Prerequisite skills & knowledge: Interest in supporting struggling students

Description

This presentation will provide participants with an introduction to the instructional design methodologies of universal design for learning and differentiated instruction. Emphasis will be placed on applying the principles to support the engagement and success of diverse students in general education classrooms. Selected web-based tools, strategies, and resources will be demonstrated. Participants/teams will be encouraged to develop a plan for implementing new tools and strategies within their classroom and school.

Outcomes:

• Participants will demonstrate how to access core resources about universal design and differentiated instruction compare and contrast differences in philosophical approaches.

• Planning tools and resources will be provided to assist participants/teams in integrating selected technology tools into their classroom and school.

• Participants will describe how selected resources can be used to differentiate curriculum, instruction, and assessment for students with disabilities and students who struggle to be successful on academic tasks.

The following web sites will be explored as examples of resource materials as well as models for implementing various types of universal design blueprints:

Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age
http://www.cast.org/tes/
(Introduction to Universal Design for Learning, online book)

CSS ZenGarden
http://www.csszengarden.com
(CSS Style Sheets as a web design technique for making accessible text)

Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu
(Example of tiered multilingual text)

StarChild
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
(Example of text that talks)

Reading Bar
http://www.readplease.com
Browse Aloud
http://www.browsealoud.com
(Examples of talking web browser software)

Voycabularly
http://www.voycabulary.com
(Example of cgi script that links every word to a dictionary)

Visual Thesaurus
http://www.visualthesaurus.com
(Example of web site and software that graphs word relationships)

NetTrekker
http://www.nettrekker.com
(Example of readability estimates for 180,000 educational web pages)

Tic-Tac-Toe
http://www.uwm.edu/~edyburn/tictactoe.html
(Examples of instructional planning grids and how to use them)

Outline

Session Outline

I. Introduction and Welcome

II. Startup: Access Session web page at http://www.uwm.edu/~edyburn/

For the balance of the session, participants will interact with prepared resources on the session web page that are organized by the following outline

III. The Need for Universal Design Strategies
A. Academic Diversity
B. Expectations of NCLB

IV. Guided Exploration
A. Digital Text vs. Printed Text
B. CSS Style Sheets
C. Tiered Multilingual Learning Materials
D. Text That Talks
E. Browsers That Talk
F. Accessing Vocabulary and Concepts
G. Finding the Right Reading Level for Students

The presenter will circulate among the participants to assist those having trouble accessing any of the resources. Interactive discussion will engage the participants in their evaluation of the resources they are viewing.

There will be no difference in the resources or content between Mac and Windows users.

Participants will be able to bookmark all resources of personal importance.

Outline (for BYOL)

Session Outline

I. Introduction and Welcome

II. Startup: Access Session web page at http://www.uwm.edu/~edyburn/

For the balance of the session, participants will interact with prepared resources on the session web page that are organized by the following outline

III. The Need for Universal Design Strategies
A. Academic Diversity
B. Expectations of NCLB

IV. Guided Exploration
A. Digital Text vs. Printed Text
B. CSS Style Sheets
C. Tiered Multilingual Learning Materials
D. Text That Talks
E. Browsers That Talk
F. Accessing Vocabulary and Concepts
G. Finding the Right Reading Level for Students

The presenter will circulate among the participants to assist those having trouble accessing any of the resources. Interactive discussion will engage the participants in their evaluation of the resources they are viewing.

There will be no difference in the resources or content between Mac and Windows users.

Participants will be able to bookmark all resources of personal importance.

Supporting Research

Brinck, T. (2005). Return on goodwill: Return on investment for accessibility. In R.G., Bias, & D.J. Mayhew (Eds.), Cost-justifying usability (2nd ed.) (pp. 385-414). Boston: Elsevier.

Rose, D.H., Hasselbring, T.S., Stahl, S., & Zabala, J. (2005). Assistive technology and universal design for learning: Two sides of the same coin. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 507-518). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Rose, D.H., Meyer, A., & Hitchcock, C. (Eds.). (2005). The universally designed classroom: Accessible curriculum and digital technologies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Presenter Background

The presenter is a noted authority on universal design in education. He has presented on the topic at previous conferences and national webinars and has published articles on the topic. As a research, teacher eduator, and national workshop presenter, he presents comprehensive and practical resource collections to teachers and technology specialists.