Cashatt's Corner (761 & 794)

  The a daptive technology resource I want to introduce to you this week is called GrackleDocs . It’s an add-on that runs in Google Docs and checks document s for accessibility issues. You can download it straight from the Google marketplace here .     Once a Google Doc is open, click on the heading “Extensions” and Grackle Docs should appear in the add-on list.    Grackle Docs analyzes access in several key categories: document, images, headings, tables, landmarks and content. It check s for things such as alt-text for images , proper headings and text alignment , and brevity of paragraphs , just to name a few . Once the add-on is opened, it will appear as a sidebar on the right side of the screen. Under each categor y is a list of items, preceded by an “x” or a check mark . Items with an “x” need to be corrected for accessibility purposes. The user can click on each problematic item from the list, locate it within the document, and correct it ba...

You might be wondering, as I did, what are 3D pens?  A 3D pen is essentially a handheld version of a 3D printer. It allows the user to draw and create three dimensional objects with plastic. The biggest difference between a pen and a printer is that with the pen, the user guides the printing, instead of a computer. I t takes up less space than a 3D printer and is generally more cost effective.   There are so many ways these can be used for learning! Here are a few examples, guided by phases from the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) , developed by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology.   1. Solar System - At the Active Adoption stage, the  teacher guides students in using the 3D pen to creat e 2D sketches of some planets . Through Construction Adaptation, the students begin using the 3D pen independently to create sketches of the remaining components of the solar system. They arrange their sketches and label them to create a n accurate diagram. The sam...