How can I use technology to communicate, investigate, learn, teach?
Tools are what we use to get to information; in some cases the tools themselves
need to be modified for particular needs (physical issues around vision,
manual mobility, learning disabilities); in other instances, learning
about these tools and how to use them form the
content of study and learning about the technology itself. Tools here can include, but are certainly not limited to:
computers, including:
software for word processing, spreadsheets, databases;
images:
The Rhode Island Webmakers group publicizes a number of sites and events
dedicated to fostering increased accessibility to the internet. appropriate technology All of these tools are the raw materials which we make the things
we need and want to make. Learning to use them towards are own end is the challenge
facing us as people on this planet, and as people who engage in intentional
educational work. Here are links to sites that can help you to use the computer, particularly the
internet, as a tool what tools can do; (see also http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Technology+as+a+Tool+for+Urban+Classrooms%22 Personal Education Press"lets you turn your computer and printer into a printing press for free educational materials such as flashcards and game boards." from Kath Connolly: planning tools on the web
Zoomerang, an
online survey tool. Its disclaimer states:
Flashbase is another
online survey/form creating site worth a look. 6 July, 2006
Technology as tool, in my mind, describes the
online connections to
email
[for example, how is email used within adult education?
Using email in the ABE Classroom, David Henry, Bright Ideas, Fall, 1995
Cool List Yahoo.com - sites enabling the creation and use of free mailing lists.
the internet
[for example, Plugged In - technology at work in east palo
alto
Plugged In's mission is to ensure that everyone in East Palo Alto, California has
the opportunity to fully benefit from all that the information revolution has to
offer. Plugged In is an example of one way the web can be used to support community
development and interaction].
Homestead - Free Web Sites - authoring site.
Working Assets funds 50 social change agencies. Working Assets, a credit card and
long distance provider, uses a percentage of its profits to support progressive causes. View their websites
and decide if you'd like to join on in one way or another yourself.
search engines
Google is one of many, many search engines
available online. To find online resources, type in the word (or words, in"quotation
marks") that describe or name your topic, and submit your inquiry. Lists of links to the information you request
should appear. Most search engines offer online help if you have difficulty
navigating. Other easy-to-use search engines include Yahoo,
Snap.com and
Alta Vista.
scanners
cameras
A complete guide to digital
cameras and digital photography
printers
calculators
pens
pencils, paper, paints, brushes, crayons
video
audio
hammers, saws, tool tools
words
Clear language and design homepage
Arribavista.com, a source of images
on line, can be used to borrow/appropriate/find images to illustrate almost
anything, to learn about the the images themselves, to find ways to connect
visual learning, visual imapact (for lack of a better term) to text. A search
for "women working" produced 3592 matches. Of the 50 I've seen so far,
The Timeline of Women in Baseball is a favorite.
Turn-of-the-Century Child, interdisciplinary social
studies lesson utilizing historic American photos of
children taken between 1900 and 1920.
The Food Timeline . Food through the ages.
[these areas overlap with those discussed on the content page]:
adaptive technology
EASI: Equal Access to Software
and Information is a site providing online resources and courses addressing
adaptability and web design to maximize access to the internet for people with
a range of physical impairments.
From a message from
RI Webmakers, Fri, 18 Jun 1999 14:24:24 -0400, cross posted
from CIT Infobits, June 1999 issue (an online education listserve)
Ê
DESIGNING WEB PAGES FOR SIGHT IMPAIRED USERS
If you are involved in making Web pages accessible for users with
sightimpairments, check out "Disabled Accessibility: The Pragmatic Approach,"
by Jakob Nielsen ("The Alertbox," June 13, 1999 issue). Nielsen includes a link
to the W3 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines1.0, the W3's prioritized list of design rules, and a very
useful checklist for Web page designers. The article is available The Alertbox:Current Issues
in Web Usability" is a biweekly column by Dr. Jakob Nielsen, of the Nielsen Norman Group. Back issues
are available on the Web at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/
Technology as a Tool for Urban Classrooms - Digest, by Gary Burnett, ERIC Clearinghouse for Urban Education.
1.
Timedance is a service that allows you
to easily schedule group meetings or conference calls,
which can be hard to organize by phone or email. Each
person in the group gets an email from you, with a
pointer to a special page you create on Timedance. There,
they check off the times when they are available, and
Timedance sends you back a report with the hours when
everyone is free.
2. Many organizations want to create mailing lists (such
as this one) to communicate with their members, as well
as discussion groups which people can join to talk abut
any issue of common interest.
http://www.listbot.com and
http://www.egroups.com enable you to do this.
3. For groups working in different locations, or even for
people sharing the same office, 'groupware' that allows
you to share documents, calendars, to-do lists and
address books can be very useful. Until recently, you
needed your own network with tools such as Lotus Notes or
Microsoft Exchange to do this, but now you can use the
Web. For three such tools, see
http://www.visto.com and
http://www.eproject.com
4. If you don't have your own computer at work or at
school, and you'd like to have a private place to store
your files, you can use In
exchange for seeing some advertising, they give you 20
Megabytes of disk space which you can access from any Web
browser.
Zoomerang is a survey clearinghouse. We do not censor the questions or
messages in the surveys or the invitations to take surveys that third
parties may propound, nor do we censor the responses you may provide. The
sender of a survey is solely responsible for the subject matter and contents
of the survey invitation and survey in which you participate, and you are
solely responsible for the contents of your response.
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