Literacy Mashups: Great for Special Ed

K12 Online Conference Presentation: Free Tools for Universal Design for Learning in Literacy by Jennifer Kraft

Takeaways

Jennifer started her presentation by discussing student examples. These student struggle with reading and as a result find everything else difficult and frustrating, and sometimes aren’t able to participate in the same activities as their classmates.

She then discussed way to use technology to support literacy. (Used Glogster in her presentation.)

• Text to Speech: use to read books for leisure and textbooks; Adobe Acrobat Reader: download speech option and turn it on; Click, Speak; ReadPlease;
• Text to MP3: ReadtheWords: type words and they are changed to mp3; Spoken Text (highly recommend); YakiTome;
• Speech to Text: say a report and it is automatically typed; Jott: call to leave message, it becomes email or text message and is delivered;
• EBooks: Project Gutenberg, ManyBooks.net, Wowio, Planet eBooks, MS Reader Catalog of eBooks, Fictionwise, Free-eBooks.net; some cost money, some are free, have student listen and read along. (may need to do some sort of conversion of the file.) Reminder free/no cost does not mean copyright free.
• Research Tools: Notetaking: Google Notebook, Evernote (website clipping), ubernote; Bookmarking: delicious, diigo; Time Management : Google calendar, Airset; Word Processors: Open Office, Google Documents (collaborative),
• Concept Mapping: *Bubble.us, *Mindomo, Gliffy, Dabbleboard, Freemind
• Other Tools: Word Prediction: Let Me Type; Spelling: Meriam Webster Firefox Tools, Ghotit; Math: Graph-Calc; On-Screen Keyboard: Click-n-Type;

These tools could be combined to create Literacy Mashups.

Documents/Books Read Aloud

• Google Docs + Firefox Click, Speak Extension
• MS Reader + Lotus Symphony
• E-books + Adobe PDF Reading

Notes Taken and Kept in one Place

• Firefox + Google Notebook

Concept Mapping Read Aloud

• Bubblus + Firefox + CLICK, Speak

Universal Design for Learning requires:

• Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge (text to speech, ability to access textbook and reading for enjoyment)
• Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know (speech to text, concept mapping, and researching)
• Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners’ interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation (use tools to present information in various ways to engage them)

URLs of session and further resources:

• Glogster: Free Tools for UDL for Literacy
• Agape Learning
• delicious bookmarks for K12 Online Conference
• Cast: Transforming education through Universal Design for Learning
• Writing4all Presentation by Cheryl Oakes

I am familiar with several of these tools. But the way in which Jennifer combined them to meet the needs of students and apply universal design for learning principals is insightful.

I recommend that our special education teachers view this presentation and investigate the suggested tools. I’ve just installed the Meriam Webster Firefox tool that adds this dictionary as a search choice in my Firefox search box.  Having watched the quick introduction video at Evernote, I want to create an account and try this out. I want to investigate the Adobe reader text to speech feature. For my personal use, I may install the FireFox Click Speak Add on. In the evenings when I find time to catch up on the feeds in my reader, my eyes are often tired. I would like to be able to just listen to the articles.

Do you Know How to ChaCha?

My daughter comes up with some good questions while we are in the car.

When was the first McDonalds opened?
Where is Laos?
When is the next lunar eclipse?

“We will have to Google that,” I reply. But we usually forget by the time we get home. Another spontaneous, relevant learning opportunity lost.

No more. ChaCha to the rescue. Using a mobile phone, we can call 1.800.24.2242 and state the question. In a few minutes we will receive a text message answer. The 800 call won’t result in any charges on my phone bill. Since we have a plan for texting that won’t result in a charge either. Pretty slick.

We are looking at Halloween costumes and my daughter finds a Rose Maiden costume she likes. “But what is a Rose Maiden? Do I want to be a Rose Maiden?” Within seconds we have an answer from ChaCha that includes a hyperlink. Later, when I visited the link it displayed a webpage with my question, the answer, and the website where Rebbeca G., our Guide, found the answer (cia.gov). There is also a link to Rebbeca G.’s profile identifying her areas of expertise.

You can also send a text question to 242242. For example, I can text “weather 65781″ and receive back a text with the forecast for Willard. Or try texting “Send me a joke.”

If you create an account at ChaCha.com, all your questions and answers are saved to your account, along with the source site and Guide information.

If you have Caller ID blocked or are calling from a carrier they do not support, it won’t work. You must have text messaging enabled on your phone. This won’t work with a landline phone.

Image Credit: Cell Phone by rig329 CC Attribution Non-Commerical Sharealike License