Assistive Technology Resource Guide - Secondary Environmental Sc

Science notebooks are used in many science classrooms for students to record lab procedures, data collections, observations, thoughts and reflections. Digital science notebooks are useful for students that cannot manipulate a writing tool, have visual impairments or require the additional benefits of using a laptop or e-tablet. Using Google Applications, like Docs, Image and Spreadsheet, students can view and complete the same assignments on web-based technology as students using hard copy handouts. Digital notebooks are a bit time consuming to set-up, but have many benefits over hard copy science notebooks. Students can easily link to websites, graphing or calculating tools, share data with classmates, take photos and incorportate all this into their notebook. FREE USING GOOGLE APPS

Online source for students to create graphs using their data; bar, pie, line, area graphs. All graphing tools are user friendly and the program allows students to explore their data by visualizing it in different graphs. Students are able to choose the graph that makes sense for their particular data set, by editing colors, positions and shapes as wel as graph type. FREE

Theses 3D models of water molecules are hand held manipulatives that are color coded and magnetized to show students their positive and negative charges. Students can create models depicting ice, water vapor, transpiration and dissolution of salt. Any student with visual or hearing impairments will find these models easy to use and understand. Each cup contains enough materials to make 12 water molecules. COST IS $44/CUP

Erasable highlighters are a must-have item for all students using school or library owned textbooks. They are helpful to have in various colors, so students can assign meanings to each color. Yellow could signify follow up questions, orange for finding additional information and green for important details to know. COST IS $4.00 FOR A 5/PACK OF ASSORTED COLORS

An iPad app that can be used by students to take notes during, create outlines while reading or jotting down thoughts. This resource is useful for older students that are no longer provided with graphic organizers, but still struggle with reading comprehension or organizing thoughts. The app is compatible with MS OneNote and DropBox for sharing or storage. Users can add images or text, highlight text, type or draw using a finger. COST IS $14.99 FROM ITUNES

An online resource developed by the Discovery Channel that solves math problems from simple conversions to Calculus derivatives. It doesn't only give the answer, it outlines each step to get to that answer. There are useful graphics and extra information about the calculation. It is a helpful tool for some students, but not meant to instruct. FREE

Socrative is an web-based tool for questioning students. Teachers can create their own exit tickets, games, quizzes or surveys. This resources gives the teacher greater flexibility and features than PollEverywhere. All students with a laptop, e-tablet or smartphone (internet access) can participate and receive instant feedback as they answer each question. Student responses are input into an Excel spreadsheet and emailed to the teacher. This informs teachers if the students are ready to move on, or need more instruction and practice regarding the topic. COST IS FREE FOR UP TO 50 STUDENT USERS

EDU-YouTube is website for viewing and sharing educational videos; most are provided by universities. Videos are submitted and used for educational purposes so they are student-friendly and appropriate. Some very interesting tutorials with helpful features for teachers, like saving videos into collections and embedding into emails or programs for students. FREE

Author stream is an online resource for sharing PowerPoint presentations. Teachers are able to post their classroom presentations along with a recording with transcript of the class lecture, which is useful for students who are absent or wish to review the material in the evening or before an exam. PowerPoints can be shared with others so educators and students can post their presentations as a jigsaw activity and viewed for homework, where they can be paused and reviewed. LOGIN IS FREE

This microscope, called the Amoeba, is perfect for field study because it is portable and lightweight. The images can be viewed through the eyepiece or projected to a screen or computer by using the USB cable. The large knobs and two-way focusing are easy to use and the tube can be removed from the stand for looking at stationary or large objects. With these features, the microscope is suitable for students that struggle with fine motor skills and visual impairments. COST IS $89.95 http://www.celestron.com/science_education/amoeba-dual-purpose-digital-microscope-blue.html

The Pathways Tool is a graphic organizer that was developed to help science students think about the input and output of a given system. It can be used in many different topics, with the center bock signifying the present time. For example

The ArcGIS online software gives students and teachers access to a simple, user friendly, online version of the GIS software used by professionals. There are many built-in data layers, like roads, topography, aerial satellite imagery and bodies of water. Most GIS data is free public information that can be downloaded from government and university websites. The website's use for education is expanding, as they have partnered with National Geographic and the MD Association of Outdoor & Environmental Educators to share and create data for classroom use. Students can make maps of a field trip site or look at the tree cover over their school. Completely interactive for students and customizable by the teacher to set up class maps or activities. Online tutorials (free) are available and maybe necessary for teachers with no GIS experience. 30-DAY TRIAL IS FREE. BALTIMORE COUNTY HAS SOFTWARE LICENSE. I am unsure of what the cost is, but I'm sure it is a lot.

Co Writer is a predictive text software program that assists students in writing COST $290 FOR 1-4 COMPUTERS, $1,999 FOR SCHOOL LICENSE. ADDITIONAL DICTIONARIES ARE FREE

Leafsnap is an iPad or iPhone app that identifies a plant based on your photograph of the leaf. This is a wonderful resource for students and teachers trying to identify plants while outside because it has all the information of many field guide books in one mobile tool. Once you take the photo of your leaf, the app gives you lots of information about the plant (or a list of possible matches) along with detailed photos of the plant's fruit, bark, flowers, seeds etc. Students can also explore the database of plant photos and information on the leafsnap website. FREE DOWNLOAD

This website lets you create comic strips that are fully customizable and could be used by teachers and students. Students can make cartons, books and doodles and even create their own characters to put in the cartoons. They could be used in classrooms to create social stories, visual schedules or other visual aids or student projects. FREE or $12/YEAR for your own homepage and added control

StudyBlue is a free, web-based service that allows students or teachers to create flashcards using words, images or audio. The flashcards can be accessed by a smart phone, computer or WiFi electronic device. Teachers can create them and share with the class, which can then be modified by a student. Some features included tracking your progress and grouping the cards in set levels of difficulty or topics. All flashcards can be saved in your "backpack". FREE