Universally Designed » Instructional Technology

Apps from TechSmith

Jason Carroll — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:30:49 +0000

I use TechSmith programs often. You may not be familiar with the company, but I bet that you have heard of some of the products they offer such as:

Camtasia – Create high quality screen videos in many different formats
Jing – Free site that allows you to create screen videos and images to share
SnagIt – Advanced Screen Capturing Software
Screencast.com – Site that allows you to upload and store videos, documents and more from any platform. Limited storage is free, reasonable prices for upgrades.

In addition to these products, TechSmith, like most other companies, are now getting into the app market. I’ve enjoyed messing around with two of their apps and thought you may as well. Specifically, the two apps I’ve viewed are:

ScreenChomp – ScreenChomp allows you to create quick and easy video tutorials on your iPad. It consists of a whiteboard, markers and several editing features. You can create a tutorial and upload for others to view online in minutes. And it’s free!

Coach’s Eye – This one is obviously geared for coaches who want to video players, then review the video in slow motion and add audio and drawn comments. However, this same app could be used for tons of educational purposes such as professional development feedback, video self modeling, student projects and more. This app is for the iPhone or iPod Touch. Cost is $4.99 in the app store at the time of this writing.

Interactive Timelines

Jason Carroll — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:30:48 +0000

The use of graphic organizers in classrooms have been shown to be an effective practice for some time now. Graphic organizers can be anything from a Venn diagram or KWL chart to an interactive web based support. These types of supports help students make previously invisible connections visible. Now before you get too excited, there isn’t any evidence that I am aware of that says if you walk into a classroom, hand out a “graphic organizer” worksheet and walk away that you will see a bump in achievement. The goal here is to increase engagement, not bore kids to death.

So keeping engagement in mind, there is a particular type of graphic organizer that you may find beneficial: Time-lines. Commonplace in many classrooms, time lines are created to show events, outline a story, develop a family tree and much more. While this can all be done with paper and pencil or arts and crafts, web based software now allows students to not only add much more information to time lines, but also collaborate on them with other students, embed in blogs and forward out to others.

A few sites to check out that allow you to develop these types of time lines for free include:

As with most web based software, you can create a limited number of items for free with these sites, then opt to pay for premium features. Consider creating a time line to use for teaching content to your students, or allowing your students to demonstrate their knowledge of content.

Learning Styles

Jason Carroll — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:30:48 +0000

Are you a visual learner? If not, maybe you are more auditory or kinesthetic? If you are not sure, don’t worry because there is no shortage of websites or preference assessments you can purchase that will help you determine what type of learner you are.

I bring this up because learning style preference assessments are nothing new. I remember when I first started in the field of Universal Design for Learning these were common amenities used to help determine the best way to present information to your students. I recently just deleted a post on this blog from a couple years ago that listed free preference assessments you could find online.

Here’s the problem… According to a recent literature review published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, “there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning styles assessments into general education practice.”

This will come as a shocker to many of you. It did for me. But this is a great example of what happens in classrooms everyday. We continue to do things others have done because we assume it works or because it is what we did when we were in school. You will probably want to take the time to read through this article yourself. It is simply titled “Learning Styles, Concepts and Evidence” by Pashler, et. al. A couple of the main takeaways for me include:

There are tons of studies that reference learning styles, however, “very few have included methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles.” So even it you read something discussing how important learning styles are, it wasn’t likely from a strongly run study.

They are quick to mention the difference between preference and disability. Most learning styles assessments involve preferences, where students say they prefer one method over the other. This is different than using visual or auditory supports with students because of a disability.

I hope you give the article a read. Whether you agree with it or not, it has been a great discussion point at sessions I present because it forces folks to really think about why they are doing what they are doing in schools and classrooms.

AT vs IT (Instructional Technology)

Jason Carroll — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:35:54 +0000

Definitions are funny things sometimes. For example, if there is a student with a disability in my classroom and she receives an iPod Touch to help with basic study and time management skills, she has assistive technology. However, if everyone in the class has an iPod Touch it is instructional technology. That just seems odd…

I work quite a bit in co-taught classrooms that have a mixture of students with and without disabilities. What’s interesting is that if I can introduce a new technology to these students, such as iPods or a Smartboard, all kids benefit. A student with a disability may use it to increase communication while a student on the advanced placement track may use it to move onto more advanced content.

Having said this, it is important to realize that just because you put technology in a classroom that achievement doesn’t automatically increase. I’ve yet to find a device that makes a person smarter, but I’ve found plenty that makes instruction more efficient and engaging. For real change to occur, in addition to the technology, you need a teacher with an open mind that is willing to experiment and that will take the time to learn what works and what doesn’t.

AAC Training Now Available!

Jason Carroll — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:55:46 +0000

If you haven’t had a chance to look at CKSEC’s online training center, you should do so now. It contains several trainings available to member districts. The link to view it is www.cksec.org/pdms. You must create an account to access the courses (don’t worry, we won’t spam you… just necessary so we know how many people are actually using it). Many courses require a separate enrollment key, but the newest addition, Introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication, does not.

So try it out today. As always, I appreciate any feedback, so feel free to email me directly or comment on this post with your thoughts.

VoiceThread in the Classroom

Jason Carroll — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:32:36 +0000

I’ve been messing with VoiceThread quite a bit lately and thought it would be a good time to post something about it. An article in the March/April 2011 edition of Teaching Exceptional Children through CEC provides several practical ways to integrate it into a classroom setting, so I recommend you have a look at it as well.

Basically VoiceThread is another one of those web 2.0 technologies. By definition, web 2.0 technologies allow for a 2 way flow of communication. In other words, instead of a typical web page that provides information, web 2.0 sites also allow the page visitor to add their own ideas. I suppose this could be a positive or negative thing.

The benefit of VoiceThread is that it creates an interactive discussion board. You may have taken place in a discussion board in an online class before. These are typically dominated by text and the occasional attachment. VoiceThread is different however. You start by uploading documents, images, videos, powerpoints or other media in your voicethread account. This information is then posted online and you can provide a link to “collaborators” who you want to participate in your thread. How collaborators participate in your thread is another nice feature. Instead of just adding text, they can draw, type, add video, or record audio to the thread. This creates a highly interactive environment.

There are an unlimited number of ways this can be used in the classroom, but in general any teacher can upload some images, videos and documents on voicethread and invite students to interact. Students can have their own account, or the teacher can create multiple identities so that students do not have to create an account (great for students who may not have email). From a Universal Design for Learning perspective, this increases engagement, supports multiple learning styles and offers numerous instructional supports (record your thoughts instead of typing them for example). VoiceThread is also a great way to have students continue working on projects outside of the classroom. There’s nothing to install and all that is required is a computer and internet connection.

For more information, check out www.voicethread.com. They have how to videos and one-pagers dealing with a variety of topics and uses.

Flocabulary for Multiple Means of Representation

Jason Carroll — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:02:18 +0000

If you can’t tell from the name of this blog, I’m big on Universal Design for Learning. The first principle of UDL is Multiple Means of Representation. We have known for some time now that stand and deliver lecture is the primary way content is delivered in Middle and High Schools. If we are lucky, many times this is mixed with PowerPoint or the occasional video. Well, recently a literacy consultant told me to check out Flocabulary and let’s just say I am impressed.

Flocabulary uses very high quality hip-hop music to explain concepts. Hip-Hop music is popular among students, and it is very cool to see how engaged they become with the content when it is presented in this fashion. In addition to the music, the lyrics are available in print and there are other activities and workbooks that accompany each song.

So if you haven’t already, check out Flocabulary.com today. Many of the resources are free, but there is a paid option as well.

Learning Technology in Schools

Jason Carroll — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:43:09 +0000

I like this post from Marc Rosenberg on Learning Solutions Magazine’s website. It covers a topic that I think about often when delivering training in schools. Specifically, does technology help with effective instruction in schools? I like to think that it does, but only if it is used appropriately. This seems to be what the article suggests and Marc offers 8 suggestions that you (the parent, the business person, the techie teacher, etc…) can do to help.

A colleague and I have been saying for some time now that cool technology + poor instruction = poor academic outcomes (and lots of wasted money). How do we overcome this? First, we need to make sure teachers are trained and armed with tons of research based teaching strategies. Only then can we expect them to use the strategies with technology.

Once we are sure educators are comfortable with the strategies, we start to slowly introduce new technology. When I say introduce, I do not mean hook a smartboard up in the classroom and leave. I mean start with one piece of technology (like a smartboard), train the teacher how to use the technology, then how to integrate it with the instructional strategies. Be sure to give adequate time to practice and follow up with them on a weekly basis to ensure it is working out. Once this piece of technology is mastered, consider introducing something new.

This isn’t rocket science, but I can’t count the number of “smart” classrooms I’ve come across over the last couple of years. These classrooms have the latest technology, but few know how to use any of it and even fewer understand how to integrate it with sound instructional strategies. And this is not a knock on teachers. If they are not trained appropriately, how can we expect them to use it effectively?

Mission-US.org

Jason Carroll — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:45:46 +0000

I had the opportunity to sit in on the unveiling of a new interactive multi-media project Thursday. Without going too far into the background of the whole thing, it originated from a grant that was awarded to a New York public broadcasting company (see www.thirteen.org), who then chose 10 sites in the US through another grant to start using it with. KET (Kentucky Educational Television) was awarded one of the grants and I had the opportunity to be invited to the initial training provided to a few teachers, KET folks and representatives from other state organizations.

Now for the important part. This multi-media project is a fancy name for a game, but as we all know using the word game in education isn’t always a good idea. Mission-US is different however. While it is a game, it comes with more teacher materials than you can imagine. It breaks each section of the game down and provides background information, vocabulary, how it relates to standards, and tons of activities to do in class. So a teacher could decide to use the game in one class, or do what most teachers who were involved in the pilot did and use it over multiple class periods.

There’s really much more to say about it than the information I provided here. The first game in the series is “For Crown or Colony”, which deals with the American Revolution. It has been tested with teachers and students in a variety of settings and proved to be both engaging and increased achievement. More games are to come over the next few years on a variety of US History topics. One of the best parts about this is that it is completely free. I believe the official release date is towards the end of September, but it can be accessed now. Check it out at www.mission-us.org

MindMeister – Another Brainstorming Tool

Jason Carroll — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:14:33 +0000

I just came across a site called MindMeister, which is a web based mind mapping/brainstorming software. It is similar to mywebspiration.com (which is currently in beta and free, but will likely be available as a paid subscription only soon) and is free for up to three boards, or if you are in education you can get the Premium edition for only $18/year. My initial thoughts on this site are very positive. The free version allows for the basics (create a board, sharing, printing, exporting to a pdf, etc…), but for $18 a year there are some additional very cool features. There is really too much for me to mention in a blog post, so check it out for yourself at http://www.mindmeister.com/. Another big plus for me is the ability to work in offline mode if you are traveling and do not have access to email and the mobile app.