a history teacher, the one thing they told me repeatedly was, " well at least you'll have job security." With these budget cuts taking place right as I am about to enter the job market I'm afraid that they might have been sadly mistaken.



read article here

universally designed

So when asked to find a tool within a popular operating system that makes the system more universally designed, I immediately turned to my beloved Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is perhaps the most used, most adored program on my computer(It is second only to itunes because couldn't go a day without music.) So with this blog in mind, I searched through my favorite program determined to find some useful tool. I was amazed to find multiple applications that made Word universally designed. The most obvious tool was the application that enabled you to change the color and size of your font as well as your background to help combat certain vision impairments. This can be achieved through the use of the toolbar on top of your document.I also found that in the spellcheck tool you can set the language to various languages making the program not only friendly to English speakers,but to many other language speakers as well. I stumbled upon this need tool when typing a German paper....in German. I got so frustrated with those angry little red lines and I was determined to figure out a way to fix them. To change the language you simply go to tools -> language -> set language. You can also decide if you want to check for spelling and grammar errors immediately and if you want the tool to automatically detect the language you are using. Both of these applications enable Microsoft Word to be more universally designed. Microsoft word also proves to be user friendly to those struggling to conquer a language by providing a translate tool. You simply go to tools -> language -> translate-> pick your to and from languages-> and then type in your desired text. Through the tools bar as well, you can upload a speech recognition tool that enables those who are unable to type to speak into a microphone and Microsoft Word will them translate the person's words into text. One can aquire this through setting up and installing a speech recognizor. Once installed one can access this tool by clicking on tools -> speech. These are just a few ways in which the microsoft operating system and the Word program are universally designed. Revealing these tools in the classroom could potentially do wonders for your students. Students who struggle with English can use the translate tool to help improve their vocabulary. Students with physical disabilities can use the speech application as a way of putting their thoughts down on paper. There are so many ways the universally designed applications of Microsoft Word can be used in the classroom, and when taken advantage of Word serves as a powerful tool in all classrooms!

How to incorporate unlikely technologies into the classroom

As teachers we will constantly be looking for new and innovative ways to present new material and keep our students' attention. The use of unlikely technologies into the classroom is just one way to accomplish this goal. Unlikely technologies that can be very helpful in the classroom are ipods, iphones, and idocs. These tools may not appear to be classroom tools, however there are many uses for these new popular devices. There are new educational apps for your iphone or itouch that aid in student comprehension such as the bilingual app, and the reading aid app. These apps and more are shown here: www.scribd.com/doc/24470331/iPhone-and-iPod-touch-Apps-for-Special-Education.

I docs can also be very useful in class room simulations. They help create a fun and inviting learning environment that caters to all types of learning. Incorporating an ipod/ idoc into your lesson will enable auditory learners to make connections with the content that they may have missed had the material been presented in an alternative way. Here are just a few examples of how one can incorporate an idoc into their lesson:
Social Studies lesson: a teacher can simulate trench warfare by:
1. Breaking the students into two teams.
2. Turning over the desks
3. Collect enough newspaper and scrap paper to act as "bullets".
4. The students duck down behind their desks while wearing their backpacks to simulate war conditions
5. The students will then commence throwing paper balls at one another, abiding by the rule of where ever you get hit, you lose that limb. If you get hit in chest you are automatically out. Head hits are strictly forbidden.
6. The idoc can be inserted in this lesson to simulate the sounds of flying bullets as a means of making the simulation more authentic.

Math:
Students can learn their multiplication tables through various songs. These songs can be stored on the teacher's ipod and amplified through the use of an idoc. These tools are easier to control and more efficient than former musical technologies.

Science:
Students can instantly be transported into various ecosystems through the use of visuals such as powerpoint and an ipod/idoc to simulate the sounds of various ecosystems

English:
The aforementioned iphone apps would aid greatly in promoting reading comprehension as they present the content in a fun way that aids different comprehension techniques.

These are just a few of the many ways in which ipods/ iphones/ and idocs can be incorporated into the classroom to create a fun and innovative classroom environment.

hello blog world. I hope this works out for us. :)