Listening to Re’s presentation and learning about assistive technologies made me realize how small things can really increase inclusivity. As someone who does not struggle with any sort of disability, I find myself taking for granted many things, such as PowerPoints from professors. It is important to make sure your class material is accessible and usable for everyone. This means taking the extra steps to make sure someone who may use a screen reader can use it. One example is including alt text and another example is making sure you are not using scanned documents that screen readers cannot read. I have also included alt text on my assignment 5 PowerPoint navigation buttons to make it accessible for everyone!
As I have stated before, I do not like Diigo. However, I can see how this application can be useful in my classroom and other professional efforts. I have learned how to share websites, annotate those website, and reply to others. This would be useful for class activities, especially when learning about finding key details in stories and taking notes. The students would be able to share amongst each other to see how their peers are doing it or what they found important. Similarly, teachers can share helpful websites with each other for various things such as teaching techniques, activity ideas, and professional development.
One site that you could use to stay informed of technology trends in education is the blog Free Technology for Teachers. This blog is written by Richard Byrne and he is a high school computer science teacher. He also has experience in helping teachers across the globe utilize technology in the classroom. On his blog, he not only shares different educational technologies, but also provides links to tutorials. Along with new trends, he also includes how to make older trends more effective and relevant.
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