Effective+Strategies+for+Upgrading+Curricular+Elements+and+Maximizing+21st+Century+Tools+and+Technologies

Technology for the Struggling Reader: Free and Eaasily Accessible Resources is an article written by Sheri Berkeley and Jennifer H. Lindstrom. This article talks about differertent ways teacher can use technology to help students read. Some of the resources that Berkeley and Lindstrom talk about are right at teachers finger tip and are free or little cost. The one that most school already have in place is Microsoft Word that has "Readability Statisties tool" (Berkeley, S & Lindstrom, J.H. 20011). This tool tells teacher if a student will be able to read e.g a book, new paper or any other text that teachers whats a student to read. When a teacher uses this tool then he/she can differentiate a lesson to the level that a students need to be reading at. Some web sites that the article talkes about are "Bookshare at [], Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic at [] and Alternative Media Access Center at []"
 * 21st Century Technology Resources**

(Berkeley, S & Lindstrom, J.H. 20011) these three web sites are for students that need help with reading by reading out -alound text to students. The first one is a "library of audio books and textbooks and periodicals avilable in DAISY for read-aloud software programs and in Braille; read-aloud software"(Berkeley, S & Lindstrom, J.H. 20011).

The 2nd web site is another online library the differents is that it is for Mac or Windows the last one has added "assistive technology - text-to-speech, on-screen magnification, scan and read, text-to-audio with multiple software programs"

(Berkeley, S & Lindstrom, J.H. 20011). ACC- can really be useful for students; I just worked with students that have been using an ACC just like this picture the problem that I saw was that the students that were using them needed a lot of adult help to use them. The ECO2 is over 15,000 dollars and the one that I got to see today did not work right so the student that was to work with the ECO2 had no way to communicate today. If the cost was lower then I think the schools would be able to have a backup ECO2 so that when one did not work the other one could be used until the other one is fixed. This way a student would still be able to communicate.







Technology is not just for helping students with disability, but for all students. Technology should enhance learning, in Technology and Education: Expectations, not Options Dr. David D. Thornburg talks about teacher being able to pull up a video on scintific observation, or historical event (Thornburg, D.D. 2004). What if a student could look at a doctument from the Civil War? At [] students and teachers can retrive doctuments and study them. This is only one way teachers and students can use Technology to enhance their learning. For teachers that do not know a lot about technology they could do a power point like the following one.



**Teachers** - if you like dictionary.com then check this web site all you have to do is start typing and then you start seeing a list of words that you can pick from. Technology is changing everyday and so are web sites, tool bars and search engine; it is time for teachers to replace the old and bring in the new before the new is old. []

For school district that only have computers you can still can use your computers to their maximum by use this __**free**__ web site from yes our goverment. [|www.ed.gov/free] (Thornburg, D.D. 2004). students and teachers can see doctuments to lesson plans and much more to enhance teaching and learning. **No More Excuses That You Can Not Use Technology:** Here are some books that you can read that will help you with your use of technology-



**Do You Have:** camers, television, washer and dryer, watch; then you have been using technology already. Why do you use these items; because they enhance your life so why not enhance your classroom with technology?

Tabula Digita : This a DimensionU Learning System where students practice core k-12 subjects including math, literacy, science and history. Watch the short video to see it in action and see the capabilities. This 21st century tool enables students to play individually or in teams, while providing authentic opportunities to practice mathematical skills.

=__Introducing Frames 4!__= Frames is the educational software for stop-motion animation, claymation, and digital storytelling. Creating illustrated animations, movies, and digital stories engages students in the curriculum, encourages problem solving, promotes creativity, and helps students develop 21st century skills. Students can use to create movies, animated GIFs, and Flash animations to share with the world. []

=__Webquests__= Webquests are authentic, engaging creations which allow students to convey their understanding of the curriculum and display their level of mastery through creative expression. To learn more about Webquest or for complete instructions on finding and creating Webquests follow this link: [|Webquest.Org] The website QuestGarden offers step-by-step instructions on how to create a Webquest with ease; all tools needed are included!

QuestGarden To make it easier to create great WebQuests without having to master a web editor, QuestGarden was created. Step-by-step direction and examples are provided in an easy to read format. Supporting documents in Inspiration, Word, PowerPoint, etc can be attached to your WebQuest. Hosting is provided, and you can also download a zipped archive of your lesson and move it to another server. Archived WebQuests created by other members can be easily modified for your purpose, so no more starting from scratch! You can find more information and enter the site here. The cost is only twenty dollars for a 2-year subscription, and a 30-day free trial is offered.

If you would like a quick overview of the design process visit : [|Design Process Organizer] For additional information, templates, and publishing tools visit: [|Additional Resources]

There are many other options to make creating Webquests simple. Listed below are just a sampling of available tools:

Other Online Webquest Authoring Systems

 * ~ Site ||~ Description ||
 * ~ Filamentality || Filamentality is a fill-in-the-blank tool that guides you through picking a topic, searching the Internet, gathering good Internet links, and turning them into online learning activities. Support is built-in along the way through Mentality Tips. In the end, you'll create a web-based activity you can share with others even if you don't know anything about HTML or serving web pages. Cost: Free. Sample Product: Italian Unification ||
 * ~ zWebQuest || A completely free site! Templates are provided, tools are easily accessed, unlimited Google and YouTube videos can be quickly attached, and you can preview before publishing! The site currently has over 100,000 users which speaks volumes. ||
 * ~ Colonial America || This is a teacher created Webquest easily navigated by first grade students! ||
 * ~  || You have got to be excited by now! Get moving and create your own Webquest!﻿ ||

=__ Interactive Websites for Computers __= Although technology is quickly advancing, there are still many engaging websites that can add value to your classroom with the simple use of computer navigation. Most students are computer savvy and can be persuaded to read and revisit math skills if given the opportunity to maneuver the computer. The following links allow students to read books such as The Wimpy Kid online and practice various math skills while being fully engaged in the learning process. [|funbrain] [|Math playground] [] [|Cool math games] [|Teacher Tools] [|Story books for Primary] [|Primary Reading Fun]

**__Docs Teach__**
Docs Teach is an interactive website that students and teachers can use to explore documents in the National Archives. There are areas students can explore like primary sources and there are interactive games that students can play that teachers create! It brings history alive! This site would be a great resource for any Social Studies teacher K-12. [|http://docsteach.org]