Form Pilot Activity

The form pilot activity wasn't terribly hard and is definitely a good resource. While it's definitely originally created for filling out forms or applications, I also feel like it could be a great classroom tool for having students complete quizzes or worksheets on a computer. Once the teacher has created the template, it would be simple for students to use after minimal instructions are provided. And because of the way it is set up students wouldn't even need to be capable of using a mouse. As for the additional "brownie point" challenge, I found this quite difficult at first and almost even gave up on it after getting rather frustrated but I did finally manage to work through it in the end, and I think it is a worthwhile tool to have especially if it was going to be used in a classroom where the bold type may be easier for a student. The only other part of the project that I found frustrating was actually handing it in, hence why I haven't so far even though I am already blogging about it. I saved it as a form pilot document and the digital dropbox won't accept it. Any thoughts on how I can get digital dropbox to send the assignment?

Alternate Formats Reflection

So I am done with the Alternate Formats Activity and definitely pretty excited about it as I found it definitely rather frustrating. There is definitely a lot of frustration that builds for me out of the uncertainty of working with a program I am not knowledgeable about. To start with I had a lot of difficulty finding the most recent version for the Mac and even after I found an update and downloaded it I couldn't find the features that I was supposed to have...leading me to believe that I had not actually downloaded the newest version. Regardless, thanks to some good friends who don't have Macs (PC users aren't all bad) I was able to add a bubble note anyway. I was actually pleasantly surprised on the other hand about uploading the PDF biology file into Kurzweil, as it was easier than I expected...that is if one is willing to accept the orange worm turning pink, which I was. I read the help section and apparently color not being displayed quite right is a fairly common issue with the Mac version when uploading other file formats. Overall the project wasn't as much work as I expected, just one of those rare days though that makes me think maybe life would be easier with a PC.

Universal Design is Done

Before...




After...
So here's my UDL Project....well a link anyway. After a lot of effort trying to figure out how to post my power point presentation so you could all see it, I decided to go with the best possible option I could find. Not ideal, so here are some necessary steps if you want to see it...

Visit the website below, which will take you to pocket knowledge and my file "Pollution and Recycling". Pocket knowledge may require you to sign in first so if you don't already have an account you may have to create one, it's free! Also when you open the file you will need to go to Slide Show and then click on View Show to see the presentation. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to email me.

http://pocketknowledge.tc.columbia.edu/home.php/viewfile/35732

Universal Design on the way to after...

So I apologize for the lack of explanation and detail attached to my directions. I was hoping to be able to acquire a picture to go with it and then explain the two, but as of recently no one has been to my parent's house, where the rest of the project presently is, so I will get that posted as soon as possible. So the directions are actually directions for a center I created for my third grade students last year. Therefore, I was hoping to also post a picture of the center itself (and will do so as soon as possible). The center and consequently the tasks were focused on pollution, garbage and recycling. At the center there was a variety of non-fiction books and magazine articles about these topics for students to read and look through in order for students to find information pertaining to the different areas and work through the tasks.
From a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) perspective there are certainly many things that could be changed about these tasks that could improve the likelihood of success for a variety of students. To start with, as I just described the center, there could be a wider variety of media at the center from which to acquire information. For example, there could be a laptop or computer with a list of various websites (or even with websites bookmarked) with information about recycling, garbage, or pollution. There could also be books on tape (teacher-created or bought). As well as newspaper clippings or fictional books on the topic.
Although the center did contain rubrics to guide students in meeting the criteria for each task there are other accomodations that could be made in order to aid students in better understanding expectations. This could include having samples of what exemplary finished products might look like or having directions available in an audio format.
Finally, expectations for student outcomes could be varied to make the center more accessible to a variety of students. Presently, students were expected to move through the tasks on each card in order. One easy accomodation would be to allow students to choose only a couple of tasks, therefore disregarding order, for each section, possibly from a wider range of options, so students can choose tasks that align with their skills and interests. Another possibility, which could be easier to accomplish given the presence of a computer (as discused earlier in reference to other informational media) would be to allow students a greater variety of media options in presenting their information, such as typing or drawing on the computer rather than by hand. In the center's present state there were folders with a few different types of papers for students to choose between depending on what they felt was most appropriate for the task at hand. These are just some potential changes to the present tasks and directions to move them, and the center as a whole, into a UDL-friendly envronment.