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Chapter 3 |
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On the Web! Activities |
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Printers are often the behind-the-scenes workhorses of computer technology. The myriad uses to which they are put in carrying out lessons is an indispensable but "always the bridegroom" role. Seeing in print what one has accomplished has great rewards for the author in any walk of life. Ross has developmental delay associated with Down syndrome. He is a sophomore at San Pedro High School. His reading level is first grade, but he finds satisfaction working with Print Shop Deluxe printing out posters, calendars, and cards. The clip art never fails to engage his undivided attention. A project devised by his teacher gave Ross the task to use one period per day to run an in-school "business" producing flyers for others in the school community. After punching a time card, Ross practices many on-the-job skills as he creates flyers to attend club meetings, sporting events, testing dates, and more. His teacher made an easy-to-read form which others in the school fill out with key information — how many copies? What color paper? What information and graphics to include? When is it needed?
With the help of his peer tutor, Ross is ready to tackle orders for flyers that have come in. He has learned how to run PrintShop. Clicking on TextHelp's Read-and-Write, he listens to the text he enters as he copies the flyer information sent to him. Now, he is ready to check his work, with a talk checker, add graphics, and save the document. All leads up to the actual printing of the document which awaits only the stamp of approval from his teacher. Ross has earned the gratitude of the students and teachers who requested the flyers and made himself an appreciated member of the high school community.
Diane Barfield (2003) calls attention to the fact that one of the best benefits of any technology is the quality of work produced by students of all ability levels. Publishing programs help students produce newsletters, brochures, flyers, greeting cards, and other projects that look as if they were printed professionally. Students who have trouble with neatness for any reason enjoy this added benefit. The same options used for visually impaired students like color schemes and sizes of icons can make the computer more enjoyable for all the students.
Activity:
Search online lesson plans for creative ideas that use printers in teaching and learning. In a group with two or three of your classmates, combine the ideas that you have found to create a "Bright Ideas” handout for new teachers that shares innovative uses of printers. Share your handout with the class.
Want to know more? Check out these sites:
http://edhelper.compuzzles.htm
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/links/artgames.html
http://schooldiscovery.com/schrockguide/gadgets.html
http://www.learningplanet.com/index.asp
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