#7 Haha!!! I Know How to Use This Blog in my Class!!!!

• According to the Adaptive Tech  podcast, adaptive or assistive technologies are those that help people with disabilities more effectively use computing equipment. It goes on to list out ways that people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities can use adaptive technologies such as voice recognition software instead of typing, use text-to-speech software that will read the text to them, talking spelling checkers, speech recognition software, and computer based organizers that help keep students's assignments organized. According to the book, word prediction software can be used to assist students who are phisically impaired by reducing the number of keystrokes it takes to express a thought. Students can use alternative keyboards such as expanded keyboards, one-handed keyboards, and on-screen keyboards. The students can use these to make it easier to type. I personally have used a voice recognition software called Dragon Dictation to write out my papers because it took hours to type out my paper whereas I could say it in about 5 minutes. As a future special needs teacher, I assume that I will be using many different types of adaptive technology in my classroom to help my students learn the best that they can. I think that, as our society becomes more digitalized, there will need to be more assistive technologies that will help those with special needs so that they can learn too.
• Doing the Web Page Design assignment, I learned how to make a properly functioning website that other people can see. I liked the design aspect of the project but I did not like the fact that I couldn't make that website perfect in how I wanted it to look. I think that the forum of Weebly is great, once you truly learn how to use it. I can definately cleanliness as to how everything comes together and is overall presented. In my future career, I could see myself using a similar if not the same program to make a class website.

• In using Diigo these past few weeks, I have learned that we can annotate websites, create a list of resources, obtain a professional network where I can get new resources from other instructors, and how to organize my websites so that I know where things are when I need them. In my classroom, I can annotate websites on the board as we are going over the article. I will also be able to share new documents/websites with my collegues and other professionals.