The Assistive Technology Blog

...then you're like me!

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way to approach the needs of our diverse group of students by providing

a blueprint for creating flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences. UDL mirrors the universal design movement in architecture and product development. Think of speakerphones, curb cuts, and close-captioned television—all universally designed to accommodate a wide variety of users, including those with disabilities.

This explanation comes from the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), which has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies based on the principles of UDL. The CAST staff includes specialists in education research and policy, neuropsychology, clinical/school psychology, technology, engineering, curriculum development, K-12 professional development, and more.

In the classroom, UDL calls for ... • Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge, • Multiple means of expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, • Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

Check out the CAST website to see a list of frequently asked questions about UDL (http://www.cast.org/research/faq).

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sara Ford is an "Accessibility Tester"--a Software Designer Engineer who is responsible for the quality of the software's accessibility. What does this mean?

When I first started Accessibility testing two years ago, I had never heard of Accessibility in terms of software. Sure, I had seen the Accessibility Options icon in my Control Panel, but that was really the extent of my knowledge at that time. When I was asked to do ad-hoc directed Accessibility testing against Visual Studio , my first question to the Program Manager was, "How do I test for this? How do I test using a screen reader?" He replied, "Turn off your monitor, I guess." And so I did...

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 6:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out the StudentTabletPC.com website's overview of software for slate (tablet) PCs. The people posting reviews are college students who actually use digital ink software; many of their comments are insightful and to the point--more like what our own students would say than what the education and software journals tell us!

Click on http://studenttabletpc.com/softwareblog/ to see what they have to say...

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you ever tried to move from your trusty paper Day Planner to a PDA and just cringed at the thought of losing everything with the click of a button? Are you tired of carrying around your bulky calendar, wishing there was another way? Well I've discovered a great website that might solve some of your problems. The PocketMod allows you to take your daily appointments and lists and condense them into a foldable piece a paper that you can easily carry around in your wallet, purse or pocket. The PocketMod also included templates for SoDoku and TicTacToe, how cool is that? You can add a little fun to your daily chores :) I would recommend viewing the video when folding for the first time.
You have to see it to believe it!
http://www.pocketmod.com/

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for some good websites for quick classroom activities or adaptations? Check out a few of these.

http://www.symbolworld.org

This site has excellent learning books created using picture symbols. Topics in the science area include life cycle of a frog, rainforest, and eclipse.

http://www.do2learn.com

Check out the math grid papers among other classroom resources.

Posted by Mona at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Although those of us who live with pack rats (or are pack rats ourselves) cringe at the thought, now is a good time to think twice about what we are tossing into the trash in the hallway outside of our classrooms. Is a mismatched basket perfect for organizing adapted materials at a center or station next year? Is that piece of styrofoam the perfect size to hold a geometry compass in place for a student with motor difficulties?

What are we discovering as we clear up and clean up?

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How many of us have thrown up our hands in despair at reading an accommodation on a student's IEP that indicates the need for "hands-on activities and manipulatives" in our Middle School Math or Algebra class? Fear not! Donna Roberts provides a way that Algebra tiles can be easily (and cheaply) constructed and distributed to an entire class on her website http://regentsprep.org/Regents/math/teachres/ttiles.htm. These Algebra tiles allow students to manipulate a range of problems, and Ms. Roberts offers links to activities that use the Algebra tiles to address concepts including signed numbers, the distributive property, adding and subtracting polynomials, and quadratic equations.

As an added bonus, Ms. Roberts notes,

Many of the commercial versions of algebra tiles are made from plastic and possess a "projectile" quality. I have found that the homemade tiles are seldom "airborne" since they are aerodynamically deficient.

Happy Tiling!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Visited a great idea site about SmartBoards (interactive whiteboards) today.
Check out http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/WIT/SmartBoard/specificapps.htm for a number of great suggestions, including the two listed below!

Absent Teacher, Absent Student, Good Instruction!

Use the SmartBoard to prepare a lecture and training sessions and burn it to a cd. Then use it for "substitute lesson plans" on a day you have to be gone. No more lost time when the teacher has to be out and very easy for the substitute to deliver! Also, if you have students who are out frequently due to health difficulties, they can experience instruction that goes further than worksheets!

Creative Assessment Techniques

Portfolio assessment can be done using microphone and SmartBoard recorder. Student presents project research on SmartBoard during class. During parent/teacher conference, the taped original presentation is shown to parents and the original work could be considered a draft. Students can go to draft presentation and make corrections. Teachers and parents can then view and hear corrections or though processes of learning and revising.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We just opened up a box of these Flexitables today and had some fun manipulating them. Basically, the Flexitable is a thin grid that has vertical and horizontal channels molded into soft PVC plastic--it feels like a shower curtain (and kind of smells like one, too!). You fold and unfold again and again to find equivalent fractions--decimals are printed on the other side.

For example, if you ask a student, "Your answer is 6/10. Is there any way to simplify that, by showing it with a smaller denominator? Check your Flexitable!" The student would fold the table until only six of the 1/10 squares showed on the grid. Looking up the grid, they would see that folding the table that way left exactly three of the 1/5 squares. So, 6/10 = 3/5!

This gives students a chance to get a solid conceptual basis before moving to the symbolic level, as well as helps the students to review the concepts when they are in the symbolic level.

If you're interested in getting your hands on some, run an Internet search on the name of the product, "Fractions & Decimals Flexitable." Many vendors have them, generally for around $6.

Here's Mona in the process of making a homemade version--AT creation in action!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Apple Professional Development Summer Institutes
Special Education: Reaching All Learners
"This course is designed for special education teachers and those who work with students requiring special assistance. Through hands-on activities, participants will explore the built-in accessibility features and applications of Mac OS X Tiger that can enhance learning for students with special needs. The use of applications such as iLife and iWork and their ability to engage both visual and auditory learners will be emphasized. Participants create podcasts and discuss their implications to engage and enable special education students."
Visit http://www.apple.com/education/solutions/apd_institute for more information...

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)