The Great Eight: An assessment of eight technology tools

1. Moodle
From the first time that I used this tool I knew that it was going to be one of the most useful technological tools ever created. Whoever created this tool should be recognized all over the education realm because of the capabilities that it has. Students can upload their work from their computers but also their Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to their blogs and other websites. What I like about this site is how the teacher or professor can easily move around assignments, projects, or meetings. Students can also be formed into groups and have a group discussion on the site as well.
Rating:5 out of 5


2. Mozilla Firefox
I started using this tool after much frustrations from using Internet Explorer. With this tool, there are much more convenient aspects than Internet Explorer. With Mozilla Firefox, you can change the theme of your browser which enables the user to use a program to his or her liking. Another big aspect is the "tab," which is like sub-windows inside one huge window of Mozilla Firefox. Internet Explorer was not able to have this until Internet Explorer 7. However, what I believe is one of the biggest steps that any browser has taken is the auto-tab recovery. This enables the user to recover a tab in case the window suddenly closes or the computer restarts. I do not believe that Internet Explorer nor Safari has this capability up to now.
Rating:5 out of 5


3. Delicious
This site I am most definitely thankful for because of what happened when my laptop was down and I still had work to do. What this site does is it allows the user "bookmark" a site. You might be thinking that Firefox can do the same thing and it can. However, what Delicious.com does it is holds the site online. What this means is that you can go to your saved bookmarks anytime and anywhere. When my laptop went down I still had research to do that I had saved onto my Firefox and my Delicious site. Because I had bookmarked the cites that I needed I was able to complete my assignments without being held back. You can even bundle (group up) your bookmarks and add other users as well as look at their bookmarks too.
Rating:5 out of 5


4. Google Suites
Almost everything about Google is just so amazing that I believe that I am using something from Google at least every time that I am on my laptop. Gmail has been one of the most convenient mail sites I have ever used. It has more space than hotmail.com and yahoo.com. To me, it is also the fastest to send mail and upload attachments out of all three. Google Maps is really convenient to those that do not have Google Earth on their computer or are for those at a public area. You can find almost anything about locations like distances or directions to and from places. Google Blogger is also fun to use because you can interact with other Gmail users as well. This capabilities of Google Blogger enables Gmail users to express themselves in numerous ways.
Rating:5 out of 5


5. MSN Messenger 8.0
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging program that lets you instantly converse with those that are online as well. You can also send e-mail from Windows Live Messenger as well as have video chats with other users. What is good about this is that it is entirely free and very user friendly. You can also add people from yahoo.com and chat with them as well. However, some features are reserved for those with hotmail accounts.
Rating: 4 out of 5


6. Oovoo
Oovoo.com is a program that allows users to have multiple video conferences. This is especially convenient to those that like to do that because with Windows Live Messenger, you can video chat with one person at a time. Other features of Oovoo is you can record your video chats with other users. You can even call phone lines from Oovoo, but this is only available from the U.S. What is fun about Oovoo is that you can play around with the video effects that is available from Oovoo. Best of all, you can even chat with those that do not have Oovoo through your webcam.
Rating:5 out of 5


7. Skype
Skype is a program that enables the user to make phone calls anywhere in the world to any other place in the world for extremely low prices. All you need is internet connection and your already done. This program is especially important for those who travel and do not have a phone that has roaming on it. You can even do video chat with other people as well. I personally have used this program numerous times when I was staying in the U.S. but did not want to buy a phone. Instead, I downloaded this free program and was able to make long-distance phone calls for over six weeks for less than ten dollars! I strongly suggest this program for anyone even if they are not travelers.
Rating: 5 out of 5


8. Window Movie Maker
Windows Movie Maker is a program that enables the user to make movies within their computer. It comes standard with every pc but I believe that Mac users have a similar program. I personally have used this program and have almost no complaints about it. Importing audio, video, and title overlay was really easy and interesting to use. I made a movie as a project for my Intro to Literature class and got good responses as to how funny some of the effects was. I believe that this programs is essential to someone who is not so technologically literate but has the will to get started.
Rating: 4 out of 5


The Rating System
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2.

3.

4.

and the highest being 5.

"Emergency Preparedness" by Diane Nelson Bryen, Ph.D.

The lecture for today was about the emergency preparedness for people with disabilities. Dr. Bryen pointed out that this is an important issue for Guam because it has had a lot of natural disasters and some man made disasters as well. She pointed out that it was only after Katrina did political action come into play for preparedness against such types of disasters. One of the discussions that we started out with was whether or not we purchased extra provisions, arranged for a place to meet in an emergency, and other types of measures. Dr. Bryen was discussing about how planning is an important stop for people with disabilities. Developing accessible shelters is even a requirement under the American Disabilities Act. Other things that should and have to be provided was sheltering which means foods, grooming, medical attention, and communication. One of the most important issues to recognize was replacing lost or destroyed assistive technology of those that need it.
The first step that was pointed out on being prepared is to be informed. So we were shown an eight minute video about preparedness for people with disabilities. It talked about taking the necessary steps is taking care of those with disabilities. It showed people who are caretakers of those with disabilities talking about what steps to take in case of an emergency with those that have disabilities. The video also talked about how practicing is just as important as any step in preparing for a natural or man made disaster. What was brought up as well was disaster preparedness for those with limited speech. I thought that it was really interesting and necessary to go through the check list that was shown.Again, it is not only our responsibility to make sure that we as a community should prepare for natural or man made disasters but I believe that it is also our responsibility as a community to help assure that those with disabilities are taken care of.