Interactive whiteboards have the capacity of bringing content to more students.  In my classroom, I have an interactive whiteboard, but I have only marginally used it to increase accessibility and engagement.  I have relied heavily on the document camera without taking advantage of the smart Board.  Much of this is because of my own hesitation to use technology that I am not familiar with and also because of a lack of time to explore and create presentations.  As I become increasingly digital I hope to use the Smart Board in lessons and to create activities and resources that can be used in consecutive years.  

The Smart Board allows for information to be displayed both visually and in writing.  Many of my students need explicit instruction and multiple representations of information.  Smart Board provides a resource that can help to accomplish this.  Many of my students require repetition and multiple opportunities to practice, and Smart Board presentations, can also help to accomplish this in the creation of interactive presentations.  I teach a large English Language Learner population and know that understanding is aided by providing multiple representations and points of access to curriculum and activities as well as a varied opportunity to apply and practice new skills.

How do you as educators find additional 'tricks' or tools when creating Smartboard presentations?Do your schools offer professional development around Smartboard use?  Do you meet with colleagues to share presentations or strategies?

Diigo: I like the idea of being able to create or insert comments, highlights and sticky notes directly onto web pages. What a great way to offer step-by-step instruction, or to encourage discussion and questions about the content. I wonder what would happen to those pages should you change computers. Do they save automatically to your account, or does the 'master' copy have to be 'edited' on the computer you are using. I have yet to open a page I modified on another computer, but am interested in trying tomorrow to see what happens if you log into your account on another computer. One of my initial questions was how students log on if they do not have an e-mail address, but that was answered in the video. I am a little confused as to how to create groups, without students e-mail addresses. Do they all have to create an account? Do they share an account? Once again, I think this will just require a little exploration, on at least two computers. Regardless I like this site for setting up websites or articles that I plan on reading with my students. Since we don't have laptops available for student use, I would primarily use this to prepare and modify content that I am sharing with the whole class during lessons.


Little Bird Tales: The video noted that there is a long lead time before the 'Tale' begins, but I think that the use of images would allow us to ask students to predict what this tale will be about or think of their own stories. As I was on the site playing, I thought that it would be a great idea to combine Little Bird Tales and Diigo and use both simultaneously. Out of all of the sites, I found this one to be the most appealing. It would be hard to create individual tales for all of the students in my class, but I do think that it would be great to use with students that need extra support or are English Language Learners. Since my students don't have tablets, I would maybe ask them to think of a story beforehand so that images can be downloaded previous to the meeting that they could then choose from. Or their own drawings could be uploaded and used. I really liked that the stories could be embedded to other sites. This allows for sharing to be done with even more ease.


Stixy: I would use this site more for planning and sharing information or ideas, rather than as an instructional tool. It could be a great outlet to create a site for parents and students to visit and leave notes or comments, although I wonder about the visibility and challenges in keeping track of all the notes. I picture it being a place for a parent to post a quick question and then the teacher can post a quick answer. Then the information is there for others to also refer to. It can be used for class announcements or suggestions as well.


Popplet: This was a cool way to present information and to show connections, that also allows for comments and questions, but I'm not sure that my fourth graders would benefit greatly from this site. I have to really think about when and in what context I would use this.

Voice Thread: This site and program is pretty incredible. I like their commitment to universal access. It is a great way to facilitate discussion, critiques, debates, presentations. I also think it can be used as a tool for fluency and for focusing on how to improve our ability to read fluency which is critical for comprehension.


Prezi: This program can be used to present information or to collaborate with others. I like that it gives more flexibility than your standard powerpoint. The zoom feature makes it much easier to easily highlight important information or tasks. 

Titan Pad: Very similar to google docs, as long as you remember (in both) to select colors. We use Google docs frequently at my school during meetings or after meetings to comment on meeting notes, pose new questions, request modifications to the agenda, etc. This type of document is pretty incredible in general. Titan Pad seems to offer the same great benefits, but I think it would be hard to leave Google Docs as that has already become my primary, go-to site for sharing documents. I did like the timed aspect of Titan Pad though.

What did you think? What were potential accessibility issues? How would you change it?

After reviewing the Bookshare website, I was blown away by the variety and number of titles they have available.  Sometimes I wonder if they will offer the books that students are currently interested in and reading, but most of the texts that seem to be continual favorites for my students are indeed on the site.  I am however still disappointed that this program is limited in terms of free access to only certain disabilities.  I do believe that this program would be so beneficial to so many students, that I only wish that it could be made available to a wider audience.  Of course, even if it was available to my students I would still have to consider how many of my students would actually have access to the program.  I teach at a Title I school and many of my students do not have computer or internet access at home. Whereas I have a relatively rich classroom in terms of materials and resources, we do not have spare computers for student use.  I hope that as Bookshare grows and as technology becomes increasingly available and affordable, perhaps we will see more equity in the future in terms of access and use of technology.

How is Bookshare funded?  How much would it cost to make this a service that is free to all students?  Would schools be willing to spend a portion of their budget on maintaining this program to subsidize the cost of receiving the services offered through the program?

What did you think? What were potential accessibility issues? How would you change it?

I think that the IPad has definite benefits for use in the classroom.  My biggest concern is that it could further the inequalities that we see in schools.  Students who are from families that can afford to buy an IPad for their child will reap the benefit of the applications and exploration that it allows.  I worry that this will result in a further unfair advantage for these students over the students who come from low socio-economic families.  After seeing toddlers using IPads and smart phones, I can only imagine how far behind students who do not have access to these devices may feel upon entering school.  Even for our assignment, I felt that I was at a disadvantage because I do not have an IPad and live far from campus.  This past week was busy at work and I stayed until after 7 each night.  I also volunteered at my school on Saturday and worked through Sunday.  Because of this, I did not have a chance to even try to upload the article to the Subtext site.  I generally enjoy a challenge, but I felt frustrated to feel that I was at an automatic disadvantage.  I would imagine that many of our students will feel similarly when attending schools in which some students have access to the latest and most up to date devices, while others do not even have access to a computer or internet.  

The following article describes a school that eschews the use of technology in the classroom and even at home.  Although I believe this is an extreme and doesn't necessarily take into account the benefits and necessity of assistive technology, it is nevertheless an interesting counter argument to the current trends in school across the nation.  Do we wait for true equality before introducing technology in classrooms, or do we provide as we can to different schools, neighborhoods and students?  What will be more beneficial in the long run?

I believe that schools should foster equality and I worry that schools that are provided with the funds or donations of IPads for each classroom or even every student, goes against that basic belief.  Wouldn't it be amazing if for every five IPads sold, Apple donated one to schools.  We would certainly take the first generation.  Is this fair to ask of corporations or companies?  How can we ensure that we are allowing for equality in access to technology in the classroom?   

To provide for the first principle of universal design, or equitable use, any playground should be designed to accommodate children using crutches, canes, walkers, or wheelchairs, and to provide opportunities for social, cognitive, sensory and motor activity and engagement.  If playgrounds are built with this consideration in mind, the playground should inevitably accommodate a wide range of interests, preferences and abilities.  Funding would be needed, as well as a commitment to finding and creating open spaces to plan and build the playgrounds of the future.  For these playgrounds to exist there has to be support and a common consensus that the equipment and changes that are designed to meet the needs of some children, will in fact benefit all children.  The design must take into consideration the space and the size needed for access by all children (principle seven).  When thinking about accessibility issues, there are of course deeper issues facing any area, such as access to transportation, finding caregivers and aids to assist those children that may need constant supervision and aid when engaging in physical activities, but these playgrounds can be built.  The designs and equipment exist, but communities need to be educated in the importance of utilizing and incorporating these designs when building new structures or renovating old playgrounds.  Since funding is so limited, especially in recent years, a viable solution may be to create modifications to existing structures that allow these structures to be more accessible.  Rather than replacing all of the swings with more modern, wider swings that allow for physically disabled children to use them, maybe just one swing is switched.  Ramps can be built over existing steps.  It will take creativity and a drive, but to ensure that all children have access and feel included in such a public space, would surely be worth it.

How can we motivate community members to have a vested interest in improving our parks and playground spaces?  How do we encourage all parents and community members to advocate and care for a minority of the park users?

In thinking about the playground that I visited, and looking at it through the lens of the Seven Universal Design Principles, I began to imagine some of the improvements that could be made to the space.  Fortunately, others have also had similar ideas so there were a plethora of examples that outline and show how parks and playground spaces can be envisioned to be made accessible and 'user friendly' to all students.  

The simple motion of a wavy surface such as the one pictured above can provide entertainment for all children.  It's like a mini-rollercoaster for a wheelchair and permanent wave for feet.

The park above included swings that are tempting for even adults to sit in.  Specially designed and harnessed for students with limited mobility, they can also be used by fully-able bodied children as well.  I'd even be tempted to sit and swing in one, definitely an upgrade from the cracked leather slates of the swings in my youth.

Even cooler.

It would be important to ensure access to all areas of the playground to those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility.

At the end of the day the hope is that all children, big, small, walking, immobile, learning disabled or typically developing have spaces that allow them to just be kids.

The overview of the Universal Design for Learning, highlighted the basic principles of the UDL philosophy and core understandings.  Of these I find that the idea that each and every student in a classroom is unique to be the most important.  As classrooms become more diverse and as educators learn new methodologies and more about the intricacies of learning, the belief that each of our students are individuals should and will be at the forefront of education.  Old approaches simply no longer work.  Educators are not willing to accept that students have to bend their learning to our practices.  We see and place value in the diversity of thinking and learning.  As educators we have to understand and believe that all students know and all students want to know.  It is the challenge that we accept when we take on the responsibility of teaching to constantly improve and reflect upon our teaching.  

The Future is in the Margins proposes that classrooms and teaching as we know it today is on the precipice of a major shift in thinking.  As new technology is developed and introduced into our classrooms, there will be new opportunities for students to gain access to content and to practice skills.  This technology is not meant to make teaching easier, but to create new entry points for students.  To increase their engagement and understanding.  I found it particularly exciting when Rose and Meyer stated that 'the capacity of multiple media and new technology means that there will be a more diverse and flexible palette for communication' (page 3).  In this sense, we are creating an opportunity and mindset that explores how to create and develop classrooms and settings in which all learners ultimately benefit by creating a richer menu of means to represent information, allow for students to express their understanding, and create new methods for students to become and continue to be excited and enthusiastic about learning.  I fully support the move towards Universal Design Learning in that I subscribe to the belief that we have to push ourselves as educators to discover and convey these means to students.  Through this, we will encourage collaboration and conscious learning in ways that have yet to be seen in actuality.