So what to do about the backlog of literally hundreds of worthwhile resources that I would love to share here?  The list is constantly growing!  I’ve concluded that it might be helpful for you to know where I look first as I trawl for free resources that support a UDL approach to learning.

It should come as no surprise that I find almost everything on other blogs.  If you aren’t subscribing to blogs with a “reader”, I encourage you to begin doing so.  At the end of this post, I’ll embed the Common Craft video ‘Google Reader in Plain English’.  I use Google Reader to keep up with the blogs that I subscribe to, and I recommend it highly.

Here are the blogs where I find most of the resources that I share.

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day

• Larry is an ESL teacher in Sacramento, California.  He is also a prolific blogger, who normally posts to his blog several times a day.  Larry also does an excellent job of listing the websites that he writes about, by category, with literally thousands of cataloged online resources.  Virtually all of these resources are free.

Free Technology for Teachers

• The author of this blog is Richard Byrne, a high school teacher from the state of Maine.  He is another prolific blogger who writes several posts each day about free resources.  In addition to reviewing resources that might be of value to learners at all levels, Richard has recently posted helpful screencasts that illustrate how to use some of these resources.

Free Resources for Education

• This is Patricia Donaghy’s blog.  Patricia is a post-secondary educator in Dublin, Ireland.  Patricia posts regularly; and I’ve discovered some resources on her site that have proven to be invaluable.  Patricia also hosts the International Edubloggers Directory, which connects people who are involved in education from all over the world.

Welcome to NCS-Tech!

• Kevin Jarrett, a K-4 Computer Teacher and Technology Facilitator in New Jersey.  Although Kevin does not always write about resources, most of Kevin’s frequent posts offer detailed reviews of K-8 resources that he is excited about.  Almost all of the resources reviewed by Kevin are free.

Teachers Love SMART Boards

• James Hollis is the blogger here, and he’s based in Illinois.  Clearly, James’ focus is on resources that can be used effectively on the SMART board.  Much of what James writes about, however, also works well on standalone computers or in networked computer labs.  If my memory serves, the resources that James highlights are always free.  I appreciate James’ signature statement at the end of each blog post — Sharing is Caring!

Talking SMART Boards and Much More

• The author of this blog is Anne Marie.  She’s been a special education teacher for over 25 years.  She posts regularly, shares a wide range of helpful free online resources on her blog.

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs

• Kate Ahearn is the prolific host of this blog.  Not all of the resources that Kate shares are free, but many are.  Quite often, Kate shares low cost alternatives to costly resources.  Kate posts regularly and frequently to her blog, and her posts are always worth reading.  She not only shares resources, but she offers practical suggestions in terms of effective use.  I believe that anyone working with learners who have complex special needs ought to subscribe to Kate’s blog.

Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day

• Jane Hart is a Social Media and Learning Consultant in the UK.  Not all of the resources that Jane highlights are free, but many of them are.  Sometimes I first learn of something when Jane puts it forward as her ‘Pick of the Day’.  I also appreciate Jane’s ‘Top 100 Tools for Learning’ lists.  These lists are compiled with input from users.

Demo Girl

• Demo Girl Molly McDonald and her sister Maureen are not ‘educators’ as we commonly, and narrowly, define that term.  (I have commented on her blog,  however, that I thought Molly ought to consider taking up teaching.)  This is a blog where I sometimes first discover a powerful and valuable Web 2.0 application.  All of the posts on this blog contain screencasts  that demonstrate how an application works.  This means that the Demo Girl archives are worth checking out if you are ever in need of a screencast to explain an application.

GOTOWEB20

• This blog is authored by Orli Yakuel in Israel.  She highlights numerous brand new Web 2.0 applications, so this is another place where I have first become aware of some genuine gems.  Orli catalogs the applications she blogs about in a special directlory that is worth checking out.

These are not my only sources for resources, the majority of my “finds” come from these.  I encourage you to check them out and to consider subscribing to some of them in a “reader”.  Here’s the promised Common Craft video that explains Google Reader in plain lanuage.

In our digital era,  all learners benefit from developing proficiency with multimedia presentation tools.  For some learners, especially those who struggle with using text to share thoughts and ideas, multimedia tools may be essential.  This is why I am so eager to promote effective applications for multimedia presentation.

As I’ve used it recently, PhotoPeach has emerged as one of my favorite online multimedia applications.

• It is extremely easy to use.
• Photos upload relatively quickly.
• Photos automatically pan for dramatic effect.
• Text captions can be added to any slide.
• Full screen viewing works well (if resolution of originals is high).
• Music available from PhotoPeach library or Youtube video.
• Easy to share via email, Twitter, facebook, MySpace, embed code, or URL.

I particularly like the way that adding text captions has been facilitated.  Music does not have to be added, but the choices here are interesting.  If you don’t wish to use any of the selections from PhotoPeach’s library, you can search for the sound track from an appropriate Youtube video to be played along with the slide show.

If you wish to view a sample, I took some slides from our recent road trip to Mexico and used them to create the PhotoPeach show that I’ve embedded below.  You can jump easily to a full screen view.  (This does not who up in Google Reader, so you may need to click HERE, or go to my original post if you wish to check it out.)

I want to share a video put together by one of the teachers who was enrolled in our course.  Myriah relates her personal journey in overcoming some of her learning challenges.  I find the arrogant ignorance of some of Myriah’s college teachers appalling.  How do you respond?

Celebrating Diversity from myriahmichaux on Vimeo.

It is paramount that teachers recognize and remember that most of their students do not learn in the same ways that they themselves learn. Simply trying harder doesn’t work if you learn differently!

I’m especially pleased when I discover new resources that put multiple means of representation together in one place!  Here’s one that gathers text, images, and videos into one place.  Of course, you can add an audio version of the text as well, with one of many readily available text-to-speech options.

Navify is a service that combines Wikipedia articles with related videos from Youtube and online images.  So, when a topic is entered into the search bar, it brings up the pertinent Wikipedia article along with videos and images on the same subject.  With the multiple means of representation offered, there is a far greater chance of engaging a wider range of learners.

The first screen shot below shows the Wikipedia article that opens when ‘tiger’ is typed into the search box.  You can see the tabs above the article for Images and Videos.  The second screen shot shows what appears when the Images tab is clicked, and the third shows the videos.

It should be noted that it is up to users to select the images and videos that are associated with an article.  For all of the search terms I entered, I was offered an extensive collection of images and videos to choose from.  Since Navify is a relatively new service, there were relatively few videos associated with any of the topics I searched.

Two other features of Navify are also worth mentioning.  The first is that users have the opportunity to comment on topics.  Secondly, related topics are suggested with search results.

Teachers who adopt a UDL approach in classrooms where children are grouped arbitrarily by age,  need resources that meet diverse learning needs.  That’s why I’m encouraged by a math resource shared by Richard Byrne.

KidsNumbers.com is from the Kids Know It Network.  The developers of KidsNumbers certainly have the right idea.

KidsNumbers.com is the absolutely free math resource designed by teachers, specifically for students and children of all ages. A place where students can practice all aspects of math, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, in a fun and pressure free way.

KidsNumbers isn’t the answer for everyone; but it does offer a systematic approach to learning and re-enforcing fundamental math concepts and skills. This approach will be helpful for some learners.  There are activities, games, and even worksheets that can be printed and completed with a pencil.

This is a great example of the kind of resource that I believe teachers need to have available to help meet the range of learning needs in their classrooms.

Lisa has summarized very well much of what I have come to believe about effective education.   Lisa and her teaching partner Christine Southard approach learning in a way that facilitates success by every learner in the classroom, no matter what an individual class member’s learning needs may be.

In a more recent post, Lisa says something else that I’ve come to believe:  “…every child has special needs.”  So, in Lisa and Christine’s classroom, supports and tools are made available to all learners. This is key; and it accomplishes two important objectives.  First, learners who require tools feel less centered out when other classmates are using the same tools.  Secondly, and of even more significance, this encourages children to take ownership of their learning.  Learners have the opportunity to try learning support tools and then adopt them if they find them helpful.

Lisa and Christine intentionally encourage learners to take ownership of their learning in other ways as well.  When an individual takes ownership for his/or her learning, it can only result in increased engagement and much greater success. Almost all teachers would like to see more engaged and successful learners in their classrooms, but for too many this remains an unattainable ideal because too many learning needs are not  even being addressed.

Please read what Lisa has to say about UDL (universal design for learning) PBL (project based learning) and about providing supports that enable ALL learners in a classroom to be successful.

Science Up Close is a free interactive resource from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers.   Engaging activities of high quality are offered by grade level and targeted for grades 1 to 6.   Many of the activities include captioned video where the “captions” can be read aloud.  Other activities use diagrams and interactive images to present material.  All text can be read aloud, and can be repeated upon request.

The image below shows the user interface and a Grade 1 activity about  a Coral Reef.

For each grade level, there are 13 to 19 activities.  “Animals and their Young”, “Ways to Save Resources”, and “Telescopes” are examples of the titles of grade 1 activities.  For grade 6, examples include “Mendel’s Discoveries”, “World Biomes”, and “The Electromagnetic Spectrum”.

The accessibility of Science Up Close is exceptional.  I believe the model used here should be adopted everywhere.  Because keyboard shortcuts are available for all the activities, they are accessible  to learners who are blind or who have low vision and to learners who use programmable speech generating devices.  Because all of the text is read aloud, the activities are accessible to learners who face reading challenges.

UDL Tech Tool Kit is a well organized collection of effective free digital tools that can be used to facilitate success for learners of all ages.  These resources are shared on a wiki that is maintained and updated regularly by Joyce Valenza and Karen Janowski.

My passion is to remove the obstacles to learning for all students and these free tools offer opportunities for struggling learners that promote academic success. When material is digital or electronic, it is flexible and accessible. It is our responsibility as educators to provide materials that promote success. Please encourage all educators to consider using these free tools.

I share this passion, so well expressed on the wiki, for helping to remove barriers to learning.  Ideally, these digital tools are introduced to all learners, not just those with designated “special needs”, so that those who benefit can adopt them as their own.  Engaged learners take ownership of their learning and and of the tools they use.

]]> http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/09/24/udl-tech-tool-kit-online-resource/feed/ 1 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/09/12/simple-english-wikipedia-online-resource/ http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/09/12/simple-english-wikipedia-online-resource/#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:02:54 +0000 Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/?p=945 You would have to have had your head in the sand for a long time not to at least be aware of Wikipedia, an amazing online reference resource that is used every day by countless learners and teachers around the world.  You may not be aware that there is an alternate version of Wikipedia that is more accessible in terms of language and grammar.

“Simple English Wikipedia is for everyone!”  This bold declaration is contained in the opening paragraph on the home page.  In other words, the Simple English Wikipedia is by design a resource that  facilitates universal access and supports a UDL (Universal Design for Learning) approach in the classroom.  Writers have been encouraged to “use easy words and shorter sentences”.  In my experience, there are learners in classrooms at all levels who benefit from this approach.

Simple English Wikipedia is part of the Wikimedia Foundation.  In appearance and layout, Simple English Wikipedia is exactly the same as Wikipedia.  Simple English Wikipedia currently contains 36,599 articles.  We are all invited, of course, to contribute new articles or to edit existing ones.  I see great potential here for teachers who are looking for meaningful and motivating projects.

]]> http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/09/12/simple-english-wikipedia-online-resource/feed/ 0 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/09/01/101-free-learning-tools-from-zaidlearn/ http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/09/01/101-free-learning-tools-from-zaidlearn/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:19:18 +0000 Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/?p=931 Here in British Columbia, we start back to school this week. In honour of the occasion, I’m passing along a gift that came my way (via Richard Byrne) from Zaid at ZaidLearn. Zaid has put together a terrific list of “101 Free Learning Tools” and shared it effectively in visual format on Slideshare. I’ve embedded the slide show here for your convenience.

In the spirit of UDL (universal design for learning) Zaid has also shared his list in text format on his blog.  Actually, there are 140 free learning tools listed in the text version.  Zaid’s blog is worth checking out for other free digital educational resources that he shares, especially his list of “101 Free Edugames“.