Universal Design Practices

Universal design is ensuring that all of our educational programs and experiences serve all students.  We, as educators, need to meet the needs of all of our students.  There are so many ways that people describe Universal Design, but all of them focus on the fact that every student needs to be given the opportunity to be successful, no matter what challenges they may have.

I think that diffentiation and Universal Design are very similar.  Click on this link to see how they have been compared.  By differentiating our teaching and assessment, we ensure that all students are able to access the curriculum material and by differentiating our assessment, we ensure that students can be successful. In a school where Universal Design Practices are put into action, students are able to overcome their limitations.

Universal Design Practices at our school

1.       Ramps for wheelchairs.

We do not have any children in a wheelchair right now, however, in the past we have had students who have undergone operations where they have had to be in a wheelchair.  The ramps allow them access to any room in the school.  As well, any visitors requiring wheelchairs can easily access any classroom they are there to visit or attend any celebrations or sporting events occurring in the gym.

2.       Power access automatic door openers.

We have wall switches that allow students or visitors in a wheelchair to get through any doors with the touch of a button.  We have some students on crutches right now and by using this switch it is much easier and safer for them to get through the doors.

3.       Sound Systems

We currently have three classrooms with a sound system.  This allows children who may have hearing or listening difficulties to access the information from the teacher.  This is essential for some students, but benefits all students.

4.       Homework Club

Every first recess and a few lunch hours a week, we offer a homework club for our students.  Students are able to go there to get extra support to enhance their learning or to work on collaborative projects.

5.       Desks and chairs

Desks are all adjustable to meet the needs for all students.  As well, chairs have balls on the bottom for those students sensitive to the noise that they would make.  In addition, we have one student who has undergone surgery for his Scoliosis and our school purchased a more comfortable chair to meet his needs.

6.       Technology available

We have many technology tools available for students.

-Computers

-ipads

-netbooks

-software available on the computers and netbooks

-ipads have many apps on them to meet students needs

Students who have been identified with exceptionalities can also be granted technology tools to meet their needs.  I have a student in my class with a board purchased ipad and two students in Grade 5 with board purchased ipads, as well as one student in Grade 8 with a board purchased laptop.

Grade 6 Flight Lesson

Goal:  Students will use Bernoulli's Principle to design a paper airplane that will fly (a long distance and that stays in the air a long time).

This lesson is focusing the content area of Flight, which is in the Grade 6 science curriculum.  The goal of this lesson is for students to explain ways in which properties of air can be applied to a flying device that they have created.  

 The curriculum expectations that this lesson will address are:

-          Use technological problem-solving skills to design, build, and test a flying device

-          Use a variety of forms to communicate with different audiences for different purposes

-          Follow established safety procedures for using tools and materials and operating flying devices

Introduction:

The students will first complete the following activity using ipads (https://download.elearningontario.ca/repository/13/1357760000/LO9089%20-%20Testing%20Paper%20Airplanes.html).  This will be a great review of the four forces of flight and Bernoulli’s Principle (these would have been previously taught, along with the parts of the airplane).  This activity is found on the OERB.  In this activity, students will also have the opportunity to virtually test an airplane.  This will be a great introduction to their next activity.   This will be completed in pairs.  This will give students the opportunity to collaborate and share ideas.  This activity allows for differentiation for students as well.  The information can be read to students or they can read it themselves.  This activity is great for visual learners.  They can see the test flight occur in a virtual setting.  They will also observe changes to the airplane and how the plane’s flight path changes.

Activity:

Students will be provided with 8 ½ inch by 11 inch paper, sample plane designs, tape, scissors, meter stick and Ipad.

Before students begin to work, a discussion about safety while testing their airplanes will occur.  Students will brainstorm ideas as a class and these ideas will be recorded on a googledocs document and shared with each student.  Students will be able to edit this document if they come up with other safety procedures that weren’t thought of during the discussion.

Students will work in pairs and either use the sample plane designs or one that they find on their own to fold and test.  Each pair will be given a testing area.  Students will be given time to work on their airplanes.

They will test each design that they have made to see how they work.  They will choose one design and take an image and a video of the flight. 

Each pair will import the image and video into their googledocs account (they can do this by creating a presentation).  The group will share this presentation with the other groups. 

The pairs will then observe another groups image and video and comment on their design and the flight of their plane.  They will provide the group with feedback.

Once a pair has given feedback to another group or two, they will check their own presentation and read the feedback that was given to them.

Students will have an opportunity to make changes to their plane and test it again.  They will have to respond to the comments that were given to them and share how the changes they made affected the flight of their plane.

Students will continue to test fly their plane.  They will perform 3 test flights while recording the distance and the time the plane spent in the air in their google docs presentation (students will video each test and import it into their presentation as well). 

After everyone completes their test flights we will come together as a class and record the flight distances and times onto a class chart to see which group and design flew the longest distance and for the longest time.

Assessment:

You would assess the design of their plane and the feedback (thinking) that occurred when they commented to other groups.

Have the students respond to two reflection questions and collect them to assess the responses.

1)      What did you like about your design and why?

2)      What changes would you make to your design and why?

(when responding to these questions some students may need scribing or the use of premiere or the use of dragon dictate, depending on the needs of the student).

Throughout the entire activity you would be observing the groups to ensure they were being safe and could assess this as well.

Tools that assist students with Dyslexia

We come across many students in our teaching careers that may have a Learning Disability or Exceptionality and it is our job to provide the necessary tools in order for this student to be successful. Do you ever wonder technology can benefit a student with dyslexia? Students with dyslexia can have basic reading problems (i.e., difficulty understanding the relationship between sounds, letters and words) and reading comprehension (i.e., inability to grasp the meaning of words, phrases, and paragraphs). These students may have problems reading, writing, spelling, and speaking. Here are some possible technology tools that could benefit students with dyslexia.  

Text-to-speech apps and software such as Kurzweil and Premier Technology -- this allows text to be read out loud. This would benefit this student by providing an auditory version of the text, which is great for students with low comprehension when give a text to read. They also provide students with a digital dictionary which will give this student a deeper understanding of the words within this text. Using Kurzweil, this student would have the ability to embed audio notes within a text to give him/her the ability to express themselves. This software models fluent reading; the students are able to see the highlighted words that are being read and can hear what they sound like at the same time. These software programs can also read text as students write and by listening students receive instant feedback and can make corrections.

Livescribe Smartpen can also be used to assist this student. This pen allows students to not only take notes, but to audio record what is being said. This would allow this student to listen to information again while linking the audio to the notes that were taken. A teacher can also create a study note for this student and add audio to support his/her learning needs. This would allow this student to use this audio note instead of trying to read over the notes that they would find very difficult to read and understand.  

Voxdox is another text-to-speech app for an ipad that could also be beneficial for this student. This app has the ability for a dyslexic student to snap a picture of a document and this app will read the document to the student. This is very beneficial for this student when they have difficulties reading and comprehending the information. This app will allow this student to hear the information. This student is also able to take a snapshot of a test and have it read to them so that they understand the directions.

 Lastly, Read & Write Gold can provide a student with dyslexia the support they need to be successful in the classroom, especially in the area of reading and writing. This software has so many capabilities such as, a talking dictionary (can have pictures as well), spell checker, word prediction, word wizard (this provides new and alternative words as well as information about the words and definitions that can all be read outloud), text to speech ability, and many more. This software is also beneficial for this student as it has the ability to read the words as a student types them, giving him/her the opportunity to self-edit and correct their work.
Click here to find out about all of the features.

These are only a few of the technology tools that could benefit a student with dyslexia. Students would have to find the tool or tools that best suit their needs and the teacher can assist students in discovering which tools would be most effective for them.

Assistive Technology Tools

There are so many assistive technology tools that I have access to and use in teaching.    The three assistive technology tools that I am going to review are ones that I have available to use in my school.  They are ipads, Premier technology software and a SMART Board.   There are so many more tools that are available in the 21^st century and I enjoy learning about the benefits of each one and then exploring them myself to see how the tools can benefit my students.  There are always obstacles in the way of incorporating the tools in my classroom, as many tools have a cost involved. 

IPADS

Two years ago our school purchased 20 new ipads for students to use.  We currently have these 20 ipads and 4 ipads minis for the entire school.  Our grade 8 class has 8 netbooks and 8 ipad minis that the board purchased for them just this year.  This teacher does allow other classes to use those resources when she is not using them.  I have found them to be a great tool in the classroom.  There are endless possibilities of educational games and programs that any student would be lucky to have the opportunity to interact with. IPads are easy enough for students in elementary school to use, but have enough software developed that students in high school would benefit from their use as well. Ipads can be used in the classroom to deepen learning for students. 

This is why and how:

-there are more than 20,000 educational apps for all kinds of learners

-an ipad has video mirroring, so that educators can share their content with a classroom of students (iPad can be connected to a computer and therefore seen on a Smartboard or projector screen)

- iPads appeal to a variety of different learning styles for individual students and there are so many apps that can be used for differentiated  instruction and assessment, as well as these apps allow students to demonstrate their learning in a way that suits them

-dropbox is a great way for teachers to send documents and links to individual students’ folders, which contain their individualized learning materials.

-iPads can also be used to provide extension activities for students who need higher-order thinking challenges which can be  These can take the form of webquests, quizzes, and geocaching

-they also allow educators to create short instructional videos to provide support for those students who need it and the students that may need to watch the lesson several times have that opportunity (lessons are no longer a one shot deal)

- students who need support taking notes will find the app “AudioNote” useful. This app will record the speaker while the student types notes, creating an audio recording of the lesson to review learning.

-iPads can be used for students to create presentations and create videos, as well as they are able to work together with the iPads for projects, creating videos, to chat about their reading, etc. 

-iPads can be utilized in every subject area and can be used for various activities where students are to think critically and solve problems

Here is a link outlining more ideas for the use of ipads in the classroom:

http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/62-ideas-for-using-the-ipad-in-the-classroom/

Here are 25 more ways to use ipads to enhance learning:

http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/25-ways-to-use-tablets-to-enhance-the-learning-experience/

See how iPad is transforming teaching and learning at all levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24R1QJAXL4s

We use ipads almost every day in my classroom (depending on availability).  Students use them to collaborate, create videos, create presentations, use google docs and many more.  I use ipads for literature circle work.  Students are able to video their discussions (which allows them to watch it again, especially those students with memory difficulties), take pictures of work that was completed, as well as share answers to comprehension questions for each chapter and create a google docs presentation that can be worked on collaboratively by all group members (one page per chapter).  This would give all group members access to the same information and allow for better understanding of the book.  The ipad could also be used, in many cases, for the group to create a final assignment of their learning that could easily be shared with the rest of the class. 

Premier Technology Software

Premier Technology Software provides several programs all in one. It is a powerful easy-to-use literacy tool which

acts as a Word Processor for all students, provides text-to-speech capabilities on the web as well as with scanned or electronic documents.  It also provides word prediction; talking dictionary; talking calculator; and help students organize their note taking. 

How can this be used to support learning?

-each user has the ability to adjust the software options based on their needs as well as their individualized style of learning.

-any school using this program can also sign up for an “at home” use

-this assists students who have difficulty  reading, as it reads text for them, it assists students in editing their work, as it will read their written work over for them where they can then identify errors and the word prediction helps students with their spelling.

-this can be used in every subject area. Especially subjects like Language (responses can be written using Premier), as well as science and social studies when completing projects where research is involved, Premier can read the information for students that may have comprehension difficulties.

- it can help in all subject areas to assist students in organizing their note taking.

This technology is very useful for some, but good for all. It can help any student read or write more effectively. 

Click here and here to find out more.

Here you can access many training videos.

I have used this in the classroom with students with learning disabilities and without.  Many of my students have benefited from this technology.  I scan texts (readings, science, math, etc) for students to have it read to them.  Students use it to copy text from the web and then have it read to them (especially useful during research projects).  Another way that I have used this technology is by creating study notes.  By scanning notes and text readings, students are able to highlight and extract information to create a study note.  I found this to be a useful feature for many students in my class.   In addition, many of my students complete their writing using premier technology.  They are able to use word prediction, the talking dictionary and the text to speech capabilities.  Many of my students

students benefit from hearing their writing read back to them.  This allows them to make the necessary editing and revising to their own writing.  By hearing their own writing, students can determine where their ideas make sense and where they may not make sense. 

In all, I feel that Premier Technology Software can provide students with some of the necessary skills they may need to be successful in reading and writing.  This technology can definitely be helpful for many learners in your classroom.

SMART Boards

https://smarttech.com/Solutions/Education+Solutions/Products+for+education/Interactive+whiteboards+and+displays/SMART+Board+interactive+whiteboards

This is an excellent interactive tool that found in many classrooms across Canada.  Every classroom in our school is fortunate enough to have a SMART Board in it.  I use mine every day and I believe it helps to enhance student learning.  It is simply described as a whiteboard displaying the image from your computer monitor onto a large touch screen. The SMART Board helps you to make your lessons more interactive and fun by using the SMART Notebook software.  It can be used to show demonstrations, videos and to display student work.  The SMART Board can accommodate many different learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners).  The SMART Notebook Software allows you to develop interactive activities for the whole class as it has many virtual manipulatives available, such as protractors, rulers.  This is particularly helpful in Geometry and rather than sitting one-on-one with 29 students, or trying to use the chalkboard where it is very difficult for students to see the protractor, you can demonstrate on the SMART Board how to measure and construct an angle, as well to construct polygons.  In addition, students can come up and demonstrate their learning for everyone in the class to see.  The more students are involved in the lesson, either by just verbally participating, quietly listening or writing something or interacting in some way with the SMART Board (even better because they love this) the more they learn.

How is this used to support learning?

-use it as a tool for taking up work. Students can come and write answers on the SMART Board.

-while you are having a discussion, you can have a student to type out notes on the computer while you talk, so that the other students can view and take them down.

-use it as a brainstorming tool.  You can put together ideas together as a class and you can also add images, diagrams or videos.

-classroom games can be played easily on the board, especially some board games

-all forms of media– videos, photographs, graphs, maps, illustrations, games, etc. – can be used on the board

-display student work on the SMART Board and discuss it as a class

- you have the ability to organize your lessons to account for all types of learners in your classroom (visual, auditory, kinesthetic learners)

- students are able to access virtual manipulatives to practice concepts

-an ipad can be connected to the SMART Board and whatever is on your ipad screen is displayed on the SMART Board (this is valuable when students are doing work on the ipads and you can quickly display (using a connecting cord) their work for ALL students to see, this allows for great discussions and feedback from the entire class)

Easy to use SMART Boards.  Learn more here.

I use my SMART Board for every subject area.  I find that it is a very valuable tool in the classroom.  All students benefit from the use the SMART Board.  I find that by using videos in a lesson enhances learning.  During our Space unit in Science, I showed students a video about the International Space Station http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doN4t5NKW-k .  This video provides students with a tour of the station and research facilities that is narrated by Commander Sunita Williams of NASA.  This clip allowed students to see and hear about this station.  It peeked their curiosity about space, wanting them to learn more.  They had many questions that we compiled as a group.  This allowed for more inquiry from the students about Space.  This is just one of the many ways that I use the SMART Board in the classroom in order to deepen the learning of my students.

In all, the SMART Board is a valuable tool in the classroom for ALL students.  Nowadays students are growing up surrounded by technology.  We need to embrace this and integrate, as much as we can, the use of technology in the classroom.  I am very lucky to have access to this technology each day.