Kahoot!

Kahoot! is a new way of learning. It is a "game-based learning platform" that's fun and engaging. Users can create quizzes or learning games to share and play with each other. This site can be used by teaches as a way to introduce technology in the classroom. This way of learning excites students and holds their attention. After launching in 2013, this site has made learning more fun and engaging for those who use it. When I first played a Kahoot!, I remember being much more engaged and interested in what was being taught. That's what Kahoot! is all about. They combine what kids like most - playing, with learning, and it actually works! The company is all about engagement. Instead of the traditional classroom setting, Kahoot! wants classrooms to involve every student and encourage connecting with each other. Since 2013, more than 2 billion players have played on the platform. and still going strong. It's grown to become a very popular platform that many all over the world use.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a website that has it all! From practice exercises to instructional videos, this site has many great tools to help with student learning. When I first went onto the Khan Academy website, I was blown away with all it had to offer. It has multiple subjects and grades for users to select to work on a specific area of learning. They have different categories for the subjects; Math, Science & Engineering, Computing, Arts & Humanities, Economics & Finance, and Test Prep. The Test Prep category is something I found very unique. The website offers practice for tests such as the SAT and MCAT all online. Millions of students all over the world use Khan Academy every single day! It's well-known and well-trusted. 

Codecademy is a website that teaches you how to code. You can join for free and have access to what they label skill building or you can go Pro for $19.99 a month and chose a career path that will give you a more in depth line of courses. When you first sign up you can explore on your own or you can chose to be guided. when you are guided they will ask you four questions to get an idea of why you came to be on the website. The first question they ask is "What brought you here?". Then they ask "What topic are you interested in?", "What is your learning pace?", and "How do you plan on using Codecademy?". Once you have finished answering those questions you will be giving the courses that they feel like will best help you achieve your perceived goals by the answers that you have giving for the questionnaire. To keep it simple for a beginner you can start of with the course Welcome to Codecademy! This course will teach you how to code starting with the simplest codes. If you like the coding experience I would suggest going Pro. This could be very expensive for one classroom so I would suggest having your school pay for it.  Happy Coding!

Highlights Kids

Highlights Kids is an online learning platform which is the counterpart to the Highlights magazine. This website features writing and reading based scientific yet artistic activities. Children are able to browse more than 45 science experiments, recipes, and instructions for more than 40 craft projects. Children are also able to access more than a dozen online art activities and view videos of other kids telling jokes. There are word searches, hidden pictures and other games available on Highlights Kids. A cool feature that kids are able to use is to be able to submit content of their own such as jokes and drawings to be featured in the print magazine.

The abundance of activities that Highlights Kids has to offer helps to keep children occupied while also providing an educational component. Some of the virtual art projects allow kids to create funny faces out of food and customize buildings. The science experiments provided offer great explanations on concepts such as gravity, how visions works, and much more. Kids do not need a subscription to Highlights' print magazine in order enjoy the online platform.

Digital Passport

Provided by Common Sense, Digital Passport is a way to allow elementary students to have them learn the fundamentals of becoming a digital native while doing so ethically.  In reality anyone could use it, but it is geared towards youngsters that are new to using computers for educational purposes.  The website has different games to play like Password Protect which teaches students how to come up with a proper password without their password being: PASSWORD or ABC123. Twalkers teaches the students about multitasking, Share Jumper teaches about privacy, and MIx-n-Mash teaches about creative credit.  Although this website is free, it does accept donations. There is also a downloadable pdf for educators to help assist them with how to use all of the tools mentions and explains the importance of each of these compartments.  Overall, this is a great tool for any young child new to computer technology become more comfortable and aware of their digital footprint.

ABCmouse.com

ABCmouse.com is an "award winning early learning academy". The website is tailored to kids ages 2 through 8. This site allows young kids to be able to access an entire curriculum. According to the website, ABCmouse offers over 850 lessons and more than 8,000 learning activities. This site is a great tool for parents to use at home with their kids for extra practice or use as a tool to teach them new things.

The site is divided into different categories depending on the subject. There's Reading, Math, World Around Us, Art & Colors, Music & Songs, Library, Puzzles, and Games. After clicking on the category, the user will be directed straight to numerous lessons and learning activities. Children have access to thousands of activities that include things like reading books, playing games, watching videos, painting pictures, and learning songs all while learning useful information at the same time.

A cool feature ABCmouse has is something called "My Learning Path". This is a step-by-step path that guides children from one activity to the next. The site arranges all the activities into a simple curriculum made by teachers and learning experts. What I like most about this website is that even though children will be playing games, each individual games is a carefully designed learning experience.

Assistive Technology for Visually Impaired Students

     Having interacted with two blind students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, I wanted to learn more about how they navigated a sighted world without asking intrusive questions.  Therefore, I researched the matter, and while much of the assistance offered to them is "low tech" in the form of audio recordings of lectures and the use of other students as readers, some exciting technology exists that can really "speed up" the intake of information.  For example, a Braille printer can help individuals completely devoid of sight, but the price tag is rather shocking (prices range from $1,800 to $80,000 for a high volume machine).  A graduate student at Vanderbilt explained how frustrating it is to lag behind her fellow students in completing assignments, at the mercy of various devices, and how technology like screen readers with speech or voiceover for her laptop, iPad, and iPhone level the playing field considerably.  I appreciated the way she further explained that all students have goals, and visually impaired students want to exercise the greatest amount of independence possible, and these superior devices allow them to do just that.  I think that this type of technology is a worthy investment for educational communities like universities in order to ensure that these students succeed.
     Another interesting point the website raised was the issue of advocacy.  The problem with allocating funds for this technology is that there are relatively few students on campus who are visually impaired.  Nevertheless, I think that an argument could be made that this technology allows them to compete with their peers.  I think that these students and their families should speak to the administration and ask that they make specific requests of their most generous donors for this technology; these individuals may not even be aware that such a need exists.  I recently saw a blind student almost run into a chair; we should all be more sensitive to the challenges others face and join them in asking for help that will make them enjoy their college experience even more fully.
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