Over the last two weeks I have had the opportunity to attend some workshops on the iPad in general and for use with those who have special needs. I have come away more solidified in my vision of the use of iPads in schools The iPad is a game changer when it comes to supporting differentiated instruction and universal design in learning. I know there are other devices out there but Apple made a commitment to accessibility a long time ago and continues to…
I have found myself once again immersing myself in Universal Design for Learning both for a class I am teaching and to help justify to teachers why they may need to vary the tools and media they teach with. As educators we need to go back to the fundamentals of what, why and how we teach. I strongly suggest you take some time to explore these 2 related sites as they have much information and many examples to help inform your teaching. CAST and National Center on Universal Design in Learning
I read online a great deal. I support teachers who wish to share web content in classrooms with younger children. As well as students who have visual and special needs. I frequently recommend two tools to help remove the distracting and sometime inappropriate clutter. Viewpure – allows you to view youtube videos against a white background, no ads, and no comments. Readability – I started using readability while it was still in development. It is now a commercial product with…
Khan Academy, started out as one individual making math videos to help explain difficult concepts, it has grown 2,100 videos, and includes exercises and assessment. The mission, to provide high quality free education to anyone in the world. Topics focus primarily on math and science from elementary trough college levels. There are other topics related to business, finance and a growing history section. This site is well worth directing your students to or adding to any web enhanced learning environment….
One of the roles of a tech integration specialist to is to explore new technologies and how they might play a role in education. When I started in this field it was how to use word, excel, powerpoint, and video. We talked about how to share work with each other by passing around floppy disks. We could create web pages but nothing was download and upload-able. A mere 10 years later I help teachers sort through the overwhelming number of…
In March I wrote about looking at the soon to be released iPads. I thought it was time to give you an update. Our iPads arrived mid May and our mini research project has begun. First the iPads were shared with the Tech Team for about a week. If we were going to support them it would be good if we actually tried them. Next they were delivered to an elementary school for 2 weeks. Today they head to the…
Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses. On of the principles I base my work on is Universal Design in Learning. We pay greater attention to things that move. We pay attention to and remember images. Animation combines these and there for is a powerful tool for a teacher. This is one of the foundations of universal design in learning. The more ways to access information the more likely there will be success in learning. Text, sound, images, animation should…