PLN- Twitter

A PLN or Personal Learning Network is a system that allows for teachers and anyone else to connect through one network. This is extremely helpful for teachers because lesson plans, struggles, and idea's can be shared easily with one another through one website. I chose to research Twitter because I already have a Twitter account, which would allow me easy access to teachers and teaching programs from around the world without the hassel of registering for another cite.

Twitter is a PLN that connects people from around the world. Anyone can create a Twitter account, therefore it is important to also realize that information gotten from Twitter can be tampered with or untrue. This being said, Twitter has several different "groups" within their cite for teachers. One of the "groups" that is my favorite is PBSteachers. PBSteachers is a group that updates the cite with new teaching idea's, studies and other important information that can benefit a teacher and their classroom. I think that Twitter in particular will allow me to constantly update my teaching styles to better fit my students.

Another teaching 'group' Twitter offers is innovativeteach. This group posts links about different technology uses within teaching. This group could be extremely helpful in allowing me to find the newest uses of technology and apply them in my classroom. Technology is constantly changing and bettering and the more I understand about new technologies the better I will be at teaching my students.

Ease of Access

There are several helpful tools within each window's system that helps students with disabilities to have technology make their work easier. Three of the tools that I researched included, Onscreen Keyboard, Magnifier, and blocking of background images.

The Onscreen Keyboard is an interesting tool that allows for a student who may not have all the movement within their fingers to use their mouse and type what they want to say into the keyboard shown on their screen. This tool could be extremely helpful for students with physical disabilities that may not be able to push buttons or move all of their fingers. I believe that this tool would also be useful within my classroom because I plan on teaching very young children who may not understand or know how to type yet. Those students that may not be as strong with their typing skills, by using this tool will still be able to participate in typing activities without being left behind. This being said it is also important to teach those children how to type, but this allows them to finish projects quicker and remain on course with the rest of the class.

The ability to block the backgrounds on a screen would be extremely helpful for students with ADD or ADHD. These students have difficulties concentrating on one task at a time. This tool will allow for students to limit the amount of visual stimuli the encounter while on the computer. By limiting the amount of information that distracts them they will concentrate more on the tasks they are assigned and less on their backgrounds. I would also use this within my classroom as a means to make my entire class concentrate. Young children usually cannot sit still as long as older children and they get distracted easier. This will help me control the amount of distractions my students encounter on their computers.

My Bean Plants Growth Journal (Artifact Proposal #3)

Measurement #1:
The first plant shown in the picture above is from the first week of the project. This plant was measured at 2.5 inches. Some of the changes that our group saw as the plant grew to be 2.5 inches were the growth of leaves and a stem. The seed that we started with was only a bean. It was measured at .5 inches. This means the plant grew 2 inches in 2 weeks. We predict that the next time we measure the plant it will have grown 2 more inches.

Measurement #2:
The second plant in the above picture is from the second week of the experiment. When measured the plant was 4 inches tall. Some of the observations we noticed were a third leaf grew and the plant became too heavy to support itself so a stake was added to support the plant. Our group predicts that the plant will only grow another inch by the next measurement time.

Measurement #3:
The third plant in the above picture is from the third week of the experiment. When measured the plant was 7 inches tall. Some of the observations that our group noticed were several more leaves grew on the plant, all at different spots on the stem. Our group predicts that the final measurement of the plant will be at 11 inches.

Measurement #4:
The fourth plant in the above picture is from the fourth and final week of the experiment. When measured the plant was 13 inches. Our observations were the leaves grew larger than they were before and there are still more leaves being grown along the stem. Many times our hypothesis' were wrong which shows that sometimes the growth of a plant cannot be guessed about.

My Bean Plants Growth Journal (Artifact Proposal #3)

Measurement #1:
The first plant shown in the picture above is from the first two weeks of the project. This plant was measured at 2.5 inches. Some of the changes that our group saw as the plant grew to be 2.5 inches were the growth of leaves and a stem. The seed that we started with was only a bean. It was measured at .5 inches. This means the plant grew 2 inches in 2 weeks. We predict that the next time we measure the plant it will have grown 2 more inches.

Measurement #2:
The second plant in the above picture is from the fourth week of the experiment. When measured the plant was 4 inches tall. Some of the observations we noticed were a third leaf grew and the plant became too heavy to support itself so a stake was added to support the plant. Our group predicts that the plant will only grow another inch by the next measurement time.

Measurement #3:
The third plant in the above picture is from the sixth week of the experiment. When measured the plant was 7 inches tall. Some of the observations that our group noticed were several more leaves grew on the plant, all at different spots on the stem. Our group predicts that the final measurement of the plant will be at 11 inches.

Measurement #4:
The fourth plant in the above picture is from the eighth and final week of the experiment. When measured the plant was 13 inches. Our observations were the leaves grew larger than they were before and there are still more leaves being grown along the stem. Many times our hypothesis' were wrong which shows that sometimes the growth of a plant cannot be guessed about.