Communication+and+Collaboration+Skillls


 * According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Communication and Collaboration skills include:**
 * **Articulating thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively through speaking and writing**
 * **Demonstrating ability to work effectively with diverse teams**
 * **Exercising flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal**
 * **Assuming shared responsibility for collaborative work**

We strongly encourage you to visit Karen Janowski's UDL Toolkit. It can by found by clicking here: http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/
The following tools are some of our favorites, but there are many, many more tools available on the web.

Click the following link to see a more comprehensive listing of some of those tools:

http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2008/12/collaboration-tools.html

Here are some tools that can assist you in implementing these concepts in your classrooms:

Wikis
=What is a Wiki?= The Word ‘wiki’ comes from the Hawaiian word ‘wikiwiki’ meaning quick. It is a type of website that allows the content to be changed quickly and allows for collaborative writing, writing, and editing.

Wikispaces will give a free wiki to educators k-12 without ads!

**Examples**:

 * Assistive Technology Wiki http://www.assistech.org.uk/doku.php
 * Educational Wikis http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Wikis
 * High School Online Collaborative Writing http://scholls.wikia.com/wiki/main_page
 * Holocaust Wiki http://www.ahistoryteacher.com/holocaust/tiki-index.php
 * SED 379 Wiki [|http://138.87.80.129/mediawiki]

**Potential Uses of Wiki’s in the Classroom:**

 * Co-authoring of Books
 * A Hypermedia Presentation of Content
 * Communally Created Notes, Definitions and Concepts

**Tools to Create Wiki’s**

 * WikiPages [|http://wikipages.com]
 * PB Wiki http://pbwiki.com/
 * SeedWiki [|www.seedwiki.com]
 * WikiCities http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia

=Tokbox=

What is Tokbox? According to Wikipedia,

"Tokbox is a startup providing free video calling, [|video conferencing] and [|instant messaging] services through an online application, similar to [|Skype]. Tokbox also allows users to create video posts, similar to text-based [|Twitter], that can be embedded on other web sites."

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How to Create a Tokbox Video Message media type="custom" key="4663707"

How to Create a Tokbox Conference Call media type="custom" key="4663721"

//**How do I use Tokbox for students with disabilities?**//
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 * [[image:minimerc1.jpg width="154" height="144"]]
 * = MiniMerc by ATI/Tobii ||= Word Power ||= Picture Word Power ||= Clicker 5 ||

Click here to download samples of Boardmaker Plus and Static Boardmaker Topic Boards by Kathleen Post and Jennifer Trunk:

Topic Board (PDF File) Boardmaker Plus Interactive Topic Board Boardmaker Plus Topic Board

Other ideas:


 * Tokbox a homebound student "into" the classroom for a discussion.
 * Have students who have difficulty writing Tokbox their thoughts on a subject to you for their homework.
 * Have students with organizational difficulties Tokbox a message home each day with their homework assignments.
 * Contact legislators or community leaders for a virtual civics lesson.
 * Create a video message of a student who uses AAC to a virtual pen pal.

__//**Slideshare**//__ @http://www.slideshare.net
"SlideShare is the world's largest community for sharing business presentations and documents. It is a great way to market your business, find customers and collect leads."

"You can upload your PowerPoint, OpenOffice and Keynote presentations, and your Word, Open Office documents. You can share them on your blog or website, or send a URL to friends by email. What's more, the transcripts of your files will be indexed by Internet search engines and enhance the search engine ranking of your presentations & documents." Daniel Lu, http://slideshare.zendesk.com/forums/61519/entries/55597

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**How or why would I use Slideshare with students with disabilities?**
Use Powerpoint to create Digital Stories that can be written, illustrated, animated, and narrated by the student. For an example, please visit: @http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/templatesaddins/tp/97-special-occasion-and-seasonal-powerpoint-templates.htm 


 * Creative Presentation Ideas from @http://www.online.tusc.k12.al.us/tutorials/pptclass/pptclass.htm**
 * **Flash Cards** - Create Flashcard presentations for individual and group reinforcement. You can create a template and choose whether you or your students will insert the words or phrases. Topics may include: reinforcing math concepts; practicing parts of speech; practicing spelling; reinforcing story problems; and reinforcing numbers, letters, or colors.
 * **Field Trip Slide Shows** - Develop field trip slide shows to review and apply knowledge learned on a field trip. Students can work together to make a slide show that presents what they saw, as well as what they learned.
 * **Autobiographical Stories** - Students can create short autobiographical stories about themselves. Scanned photos can be inserted for interest. Once the slides are complete, you can put them together in a presentation to show an audience, such as an open house or parent night.
 * **Interactive Book Reports** - Have students create a PowerPoint presentation about books they read.
 * **Music Class Recitals** - For music teachers, PowerPoint is a useful tool for creating slide shows of student recitals. During a recital, take pictures of the students while they are performing and record a small portion of their music. On slides, include both each student's picture and music.
 * **Group Slide Shows** - Give your students a topic (such as zoo animals) and tell them to choose parts of the topic to focus on (such as specific zoo animals). Have students research their assigned portions of the topic and develop slides to serve as a part of a group presentation about the topic.
 * **Poetry Readings** - Students can create slides exhibiting their personal poetry along with a voice recording.
 * **Science Presentations** - Use PowerPoint to teach processes and how things work. Teachers or students can add additional items to a diagram to illustrate how a process grows and changes. Science principles work well using this format.
 * **Student Portfolios** - PowerPoint can be used to create portfolios of student work.
 * **Class Yearbook-Type Presentations** - Collect photos; information about special events; examples of class and student projects, etc. throughout the year and create a year-in-review presentation.

Every student can be involved in this process. Even students with limited motor or cognitive function can take part in the creation of a presentation by making choices and indicating yes and no (try a BigMack if they do not have a consistent yes/no response). Students who use AAC devices can narrate these presentations and turn them into SlideCasts. Students who struggle with writing have an alternate way of expressing their comprehension of the topic at hand. Students who use software like Clicker 5 can essentially write with pictures and have the text be used to create their presentation.

__//**Etherpad**//__ @http://etherpad.com

 * EtherPad** is a [|web-based] [|collaborative real-time editor], allowing up to eight people[|[1]] to edit a text document at the same time, and see all of the participants' edits in real-time, each in their own color. [|en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EtherPad]

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And it works with Tokbox!!! media type="youtube" key="UpxLLzgQ-1Y" height="505" width="853"

=__//Twitter//__ **[|http://www.twitter.com]**=

What is Twitter? According to [|Wikipedia],


 * "Twitter** is a free [|social networking] and [|micro-blogging] service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as **tweets**), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length."

Or in Plain English...

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For additional assistance in creating a Twitter account and using Twitter, please download this tutorial from [|Twitteroid]:

[|MasteringTwitter.2009-c.pdf]

**Classroom Uses of Twitter** **-**

 * "Twitter for Academia" by [|AcademHack] - Great ideas for the classroom!
 * http://academhack.outsidethetext.com/home/2008/twitter-for-academia/


 * "Using Twitter as an Education Tool" by Ron Jones
 * http://searchenginewatch.com/3630980


 * "Plan, Tweet, Teach, Tweet, Learn, Smile," by Tom Barrett, [|ICT in My Classroom]
 * http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/2008/03/07/plan-tweet-teach-tweet-learn-smile/

Accessing Twitter for Students with Disabilities
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 * [[image:ecopoint01.jpg width="179" height="152" align="center"]] || [[image:WordPowerOnBoard.gif width="178" height="152" align="center"]] || [[image:Picture_1.png width="116" height="162"]]
 * = Eco 14 by PRC ||= Word Power ||= Intellitools ||= Clicker 5 ||

Clicker 5 Email/Twitter Writing Activity:

=//**Google Docs**//=

What are Google Docs? According to Wikipedia: an application offered by [|Google]. It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users."

Or in plain English:

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For additional assistance with [|Google Docs], please visit: http://edutech.msu.edu/online/GoogleDocs/GoogleDocs.html

If you subscribe to [|Atomic Learning], visit: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/google_docs/


 * Classroom Uses of Google Docs** -


 * Google for Educators - //"Teach Collaborative Revision with Google Docs"//
 * http://www.google.com/educators/weeklyreader.html
 * Teacher Stories: Using Google Docs in the Classroom
 * http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dcdn7mjg_1087zmc5hgc
 * Collaborative Writing via Google Docs and Skype (Elementary Focus)
 * http://learningismessy.com/blog/?p=432

**Google Forms**
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=Zoho=

What is Zoho? According to Wikipedia,

"The **Zoho Office Suite** is an [|online office suite] produced by a division of [|AdventNet] Inc. It includes tools for [|word processing], [|spreadsheets], presentations, [|databases], note-taking, wikis, [|CRM], project management, invoicing and other applications."

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For additional assistance with Zoho, please visit: http://writer.zoho.com/public/help/zohowriterfaq/fullpage

For Zoho Tips and Tutorials, please visit: http://www.careeroverview.com/blog/2008/the-ultimate-guide-to-zoho-100-tips-and-resources-to-better-use-the-web-office-alternative/


 * Classroom Uses of Zoho** -


 * Computers in Education Group of South Australia
 * http://cegsa.editme.com/Zoho
 * e-FriendlyLearning.com
 * http://www.efriendlylearning.com/blog/2005/12/online-word-processor-with-zoho-writer.html

=Wimba=

What is Wimba? According to the University of Southern Queensland,

"The Wimba classroom is an online meeting room in which you can interact with a tutor and fellow students by talking, listening, drawing and writing. You can also use video if you want. Other options are:
 * a shared whiteboard for tutors and students to show PowerPoint, draw diagrams or display images
 * a shared screen to demonstrate computer programs or web sites to each other
 * ability for group members to take turns to edit a single document."

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= =

__//**Skype**//__ **[|http://www.skype.com]**
What is Skype? According to [|Wikipedia],


 * "Skype** ( IPA : [|[skaɪp]] ) is [|software] that allows users to make [|telephone calls over the Internet]. Calls to other users of the service and to free-of-charge numbers are free, while calls to other [|landlines] and [|mobile phones] can be made for a fee. Additional features include [|instant messaging], [|file transfer] and [|video conferencing]."

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 * For additional assistance using Skype, visit the Skype User Guides at** [|http://www.skype.com/help/guides/]

**Classroom Uses of Skype** **- **

 * Is Skype an effective classroom tool and what are the pros and cons of using Skype? Check out this blog post to learn more:
 * [| http://murcha.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/using-skype-in-education]


 * Education World's Skype "Tech-Torial"
 * http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial107.shtml


 * Using Skype in the Classroom, including ideas for Special Education
 * http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-skype-at-school.html

**Using Skype for Students with Communication Disabilities**
|| ||  ||  ||
 * [[image:minimerc1.jpg width="154" height="144"]]
 * = MiniMerc by ATI/Tobii ||= Word Power ||= Picture Word Power ||= Clicker 5 ||

Click here to download samples of Boardmaker Plus and Static Boardmaker Topic Boards by Kathleen Post and Jennifer Trunk:

Topic Board (PDF File) Boardmaker Plus Interactive Topic Board Boardmaker Plus Topic Board

To scan the links of any webpage, try the Hawking Toolbar. It can be downloaded at: http://www.clippingdale.com/accessibility/hawking/status.html

If you are running Firefox 3, there is a way to use this toolbar. However, this may cause security issues and void your warranty. If you would like to try this "fix," visit: http://lifehacker.com/355973/make-your-extensions-work-with-the-firefox-3-beta