Powerpoint highlighting howto incorporate UDL into technology to reduce cognitive load

1. How to Incorporate UDL into
Technology to Reduce Cognitive
Load
USING TECHNOLOGY
EFFECTIVELY TO REACH ALL
LEARNERS

2. Why is UDL Critical to Technology?
 15 percent of the population five years old and over
have one or more disabilities
 40 percent of the population over sixty five years old
and older have one or more disabilities
 It is your responsibility and legal obligation to make
technology accessible to all

3. What Causes Cognitive Overload?
 Difficulty and frustration using technology
 Overload of new information presented
 Not tying information to prior knowledge
 Nonessential and confusing information
 Cluttered or poorly organized presentation
 Inaccessible for individuals with disabilities

4. How Can You Design Technology to Help?
 Consider students first
 Reduce exertion or stress using technology
 Use well-organized design schemes
 Match needs of learners to devices available
 Increase convenience of navigation
 Prevent cognitive overload

5. Consider Learners with Invisible Disabilities
 ADHD and Autism-avoid background noise, no
blinking icons, no pop-ups, avoid nonliteral terms,
make brief, provide consistency
 Dyslexia-consistent navigational schemes, menu tabs,
use helpful fonts
 Emotional and intellectual disabilities-chunk
information, don’t ask to summarize

6. Consider Learners with Visible Disabilities
 Vision disabilities-ensure readability with screen
reader, avoid forcing to use mouse, use meaningful
alternate text, use proper color contrast
 Physical disabilities-Compatible to voice activated
computers, no flickering or flashing
 Hearing disabilities-ability to print transcript

7. Enable Assistive Technology Compatibility
 Provide access to computers through switches,
expanded keyboards, screen readers, interpreters
 Increase productivity through software or devices to
improve function of individuals
 Make augmentative communication available to help
individuals communicate with others

8. Reduce Physical Effort
 Enable access with on screen keyboard
 Provide mouse keys
 Make presentation fit screen and avoid scrolling
 Position controls for efficient use of time
 Label keys to highlight options

9. Reduce Linguistic Effort
 No jargon
 Avoid figurative language
 Check accessibility with translation tool
 Limit words, only state what is necessary
 Use pictures to help convey meaning
 Include vocabulary assistance

10. Avoid Confusion or Stress
 Filter distractions
 Limit length of attention required
 Eliminate simultaneous tasks
 Easy to navigate design
 Reduce clutter, get to the point
 Give mind space to digest

11. Ease of Use
 Avoid unnecessary security settings
 Reduce file size so loads quickly
 Provide supporting tools
 Incorporate navigational map
 Ensure links functional

12. Provide Assistive Navigation
 Include bookmarks and make sure tagged
 Allow users to alter variables and choose sequence
 Make sure links make sense out of context
 Provide headers for data tables
 Allow user to skip repetitive elements
 Use true headings and table of contents

13. Proper Handling of Images
 Describe meaning of image not appearance
 Add alternate text
 Use visuals to support words
 Do not use background images behind text
 For autistic spectrum disorders, avoid human faces
 Avoid animated and flashing images

14. Align Information to Prior Experience
 Chunk information into bite-size pieces
 Add one new concept at a time
 Tie new concept to prior knowledge
 Balance instruction to learner centered activity
 Design to aid memory with practice
 Engage learners with real life relationships

15. Conclusion
 Remember, less is more
 Follow UDL and 508 guidelines
 If not necessary, delete it
 Tie to prior knowledge
 Avoid distraction
 Make accessible to all

16. Image Credits
 All images within this power point are free and legal for
educators to use, and can be found at Link to pictures from site
tech for learning . Proper citations below.
 Classroom full of students using computers-Carey, Chris.
ocps005.jpg. . Pics4Learning. 4 Apr 2012 Picture of cluttered,
hard to understand screen-Bias, Gene. ocps037.jpg. .
Pics4Learning. 4 Apr 2012
 Peaceful safe path in woods-Oaks, Linda.
maplevalleygarden.jpg. 2008. Pics4Learning. 4 Apr 2012
 Roomful of varied students working on computers-O'Doan,
Debbie. techproj1.jpg. 6-Mar-02. Pics4Learning. 4 Apr 2012
 Sign pointing out directions-Struck, Brett. dscn0052.jpg. June
16, 2009. Pics4Learning. 4 Apr 2012