How to turn on text or visual cues in place of sound

The purpose of this blogpost is to show you how to turn on text and/or visual cues in place of sound on your computer. But this post is specific only to Microsoft Windows Vista users. In order to get to the menu to make these changes possible, follow the steps below.

Open the "Start" menu > click on "Control Panel" > click on "Ease of Access" > click on "Replace sounds with visual cues" and the menu that allows you to turn these options on should be right in front of you

The option on the menu that says "Turn on visual notifications for sounds" allows you to select 1 of 3 options that acts as a visual warning. To test this out, I chose the "Flash Active Window" option and when I would click on the forward or backward arrows on the "Easy Access" menu, the window you were leaving would flash a different color.

Make the mouse pointer on your computers easier to see and use

The purpose of this blog post is to show Microsoft Windows Vista users how to make the computer cursor easier to see and use. You can change the color and size of the mouse, how you control the mouse and even make it easier to switch between open windows. In order to get into the menu to make this possible, follow the steps below.

Open the "Start" menu > click on "Control Panel" > click on "Ease of Access" > click on "Change how your mouse works" and all of the above options I talked about should be on the screen in front of you.

The benefit of this application on the computer makes it easier for individuals with minor to mild visual impairments to navigate around their computer screens. It also makes it easier for them to see where their cursor is on the screen. Users can even direct their mouse using their keyboard if they have a physical impairment with their hands.

Science/Math Module

Part I: About the Station

Station 7 - Position, Velocity and Acceleration
Group Members - Ashley Bryan, Chris Pfledderer, Jacob Koressel
What our station was/What our group did - We worked to create a Lego car and three different tracks of varying angles to run it down. We used a Go!Motion sensor and the Logger Lite Software to track the speed at which the car was moving down the ramps, while graphing the data using a computer. The purpose of the activity was to experience object position, velocity and acceleration in a hands-on manner and see how the different angles of the ramp affected the speed of the car.
My individual role - I contributed my ideas as to how the tracks might be set up in order to make this module successful. I also helped run the car down the ramps.

Here is a picture of the car we used for our module. And no, that is not supposed to be a gun! It is supposed to be a drill.

Gaggle

Gaggle is an email resource that teachers can use to correspond with their students. Teachers are able to control what is written to each other by their students, as well as who is allowed to correspond with them. Messages students try to send with inappropriate words are automatically sent to the teacher’s account. Students can even upload their homework on Gaggle, using what they call a “Digital Locker”, and can choose to make it public or private. There are also message boards and chat rooms available at different levels, from school wide to Gaggle wide. But teachers are able to control how much access their students have to all of these. The message boards and chat rooms are a great place for teachers and their students to discuss homework or review for upcoming quizzes and tests. Video conferencing, an online calendar, blogging, polling tools, pod-casting tools and a student Wikipedia system are among other things that Gaggle has to offer. Gaggle is a more efficient way for students and teachers to communicate with each other. It is not like a normal email application where you type in a message and attach a picture or file here and there. The extra features mentioned above make it more advanced and an easy way for students to collaborate on group projects. Who knew email could be so cool?! Click on the picture above to be directed to the Gaggle website to learn more about it!

Plurk: Twitter in the classroom

Plurk is a social networking site that allows its users to post short descriptions of what they are doing at any time of the day. (So basically, it's another Twitter). Users can add a new post either by logging onto the website or via text message or an instant message. When you add friends to your list, they will be able to see all of your posts and can comment back on them. Plurk is a convenient and efficient way for teachers and students to communicate quickly with each other, because we all know that students don't like to wait for long periods of time for a response from their teacher to important questions. Plurk can also enhance the way a student learns because teachers can post videos, pictures and links for homework and post instructions and/or questions about what they are to do. This also allows the students to then discuss the questions and instructions with each other and share their thoughts and opinions. It would be important for me as a future teacher to make sure students aren't distracted with using Plurk during class for other things that don't pertain to my class. Click on the picture above to go to the Plurk website and learn more about it!

Edmodo

Edmodo is a social networking site where students can communicate with their teachers, as well as other students. Teachers can even be connected to other teachers inside their own school and even outside of their school. Edomodo enables message sending, there is a digital calendar where the teacher can post homework deadlines and things that will be happening in the classroom on a particular day and there it even has its own gradebook where the teacher can grade and comment on homework the students submitted. Files, links, polls, pictures and videos can also be posted to share amongst classmates and teachers.

I think this would be an effective and efficient learning tool to use in the classroom because it assists students during their learning processes. Yes, students can look up things like pictures and links on their own but with the aid of Edmodo, it makes it possible for them to be able collaborate and share their ideas and information with each other. It also makes it easier for the teacher to monitor their students' progress on assignments and give them feedback quickly and easily. Click on the picture above to be directed to the Edmodo website to learn more about this tool!

Content Exploration Tool: Google Sky

Google Sky is an interactive tool that allows you to look at numerous objects in the sky and space with just one click. One can view pictures of galaxies and other objects in space taken by the Hubble Telescope, various constellations and there are even Podcasts that discuss topics about planets, galaxies and stars. Some of the pictures even have an information bubble that discusses what is in the picture. This exploration tool enhances students' learning because it allows them to explore things in space that their students will probably never get to experience otherwise.