Ergonomics

So, after going through this blog I realized that I never posted about my ergonomics self-assessment. Needless to say, I have a horrible computer setup, with equally awful ergonomic habits. Using the guide and checklist from Cornell University, found at:
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/ErgoTips2002/home.html

I assessed my workstation with some of the following results.

CHAIR: My chair is wooden and not adjustable in terms of height, or ability to recline. I am very low while my desk and keyboard are very high. The chair does not allow me to use proper form when I am typing. To get comfortable, I tend to sit with one leg underneath the rest of my body rather than with my feet flat on the floor. Also, armrests would be beneficial so I could rest my arms in a comfortable and ergo-friendly position while typing. I like some of the chairs found at http://www.askergoworks.com/category/41/Ergonomic+Chairs.aspx

KEYBOARD: I use a laptop, so I cannot move my keyboard away from my screen, as is suggested. My laptop usually sits on my desk, and I tilt my wrists and arms up to type rather than typing with my arms parallel to my thighs. One product that I found that would allow me to adjust the position and height of my laptop rather than my desk, is this Ergo T340 adjustable laptop workstation: http://www.askergoworks.com/products/1293/Ergo-T340-Adjustable-Laptop-Workstation.aspx. Another advantage is that this product comes with a built-in document holder. An additional problem with my keyboard is that the little bones in my wrists start to hurt after I type for long periods of time. I thought some palm pads like the ones found here http://www.askergoworks.com/products/326/Notebook-Palm-Pads.aspx might help.

MOUSE: In considering placement of the mouse, the Cornell website suggests placing the mouse on the side of the hand that is most comfortable to you. Because I use a laptop, I prefer not to connect an external mouse. Rather, I have become accustomed to using the mouse pad on the computer itself. This is in the middle of the keyboard, so when I use it, my hands are not in a relaxed position to the side. What is beneficial though, is that on my new Mac I do not have to click and scroll at the same time. Rather, I can use two fingers to scroll up and down, and from side to side. However, I would not mind using a roller-ball mouse like the ones here: http://www.askergoworks.com/products/986/Logitech-Marble-Mouse-Trackball.aspx

WORKSTATION: I had never really considered other items in my workspace, or my phone. I use my cell phone, and always have it within easy reach, consistent with the recommendations. To avoid resting the phone between my neck and shoulder, I could benefit from a headset like the ones sold here: http://www.askergoworks.com/category/44/Telephone+Headsets.aspx. Other objects, like a stapler, pens, post-its, etc are usually not in an organized place where they are easy to reach. Rather, these items are typically scattered around the desk, or on another table, causing me to strain my body by reaching over, or to have to leave my workstation altogether.

Some other great websites for ergonomic-friendly products, for kids and adults alike include:

http://www.askergoworks.com/kids.aspx

Rifton Equipment
Manufacturer of widely used equipment for children with physical disabilities.

Laptop Laidback
This is a product for people who must use a computer in a reclining position.

Heads Up
With certain kinds of disabilities, the person has great difficulty holding his or her head in a functional position. This manufacturer offers an interesting solution.

Wenzelite Re/hab
This manufacturer offers a variety of equipment for positioning children with disabilities at home and in classrooms.

Adapt-a-Cut
The purpose of Adapt-A-Cut® is to provide an ergonomic means of cutting sheet material by small children, the elderly, or people with limited dexterity or loss of fine motor skills.

Onion Mountain Tech
Tons of products! They have tons of low-tech aids for classrooms. This page is a set of different easy to grip pencils and pencil grips, but do look around all the other products as well.

Make your own Smart Board

In an ideal world, every classroom in America would have a Smart Board. They allow students with multiple abilities and disabilities to access and present content. However, these are very expensive pieces of technology. Many schools do not have the extra funds to even equip one or two classrooms with Smart Board technology.

BUT this teacher in NY has discovered a way to use a Nintendo Wii to make his own "interactive white board." Check out this video!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1243570743/bclid1815835555/bctid1900229747

Facebook at work!?!

I stumbled upon this article in one of my RSS feeds.

"Bosses Should Embrace Facebook" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7695716.stm

It's from the BBC, and talks about how Facebook and other social networking sites could be beneficial to people at work, and why bosses should allow their use. I know many of my friends who have full-time office jobs are on and off Facebook, or their blogs all day, but still operating under the idea that it's not appropriate for work. Could that all change? What would that mean?

Diigo

So I just downloaded the bookmarking tool Diigo and it is awesome! After exploring numerous bookmarking sites, what attracted me most to Diigo was the fact that I could highlight text and add "sticky notes" to any part of a webpage. This way, I can hone in on the key parts of webpages that are important to me. Another site, Clipmarks, allows you to take "clippings" off of pages, but to me this is too disjointed. I prefer to have the entire page and highlight the stuff I want. I thought this could be incredibly helpful especially when reading articles online for research papers, etc. In Diigo, you can make a list for a specific class or paper/project and include the highlighted articles. Another great feature is that you can search within Diigo for different topics rather than having to go through a separate search engine first.

I have found some really great groups on Diigo too. Some of personal interest, such as "Wholesale Replica Designer Handbags" and Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers. This one has great assistive/instructional technology resources!

Diggo also has a special free upgrade for teachers. Teachers can create a diigo account for each of their students. Everything is protected so "outsiders" cannot come into contact with the kids. This could be especially helpful for students as they gather information for projects and assignments. Those with organization problems, and even those without, are able to have all of their information in one place. They can even do internet-based research in different locations (i.e. school, home, library, friend's house, etc). This eliminates losing papers, or websites because they were accessed on different computers. Also, the highlighting and note feature allows student to interact with the information the way they would normally be expected to on paper.

FUNBRAIN!!

Funbrain (www.funbrain.com) is an awesome website for students of all ages. It provides games and activities for learning skills from every content area. One of the things that I like best is that it provides options for students up through grade 8. Many similar websites only deal with students up to grade 5. I played the multiplication baseball game, which my fourth graders would have loved! Many did not know their basic facts, so this would have been a fun way to practice. I also looked at some stuff for older kids. For eighth graders, there was a geography review that dealt with the U.S., different countries, or different continents, depending on the options you chose. I was having so much fun playing different games, that I hadn't even realized that I was on the site for more than an hour! Another great thing about this site is that for each game, students can choose their level. This allows the practice to be at their intellectual level, and also provides a way for students to challenge themselves with higher levels. Funbrain can be provided as an option for all students in the class to use so there is no stigma associated with it.

Second Life

Me. Holl, and Karamel on TC Island in Second Life!

Universal Design for Learning

A concept map that outlines UDL: Universal Design for Learning

UDL operates on 3 main principles:

"Principle 1:

To support recognition learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation

Principle 2:

To support strategic learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship.

Principle 3:

To support affective learning, provide multiple, flexible options for engagement."

UDL suggests that educators exhibit 3 kinds of flexibility:

• "To represent information in multiple formats and media.
• To provide multiple pathways for students’ action and expression.
• To provide multiple ways to engage students’ interest and motivation."

Meyer, A. & Rose, D.H. Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. 2002. ch. 4.

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter4.cfm


CAST is a fantastic organization. While navigating their website, I also stumbled upon some of their FREE products. These include:

UDL Editions by CAST™

UDL Editions by CAST are classic texts from world literature presented in a flexible online interface that provides just-in-time, individualized supports for struggling readers, and added-value features that engage novice and expert readers alike.

Learning features include leveled supports to build reading strategies and help readers understand the elements of the author's craft; a Texthelp Toolbar for accessibility and language features; context-specific multimedia glossaries and enrichment activities; and multimedia background resources.

Watch a Video about UDL Editions

Developed with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Introduced in partnership with Google Literacy Project for World Book Day, 2008. Copyright 2008, CAST.

CAST Strategy Tutor™

A free online tool to support students and teachers doing reading and research on the Internet, ages 10 and up. Strategy Tutor helps students read, research, collect and understand information better and more efficiently. For teachers, Strategy Tutor provides a way to easily create web-based lessons embedded with research-based, highly effective learning strategy and vocabulary supports.

Developed with generous support from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Copyright 2003-2008, CAST.

CAST UDL Curriculum Self-Check™

Free online tool that helps educators build options and flexibility into each element of the curriculum (goals, methods, materials, and assessments) in order to reach and engage all students. Developed with support from the Massachusetts Department of Special Education. Copyright 2007-2008 CAST. Please send comments or suggestions to UDLSelfCheck@cast.org.

CAST UDL Lesson Builder™

Free online tool that teaches educators to customize standards-based curriculum to meet individual learning needs. Developed in cooperation with the Access Center (American Institutes for Research). Copyright 2006-2008 CAST. Please send comments or suggestions to lessonbuilder@cast.org.

CAST UDL Book Builder™

Free online tool enables educators to develop their own digital books to support reading instruction for children aged 3& up. Teachers create, edit, and save resource-rich texts. Terry, an animated character, guides educators as they write text, choose images, and develop scripts for the prompts, hints, and models that will help build young readers' skills. Copyright 2006-2008, CAST. Please send comments or suggestions to bookbuilder@cast.org.

The above can be viewed and explored in more detail at:
http://www.cast.org/products/index.html