Final Project Requirements

Students will be expected to demonstrate and lead an informed discussion on how a computer peripheral may be used to support classroom instruction. Students are free to consider any of the following printers; robotic devices; science probes; music and speech digitizers; digital cameras and camcorders; CD-ROM or DVD players; barcode readers; removable memory drives (e.g., Zip, Jazz, Ditto, SCSI-, USB-, or Firewire-devices); CDR-RW or DVD- or + RW devices; LCD projection panels; presentation hardware, such as a “Smart Board”; hand-held computing devices; wireless or infrared networking devices; and scanners, including those that support optical character recognition (OCR) software. Students may select from peripherals used for special needs populations, i.e., speech and language, heard of hearing, Braille, special education assistive technology devices, etc.

The presentation can take no longer than 30 minutes, including setup, demonstration, and discussion. Please plan your time acordingly!

Here are some guidelines to assist you in developing your individual project:

1. Learn to set up and use a peripheral of your choice. See the list of peripherals provided for the previous assignment.

2. Write step-by-step instructions for the novice user so she/he can set up the device and use it.

3. Plan a demonstration for our class that involves, as much as possible, the active involvement of the class members in using the peripheral for an instructional activity. (Remember to explain special terms and technical information.) This part should take no more than 20 minutes.

4. Discuss and/or demonstrate two or three ways this peripheral may be used in the classroom.

5. Compare 3 or 4 different brands of peripherals in your category (e.g., different digital cameras). Compare their capabilities and special features, compatibility with special hardware and/or software. Identify their ease of use, educational value, practicality for use in classroom teaching, and provide overall recommendations. (It may be helpful to use a chart for clarity.)

6.   Additional items to include in handouts are a list of resources/references and online troubleshooting guides.

So, your written report (due March 8) will contain:

• step by step instructions for novice user
• outline of demonstration, including definitions and technical information where helpful
• description of two or three ways to use peripheral in the classroom
• comparison chart of 3 or 4 different brands
• list of resources/references and troubleshooting guides.