Digital Literacy eJournal

Table of Contents

Class 1 - Tuesday, July 5, 2022 (Synchronous)
UDL & Differentiation: Working in tandem for inclusive education

Class 2 - Wednesday July 6, 2022 (Asynchronous)
Collective Teacher Efficacy, Firm Goals & Flexible Means

Class 3 - Thursday, July 7, 2022 (Synchronous)
Designing AEM Materials: Access by Design

Class 4 - Friday, July 8, 2022 (Asynchronous)
Read&Write for Google Docs: The Amazing Voice Note

"We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.”

Class 5 - Monday, July 11, 2022 (Synchronous)
Universal Design for Learning: It's Everyone's Business

Class 6 - Tuesday, July 12, 2022 (Asynchronous)
Getting the Message Out: Accessibility is a Human Right

Class 7 - Wednesday, July 13, 2022 (Synchronous)
Our Collective Efficacy: Voices United in Advocating for Change

― John Dewey

Class 8 - Thursday, July 14, 2022 (Asynchronous)
Final Reflections & Sharing Plan

References and Useful Links

Synchronous

Tuesday,
July 5,
2022

UDL & Differentiation: Working in tandem for inclusive education

One of the biggest takeaways for me today is the discussion about differentiation and universal design for learning. How is UDL different? Are they both necessary for inclusive education?

"All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent.”

― John F. Kennedy

For years educators have been told that they need it to differentiate; however, before differentiating, we first need to universally design our classrooms. According to Novak (2022), "UDL proactively designs flexibility in goals, methods, materials, and assessments by embracing variability and predicting barriers, and then by eliminating those barriers to design through design" (p. 54). After we design learning for all students, we can differentiate to support learners who will still need small-group support. This is when we differentiate. UDL and differentiation work in tandem, but UDL must come first. When we design for everyone, with firm goals and flexible means, we are considering all learning needs. Regardless of who enters the classroom, learning is ready for all students. UDL and differentiation are different but not in competition with each other. They are both present in inclusive classrooms.

Chart outlining common UDL myths. It is linked to an accessible format.

Universal Design for Learning

Myths & Facts

Speech balloon with the word myths inside it.

Speech balloon with the word facts inside it.

"Creating a more equitable and inclusive system involves unlearning and a change of mindset from students, teachers, administrators, and parents" (Novak, 2022, p. 61). Creating this more equitable and inclusive system involves learning what Universal Design for Learning is and what it isn't. Click on the image to the left to learn more about some of the facts and myths about UDL.

A graphic that shows the connections between people.

The principles of universal design greatly impact my practice. As a coach, I have the opportunity to reach teachers during practice. The information I share with them is direct and can be applied. If I do not go in with a universally designed mindset, I am reinforcing that it is OK not to plan ahead for diverse learners. I have the opportunity to change teachers' practice, and that will affect hundreds, perhaps thousands of students. No pressure!

Impact on My Practice

UDL + Differentiation = Inclusive Education

Asynchronous

Wednesday,
July 6,
2022

Collective Teacher Efficacy, Firm Goals & Flexible Means

Take our UDL quiz here!

An alarm clock that says quiz time inside it.

"We rise by lifting others."

― Robert Ingersoll

Can we be successful on our own? Of course we can. But it's much easier when we have colleagues to support us, teach us, and cheer us on―and who depend on us to do the same for them.
(Novak, 2022, p. 6)

It is 11:30 pm on July 26. I have spent most of my date working on what I thought would be an easy task: create a 15-question quiz on a UDL principle using a Google Form. Piece of cake. I can do this in my sleep. However, add in 2 awesome group members, and this easy task becomes fun and easy! However, I became so engaged in this assignment that I didn't finish tweaking it until 11:30 pm. I did ask my group members if they minded if I was the "finisher," making sure everything worked properly and was polished. I am exhausted, and I still have a chapter to read, but I was completely engaged in this assignment. I loved learning with a team of engaged, supportive, and kind learners. I also love how this project allowed for creativity, choice, and autonomy.

The affective area of the brain highlighted.

The Affective Network:
The Keystone to Learning

Collective Teacher Efficacy

My take away today is how much fun it is to work on a project that allows you the freedom to work within guidelines, but also the flexibility to create new and exciting learning. Engaging the affective network - or the WHY of learning - is foundational to creating expert learners who are purposeful and motivated. My affective network was engaged today and I was certainly motivated by my work.

This short video explain what collective teacher efficacy is and why it is important for student learning.

Impact on My Practice

A person helping another person up on a platform.

Collective teacher efficacy is crucial in my practice. Because I have only really experienced coaching during a pandemic, much of my work has been with teachers who are isolated due to pandemic restrictions. Or, I work with teachers who are new to their schools and haven't developed relationships with colleagues. I often become the colleague who is their cheerleader and collaborator... and they become the same for me. I love this part of my job. Today's takeaway reinforces the importance of working with a team that is committed to student learning and their own professional learning. Another important takeaway to how important it is to give the teachers I work with voice and choice in their learning when they engage in a coaching cycle. When I work with teachers, it is about their learning and supporting their journey.

Synchronous

Thursday,
July 7,
2022

Designing AEM Materials:
Access by Design

"Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it 'to whom it may concern.'"

A colleague said something in class today that really made an impact on me. She said, "Who am I making presentations for? Me?" This really struck me as I love designing presentations and educational materials. I spend a lot of time making materials and presentations that are visually engaging. I rarely use templates because they interfere with my creative process. MY creative process. Although I try to make the information I present clear, I have to confess I think that I really design content for myself. Ouch. Fortunately, my design aesthetic aligns with many of the AEM suggestions. For example, I often use white backgrounds when designing presentations. I am conscious of layout and space and avoid clutter. I use fonts without serifs. I like to create clean-looking materials. However, I didn't realize that by creating beautiful materials, I was excluding people; not everyone could engage in my work.

― Ken Haemer

The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning at CAST has some amazing resources for supporting the use of AEMs. The adjacent YouTube link is a video series for creating AEMS.

Designing & Developing AEMs: Guidelines to Remember

Template - use slide templates, not blank slides
Fonts - size 24 and sans serif
Images - must have alt text
Links - descriptive, no http addresses
Audio - must have transcript option
Video - must have closed captioning
Text - is justified left (do not centre)
Text per slide - no more than 40 words
Text per slide - maximum of 4 lines of text
Colour - high contrast between text & background
Presenting - use real-time closed captioning

I create a lot of educational materials for teaching in our system. I also design PD sessions, presentations, websites, etc. I thought I was designing with accessibility in mind, but access is more than clean presentations. I am excited to share my updated understanding of AEMs in my coaching cycles, with my colleagues and use what I have learned when presenting at the provincial, regional, and school levels.

Impact On My Practice

Simplicity should be a key goal in presentation design.

Tables?

I (used to) love using tables to create my own layouts. However, my research into AEMs has revealed that the use of tables to create layouts is not good practice. It appears that tables are not accessible for screen readers. Whenever a screen reader encounters a table, it announces to the listener that there is a table with "x" number of columns and rows, which distracts from the content. Also, the content may be read in an order that does not match the visual order of the page. So, no more tables for me!

Asynchronous

Friday,
July 8,
2022

Read&Write for Google Docs:
The Amazing Voice Note

A heart with a person lifting a weight inside it.

Today I worked with my amazing team on aligning the Read&Write for Google Docs with UDL Principles and Checkpoints. I felt quite confident going into this assignment because I have used. Google Read & Write and use it in my own personal practice. I also felt fairly comfortable with the UDL guidelines and checkpoints. However, figuring out how they went together was quite the labour of love!

Google Read and Write icon of a purple puzzle piece.

"Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone's potential."

Voice Note: Engagement, Representation, & Expression

― Debora Ruh

Google read and write voice note button.

Overall, the activity was really powerful as you got to actually see how the different features of the toolbar matched with the different principles of UDL. I was especially surprised with the accessible options the Voice Note feature provided. We were able to match this feature to 15 of the UDL checkpoints.

Voice Note: The Swiss Army Knife of RW4G

The Voice Note feature can be used to provide feedback during the various parts/steps of an assignment, for encouragement, for reminders, and for prompts to encourage self-reflection. Students can even respond using a voice note, provide their own prompts, and ask questions...it's really a cool little tool to provide voice and choice. Without completing the work for this assignment, I don't think I would have fully appreciated RW4G's Voice Note feature. However, it would be even more powerful if it had a transcription feature (I sent feedback to Texthelp).

Swiss Army knife with Google Read and Write voice note button on it.

Impact on My Practice

I will certainly make better use of Voice Note when collaborating with colleagues and working with students. Because of its overwhelming UDL-friendly features, it will be important for me to share my new-found knowledge with teachers so they can share their learning with students. I have to keep in mind that just because I prefer to see feedback in writing, it doesn't mean that others share my preference. However, I will make sure to remind others that until Texthelp creates a transcription option, Voice Note can create barriers for students, especially those with hearing difficulties, are deaf, and have auditory memory challenges.

Learn more about RW4G's Voice Note feature in this short YouTube video.

Check out our RW4G Docs & UDL Alignment Chart here!

Synchronous

Monday,
July 11,
2022

Universal Design for Learning: It's Everyone's Business

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."

There was an intense energy in the room today. It felt like a storm was brewing. I was surprised by the discussion about how the UDL Cohort and the Literacy Cohort were similar degrees but the UDL Cohort required a student services background for entry into the program. Why? Both are Curriculum Studies degrees. Shouldn't all educators be encouraged to pursue professional learning in UDL?

Also interesting, if the UDL program is designed for those entering (or already in) a student services position (for example, a learning support teacher), why were there no disability studies and inclusive education courses in the UDL degree? I think understanding the history of our inequitable education system and how it hasn't served students on the margins well and why helps to build awareness and empathy. Perhaps I am wrong and this isn't such a big deal.

However, Novak states that "Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is not just a framework for curriculum design. It is the expression of a belief that all students are capable of learning and that instruction, when crafted and implemented with this belief in mind, can help all students succeed in inclusive and equitable learning environments" (p. 19). So with this in mind, shouldn't all teachers be encouraged to engage in UDL professional learning?

― Leonardo da Vinci