3.a.2

Google Reader is another type of technology that will be very useful in my career field. In week 9, I subscribed to five subscriptions through Google Reader, all ones that are related to elementary education. The RSS feeds I subscribed to are called “The Elementary Art Room, Teach it with Class, smART Class, Kids & Glitter, and Mom How To’s” (Belsha9). All these feeds talked about creative lesson plans, crafts, and many other great ideas that I could use in a future classroom. One feed that I found very beneficial, called smART Class, had multiple pictures to go with every idea stated, as well as a detailed description on how to complete the activity or art project. An art project I saw on the feed that sparked my interest (I actually remembered doing in my own 2^nd grade class) was called “finish the picture drawings”. In this art project, the student starts off with a magazine picture clipping and then they draw/ color the missing piece of the picture. This is one example of how the RSS feeds can benefit my future career. They provide many useful tips and ideas for teachers to share with one another. Also, the RSS feeds have a wide range of topics, so it is nearly guaranteed that you can find any topic in the feeds that you want to access.

3.a.1

I will most definitely use a wide variety of the technologies (I have already discussed in this blog) in my profession of being an elementary teacher. In week 8 of my technology class I created a Prezi and my information was based off of the article “International Experiences with Technology in Education: Final Report,” by Marianne Bakia, Robert Murphy, Kea Anderson, and Gucci Estrella Trinidad. My entire presentation summarized key points from the article and how the article relates to education. I said, “The article gives meaningful information about how to incorporate technology in your daily life” (Belsha, slide 10). Originally in the Prezi I had a slide reflecting on how I will use Prezi in my profession, saying “I will use Prezi for presentations during conferences or even for my future boss. I could also use it for class lessons to provide students with a visual organizer” (Belsha, slide 12). I still have the same thoughts in what I believe Prezi can offer to my future career, although, I would add onto this comment saying that Prezi can even be a great tool to collaborate with other teachers and maybe even to share class projects and activities with parents. Prezi is very useful in helping unite people and provides a fun and creative way to represent information. I personally find Prezi presentations more exciting and pleasing to the eye than the classic Microsoft PowerPoint or even a presentation without any means of visual support. 

Reflection for Google Reader

My final reflection is on Google Reader. This program is useful and marketable for a variety of people, making it meet the principle of equitable use. It provides the same means of use for all users and settings. It can also be changed to be more or less private and secure. This type of technology is flexible in use since it provides a design that accommodates to a lot of different people. For instance, people in the business setting, teachers, students, moms and dads, and even just the average person that might want to gain ideas from different RSS feeds and can subscribe to the different feeds through Google Reader. For instance, with me wanting to become an elementary teacher I subscribed to the feeds called, “kids and glitter, smart class, and teach it with class” all pages that have given me some helpful ideas for my future classrooms. The Google Reader is very easy to follow, making it designed as simple and intuitive. There is a “search reader” on the top of the homepage helping aid someone in need of searching for a specific article to help them out. Google Reader does not meet the principle of perceptible information since it lacks differentiated elements, adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings, and does not provide the different modes. This software also lacks the design of tolerance for error and does not provide a feature for avoiding errors. This technology is made with a low physical effort design, though, since it is easy to look up needed RSS feeds and articles you urge to acquire. It is much more simpler than having to look information up in books. Google Reader also does nothing to support the principle of size and space for approach and use since it does not require accommodations for contrasting user’s needs. 

Reflection for Microsoft PowerPoint

            My next reflection is on Microsoft PowerPoint. This technology is equitable in use since it can be used for a variety of reasons. It can be used for presentations for lesson plans, speeches, projects, a visual representation, portfolios, and much more. PowerPoint meets the flexibility in use principle since it provides a variety of choices with contrasting themes of PowerPoints. Each theme has a different set of designated color options or sometimes even graphics. It also gives you a choice of which style of slides you want to add each time, like a title slide, comparison slide, picture with caption, blank, etc. I believe the design is simple and intuitive since it provides an easy design to follow, with visible tools to help assist you in creating your presentation. The tools are overall self explanatory, but if you have trouble finding a tool, you can search for it in the toolbar the software provides. The method does not provide much perceptible information, though. There are not many different modes, from pictorial, verbal, and tactile and does not provide special devices for those with sensory limitations. This software does provide the tolerance for error principle with the editing technique called “undo” that helps avoid unneeded errors. The software is designed to be of little maintenance for making a simple presentation, making Microsoft PowerPoint t0 be of a low physical effort design. This technology is computer-based and therefore does not meet the principle of size and space for approach and use. There are no accommodations provided in this software for the physical needs of people with disabilities or special needs. 

Reflection for EasyBib

            My next reflection is on the bibliography tool called EasyBib. This tool is equitable in use since it provides the same means of use for all users. It can provide citations for a variety of sources, including: websites, books, newspapers, journals, other databases, etc. (EasyBib.com). EasyBib is also flexible in use since it provides citations for all the sources I noted above; although, it is somewhat not flexible in use since it is a website that is limited and that is only for providing citations or bibliographies. It also does not provide a lot of adaptability for the user’s pace. It does meet the simple and intuitive design principle since EasyBib is so simple to use, hence the name! You just have to enter some of the basic information it needs from your source and then generates it into a citation or bibliography. It can also do this in different forms, including APA, MLA, or Chicago. The information is consistent, as well. It also meets the principle of perceptible information since the homepage of the website has tabs that are labeled clearly and helps the user differentiate the needs they have. Unfortunately, this website does not have the design of tolerance for error. It does not have any key features that help minimize hazards and errors. EasyBib does provide the principle of low physical effort, though. The design of the website can be used without much needed effort since it does a lot of the work in generating the citations or bibliographies for you. All the work you have to do is the easy part, to put in any information necessary for the citations or bibliographies. This technology does not meet the principle of size and space for approach and use, due to the fact that is does not require any accommodations to those who need it, like those who are disabled physically or even mentally. 

Reflection on Microsoft Excel

            My next reflection is on Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet-software. Excel is very useful to a variety of different types of people, making it meet the principle of equitable use. For example, Excel can be useful to teachers, students, business workers, moms and dads on a budget, etc.  Excel also has a wide range of flexibility in use, with its range of templates, tools, and uses. For instance, Excel can create simple spreadsheets, graphs, tables and can also generate percentages, formulas, and insert SmartArt. The rows and columns also are re-sizable for whatever the users wanted size is. Excel also has simple and intuitive use since the design is easy to use and simple to understand. There is also a “review” tool option to provide effective feedback after task completion. Excel also meets the perceptible information design, due to its use of different modes (pictorial and printed). The tolerance for error principle is also used in Excel since it has an edit tool, called “undo”.  Excel also has a low physical effort, meaning it is not too difficult to use and does not require much effort to understand. It provides an easy tool to click on to save the document, can easily differentiate columns with multiple colors, and can even transform written information into a graph or table form (with the push of only a couple keys). This type of technology does not meet the size and space approach and use design since it does not require any additional components (in a physical way) to accommodate to a user’s body size, posture, mobility, etc.