Free AT and UDL for learners with and without disabilities

For learners with and without disabilities

What is Universal Design for Learning?

UDL is framework that allows us to meet the diverse needs of many learners

Multiple Means of Representation

Give learners many different ways of learning relevant curriculum

Multiple Means of Expression

Give learners many different was to show what they have learned

Multiple Means of Engagement

Provide the most appropriate way to challenge each student and meet his or her needs

What isn’t UDL?

UDL is not one piece of software or technology

UDL will not eliminate the need for appropriate assistive technology for some students

UDL is not a cost saving measure

UDL is a way of thinking!

What can UDL do for your district?

Act as a means to meet RTI mandates

Act as a means to differentiate instruction

Improve performance of learners with various disabilities

Improve performance of learners from diverse backgrounds, including ELL

Decrease negative attention focused on students who learn differently or have unique needs

Decrease number of special education referrals

When strategically implemented can reduce the need for some costly assistive technology implementation

What UDL can look like?

“ There's also that belief that we should be so private as to not speak about the needs of the children. Don't embarrass Johnny by telling him to put on his glasses, hearing aids, etc. Don't make Susie feel bad by handing her a fidget toy to play with so she can pay attention.

In our classroom, fidget toys are in a box for all the children, glasses are mentioned frequently, students are encouraged to move to the front of the room, grab a spell checker, use the computer or alphasmart , pull out the E.Z.C. Readers , etc.

The difference? These tools are demonstrated to and available for everyone. (Well, not glasses or hearing aids but you get the point.) So when a lesson begins, up jumps the classified student along with the gifted student. They both gather tools they need to be successful.”

From Lisa’s Lingo at www.lisaslingo.blogspot.com

UDL School Might…

Have free UDL software on every computer

Have dyslexia friendly fonts installed on all computers as the default

Have free UDL websites bookmarked on every computer

Have plenty of low tech UDL items in every room for any student to access

Teach the use of UDL tools in a variety of settings including academic classrooms, computer class and the library

Have higher tech free UDL tools – such as flash drives with various program installed available for use in multiple settings

Have links to free online UDL tools within the school’s website and intranet

But what if…?

Teachers and others in education tend to be a proactive group of people. They will worry that UDL will hold students back, encourages cheating, makes students who don’t need certain UDL things reliant on those things and that students may use UDL things to misbehave.

However, we need to remember that students will only use tools if that tool works for them, cheating will always be an issue with or without UDL, we all rely on tools that aren’t “necessary” like our Smart Phones and using calculators for math we could do in our head and if students misbehave with a UDL tool you respond the same way you would if he or she misbehaved in any other way.

What is your role?

Make resources available to everyone

Keep an open mind

Stay up-to-date

And

Know resources

Hear Your Writing

Word Talk is a free add on to Microsoft Word. It reads your writing aloud and highlights in the color of your choice as it does so.

Power Talk does the same for Power Point

www.wordtalk.org.uk and fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk

Free slide show tutorial www.slideshare.net/paulhami/word-talk

Good for learners with reading, spelling and attention troubles.

Install a Screen Reader

A screen reader will read what is on the computer screen to your students. There are many free text to speech utilities out there.

One is built into Windows, look under accessibility in the control panel.

Firefox, the web browser, has one of my favorites, Click, Speak (go to “get extensions”) or www.clickspeak.clcworld.net .

Others you can download, such as:

www.naturalreaders.com/download.htm

http://www.screenreader.net/

Use Your Phone

Camera Phone Applications

QiPit www.qipit.com

Scanr www.scanr.com

Speech-toText Applications

ReQall http://www.reqall.com/

Dial2Do http://www.dial2do.com/

Use Mind Maps and Graphic Organizers

There are many website that offer free mind mapping tools here are a few:

Bubbl.us

Mindomo.com

Other sites offer us various graphic organizers to try here are a few:

exploratree.org.uk

freeology.com/graphicorgs/

webenglishteacher.com/graphic.html

http://myt4l.com/index.php?v=pl&page_ac=view&type=tools&tool=graphicorganizers

Good for learners on the autism spectrum and those with some kinds of reading disabilities

Collaborate Online

Your Draft http://www.yourdraft.com/

Google Documents www.docs.google.com

Micro Blogs

Use micro blogs to post assignments or update your students on the any classroom news

Or if you are a real technophile have your students micro blog to turn in assignments, comment and keep in touch.

Some micro blogs to consider:

tumblr.com

jottit.com

edmodo

Store it Online

We all know the student who will loss the work sheet between here and the locker, or will forget to bring it home.

Save a copy of worksheets online so that students only have to worry about the return trip using free online storage programs, this also means that students can do make up work immediately when they are out

Sites to use:

diino.com

dropboks.com

Note to self…

Encourage your students to figure out what how to best use technology combined with their learning style to get things done. (Let’s face it after high school very few of us stick with the assignment notebook system.)

At the end of every period insist that all students record the assignment in their assignment notebook but also in some other method which could include:

Using a voice recorder or a voice recorder attachment to an iPod

E-mailing yourself on a Blackberry or iPhone

SMS (texting) yourself on your cellphone

Using calendar software on a Palmpilot, Blackberry or iPhone

Using calendar software online, such as Google’s iCal

Use free to do list programs

Remember the Milk www.rememberthemilk.com

Toodledo www.toodledo.com

Ta Da List www.tadalist.com

Computer Based Sticky Notes http://www.hottnotes.com/

Online Note Taking Applications

Integrated Note Taking/Organization

Evernote http://evernote.com/

Note Centric http://www.notecentric.com/

My Note It http://www.mynoteit.com

Web Sticky Notes

Jot Cloud http://www.jotcloud.com/index.php

Outlines and Drafts

iOutliner http://ioutliner.com

Change Your Font

Certain fonts may be more helpful to learners with the visual kind of dyslexia or those learners with low vision.

Here are some links to downloads of fonts:

www.fonts.com/AboutFonts/Articles/fyti/Typography+for+Children.htm

www.k-type.com/fontlexia.html

Use Visual Supports

Learn about visual supports:

www.usevisualstrategies.com

www.polyxo.com/visualsupport

www.card.ufl.edu/visual.htm

Use them by:

Using picture or text schedules and lists

Making the rules visual

Using visual cues for transitions

Use First/Then, Now/Later, and To Do Lists

Use the international “no” sign (red circle with line through it) when something is not an option

Providing “maps” so students can “find their way around” everything from inside their desks, to the building to their papers, to bibliographies

In the lower grades or with non-readers using photographs and picture symbols

Make step by step photographic or picture based instruction for things like science labs or art projects

Consider making The Visual Dictionary (http://visual.merriam-webster.com/index.php) your online dictionary

This will help all visual learners, all multi-modal learners, those on the autism spectrum, those with dysphonetic dyslexia, those with non-verbal learning disabilities, those with Fragile X and Down Syndrome.

Free Photographs and Picture Symbols for Visual Supports