Part 1: Technology to Support Teachers in Inclusive Classrooms Texas Assistive Technology Network Conference June 13, 2017 Alise Crossland, Senior Researcher Jillian Reynolds, Researcher American Institutes for Research

Todd Rose TED Talk JR – TED Talk, Todd Rose example with the Air Force. Stop at minute: 8:26

Moving Away from Designing for Average How can we get there? Universal Design for Learning Ongoing formative assessment/use of student data to refine teaching strategies Differentiating instruction Personalized instruction Accessible materials Embedded supports What would you add? JR – Taking this idea from Todd Rose and “Moving away from designing for average,” what do we need to do to get there? How do we make something that is adjustable for everyone? Do you feel like teachers feel confident using these strategies?

To Do Everything JR – Technology can help! Teachers feel overwhelmed (SO MANY STRATEGIES)! Feels like we’re telling teachers to do everything. Let’s look at home technology can help simplify this process.

UDL Principles Overview Provide multiple means of representation PRINCIPLE I Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. Provide multiple means of action and expression PRINCIPLE II Learners differ in the ways that they navigate a learning environment and express their understanding. Provide multiple means of engagement PRINCIPLE III Learners differ in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn. JR – PRINCIPLE I Provide multiple means of representation - Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. PRINCIPLE II Provide multiple means of action and expression - Learners differ in the ways that they navigate a learning environment and express their understanding. PRINCIPLE III Provide multiple means of engagement - Learners differ in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn.

How can UDL Principles Help? Move to thinking of accessibility first in purchasing and content development: Hardware Software Documents and videos Websites JR – Helping teaching think about teaching and learning from a UDL perspective… Encourage educators and content creators to think about how to present information in multiple ways, accessible to a wide variety of learners, that we are developing content that meets a range of needs. Think about accessibility first.

Born Digital to Born Accessible Content that is “digital first” or “born digital” should also be “born accessible” Emerging technologies make this easier than ever before for teachers. User-friendly tools to add: Captioning to videos Alt-text to images on websites, documents, ebooks Standard headers in websites, forms, ebooks and documents Adjust colors and contrast JR – We want people to be thinking about accessibility first, the idea that content is created accessible from the start. Not as challenging to find accessible materials as it used to be; also not as expensive.

Accessible HTML5 video player JR – Easily accessible tool, gives people multiple ways to engage with the video/content (searchable, read by screen reader, caption, etc.) This video player, it is an technology that incorporates accessibility features (captions, navigation through keyboard controls, screen reader friendly). UDL – content is delivered in a way that engages learners with multiple forms of communication that connect with different ways of processing information. So then this video becomes an active learning tool, rather than a passive experience, powered by accessibility features.

Accessibility Benefits Everyone Products designed to support users with disabilities have unexpected benefits for a wide audience Closed captions: Improve reading ability, word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension – captioned videos have been successfully used to support literacy in both early readers and adults Support language learning – captioned videos have been used successfully to teach English language learners at all levels Ask your teachers: What other benefits would your students receive if all digital interactions were accessible and universally designed? JR

Muzzy Lane Example http://www.muzzylane.com/ JR – Example of a mainstream technology tool that puts accessibility language front and center. Tech purchasers and coordinators should be looking for this kind of language, but also exciting that this is part of a mainstream tool’s marketing language. Clearly articulated accessibility policy on their website. Look for these kinds of tools. Great that mainstream ed software is upfront about accessibility. Beware if you can’t find any accessibility information about a tool or software. Accessibility is essential for leveraging technology and providing educational opportunities for all students, including those with disabilities and English language learners. http://www.muzzylane.com/

Quick Poll Do you think teachers in your school/district are aware of the need for accessibility? Do they understand UDL principles? Do they know how make materials accessible? Do they know what features to look for when selecting technology tools? JR

Empowering Teachers with Technology Technology Integration Strategies to Support Inclusion AC

Teachers Want to Know How to use technology to support formative assessment How to differentiate instruction using technology tools How to use student data to personalize instruction How to better integrate technology devices into instruction How can UDL and technology tools help teachers better serve the needs of students with disabilities in their classroom? AC Remind participants of what teachers said they wanted to know (earlier slides).

Formative Assessment to Personalize Learning Formative assessment is a critical element in differentiating and personalizing instruction. Use ongoing assessment in your classroom to: Map the learning journey – gather information to map progress toward learning goals Stay on track – gain insight into student progress, identify areas of weakness, refine teaching, and select appropriate technology supports Plan new routes – define goals for the next unit, select practices and tools, recognize progress and identify needed supports

Benefits of Formative Assessment Teachers better able to: Refine learning goals (related to state standards) based on a student’s strengths and weaknesses Revise and modify teaching practices, including identifying ways to differentiate instruction Select and integrate appropriate technology supports into the instructional process Using tech tools to collect student responses in real-time can help teachers to be more flexible in teaching and lesson planning Getting a clear pictures of who needs what, when

Google Forms for Entry/Exit Tickets Collect student responses to quizzes, exit tickets, prompts, or open-ended questions using Google Forms. Responses are instantly fed into a spreadsheet allowing you to view all student responses or create graphs of student answers. Doing a math quick check of facts? Instantly see that 75% of your class understood the content, or which students need additional support.

Kaizena for Google Docs/Microsoft Word On-going feedback tool and embed videos and resources to help explain

Socrative

Formative At a glance, you can see, in real time which students “get it” and which are struggling.

Group Share What are your favorite tools or ideas for formative assessment? Summative is when you sit down to dinner and eat the meal after it’s prepared Formative is taste testing when you are in the kitchen… Because we can collect formative data, we can use that to personalize the learning and incorporate UDL learning concepts

UDL Video

Discussion Thoughts on the video? How do you explain UDL and differentiation to the educators with whom you work?

Harnessing the Power of Technology Technology integration to support inclusive teaching AC

Think About… The types of technology students were using 10 years ago… What did AT look like?

Quick Poll Which new (or emerging) technology – either assistive or mainstream – are you most excited about? What do you think holds the most potential for students with disabilities?

Game Changers Smaller and less expensive hardware (e.g., compact devices and wearable electronics) Reductions in power needs and availability of cheaper, smaller power sources Improvements in Internet networks and broadband capabilities New developments in user interfaces and input options (e.g., touch screens, gesture recognition, brain interfaces, haptic feedback) Open-source and community development (e.g., Arduino, DIY and Makerspaces) Access to tools of creation (e.g., 3D printers, Raspberry Pi, app development tools) This explosion of new technologies has profoundly affected the ways in which students with and without disabilities are using digital devices and resources for learning. rapid changes in technology will continue to shape the future of special education, blurring the lines between AT and mainstream technology

Brain Computer Interfaces Image source Image Source Brain computer interfaces Image Source

Smart Glasses for the Blind wearables Image source

Haptic Shoes for the Blind The white cane, the most commonly-used assistive device by the visually-impaired, has changed little in more than a 100 years even as technology has leap-frogged centuries. Our challenge was to find a simple solution to a problem few had thought to tackle and our answer lay in haptics or the technology of touch. Wearable and haptic feedback http://www.lechal.com/

Virtual Reality in the Classroom Image source

Video Chatting in the Classroom Distance collaboration Image source

Braille Smartphone New interfaces Image source

3D Printing Access to tools of production – 3D printing Image source

Apple Accessibility Video