Cues,+Questions,+and+Advance+Organizers+(Colin)

=**Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers**= According to the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, teachers use cues, questions and advance organizers in order to set the stage for learning. These types of activities provide the tools the students will need so they can concentrate on what they are about to learn. The following technologies address all three of these areas and provide teachers with tools in order to enhance their instruction.

**Technology One: Kidspiration Software**
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**Rationale:**
Students will be able to use this software in order to create graphic organizers. Students will use these graphic organizers in order to visually categorize their pre-writing. The software then accommodate and easy transition from the graphic organizer to the final written product. Advance organizers,including visual ones, help students learn new concepts and vocabulary (Redfield & Rousseau, 1981).

Teachers can also use this software to create their own visual organizers for the students. Studies have shown that presenting information graphically, as well as symbolically in an advance organizer reinforces vocabulary learning and supports reading skills (Brookbank, Grover, Kullberg, & Strawser, 1999; Moore & Readence, 1984) The extended use of this software will help create an environment of organized learning, as students will have a way to visualize both the teacher's concepts and their own ideas.

Needed Resources and Estimated Costs:
Kidspiration Software Download - $69.00 A Mac or Windows-based PC

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**Rationale:**
SMART response PE system is a student response system that allows learners to answer questions posed by an instructor in real time. This system can be used for testing student knowledge at the end of a lesson or unit, or gauging comprehension during a lesson. This type of system give the students a chance to answer questions at their own pace, rather than feeling the pressure to respond when put "on the spot". By increasing the amount of "wait time" after a question, teachers foster increased student discourse and more student-to-student interaction (Fowler, 1975) The results of the answers can then be compiled into a digital data organizer in order to get a visual idea of whether the students are understanding the concepts being taught. The individual remote controls that each student will use, also helps ensure that students will be engaged in the lesson as they all have the opportunity to participate.

Needed Resources and Estimated Costs:
SMART Response PE System - $1,599.99 SMART Board - $990.00 A Mac or PC Computer

Technology Three: Word Deck iPad Application


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**Rationale:**
"WordDeck" is an application that can be downloaded from the internet, that allows therapists and teachers to create cards with text and/or images. These cards can be imported into iPhoto and onto iPod Touches and iPads. The primary use is creating cues for speech therapy and literary exercises for teaching reading. The advantages of using this software are that it allows the instructor to easily customize the cards in order to accommodate the needs of individual learners. It also provide another medium in which students can learn sight words or letter sounds and this is important because it has been shown that students learn best when they are presented information in several modes (Paivio, 1986).

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory suggests that multiple modes be used when presenting information. This software allows teachers to take advantage of this suggestion and create card that students can both visualize and read. This is especially helpful for those students who rely on pictures when decoding words and producing desired letter sounds.

Needed Resources and Estimated Costs:
iPad 16gb - 499.99 WordDeck Free Download (Must be downloaded on a Mac computer)

**Educational Challenges and Solutions:**
One of the educational challenges that can be addressed through these technologies is differentiated instruction. By using the WordDeck application, teachers and speech therapists are able to create cue cards that are tailored to the individual student's needs. This is especially helpful for speech therapists who might end up seeing a range of students from Kindergarten through fifth grade that have a wide range of abilities. The program also allows for additions of cultural references in order to make the lessons more diverse and accommodate those learners from diverse backgrounds.

**References:**
//Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers//. (n.d.). Retrieved April, 2011, from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory website: http://www.netc.org/ focus/strategies/cues.php