Younger+Students,+Multicultural+Understanding,+Inclusion+-+Week+7

Inclusion and the Internet “It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision” - Helen Keller. Helen Keller is perhaps one of the most famous special education students of all time. She was in fact excluded from a typical learning environment and her words metaphorically state that we must never lose sight of the manner in which we need to make a place in our classrooms for all learners. Technology is a tool that can help to equalize our learning differences, and support inclusive practices in the classroom. The Internet has become a vital part of education and it has become important for the Internet to be included in all classrooms. We have grown up in an era where there have been rapid advances in technology that have remarkably impacted nearly every dimension of life. One of these impacts has been the ability for students who cannot hear, see, talk, walk or write to be successfully integrated with their typically developing peers. Technology has begun to rapidly redefine educational practices and support special needs. Through assistive technology, equitable access, and an understanding of student needs all students can access learning. When teachers are creating lessons they need to consider the needs of all of their students. In some cases the students will need to access their learning differently. The Internet has the power to revolutionize teaching and learning, it is a tool that if used properly can open up a world of exciting new possibilities in the classroom, for students and teachers alike. To use the Internet effectively there are many strategies that can help teachers and students. The Internet makes the world a much smaller and available place. With the Internet we can collaborate with classrooms all over the world, find and capitalize on similarities and successful strategies being used to include all learners and create dynamic learning experiences for our students. Many school systems and teachers are faced with having only limited access to technology and the Internet. The range of situations can be endless. Some classrooms may have several computers in their classrooms with high speed Internet access while others may only have one Internet-ready computer in the entire school. Others may only have Internet access from their home or at a local library. Still other situations include: students dominating the use of limited electronic resources, possibly leaving others out in the process; students lacking navigational skills; or challenged students not participating (Leu, Leu, Coiro, 2004). Without question all of these situations are less than ideal. The question then becomes, how do we orchestrate equity within the Internet classroom? Posting a usage schedule, using journals to record usage, and pairing students are useful strategies to help with these issues. The following resources can be used to assist teachers with successfully orchestrating equity in the Internet classroom: [|Jan Scaplen’s list of classroom management techniques] [|Linda Burkart’s Classroom Mangement Tip Sheet] [|Ideas for teaching with One Computer:] As teachers begin to use the Internet more and more in their classrooms it is imperative that they ensure all their students can use it effectively. This can pose a problem when classroom consist of students with reading difficulties, learning disabilities, visual impairments, and students who have impaired hearing. Fortunately, there are numerous tools and resources that can improve accessibility to the information on the Internet for all students. One of the tools that can assist children with special needs are text to speech readers. These are especially useful for students who have reading difficulties. These screen readers read text out loud from web pages or other electronic documents. One such example is [|Read Please]. This is a free text reader for Windows users that features natural voices and options to adjust the speed and font size. By being able to increase the font size, it also helps students with visual impairments. (Authors note: when reviewing Read Please, I found the voices to be a bit unnatural with the free version. If you purchase the upgrade, you have access to AT&T natural voices that may be better.) To use Read Please, all the user has to do is cut and paste text into the Read Please window and hit play. [|Text Aloud MP3] is another speech reader that converts any text from web pages, email, applications, and even program menus into MP3 audio files. This is a paid service, but could be well worth it since you can save the audio files. Converting websites to text improves the usefulness of text readers. [|Bestie] is a script that creates text-only versions of the BBC sites. Other ways sites can be manipulated to improve the use of screen readers is to view the print layout of the sites. This can potentially minimize the ads and create a clean text format that is easier to read. There are numerous ways to adjust the setting on a computer to help visually impaired students. Instead of providing visually challenged students with large print texts, which can sometimes be big and bulky, several Internet browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Safari allow users to enlarge the font size on the screen. Children who are visually challenged can now gain access to a large amount of information they may have missed out on before (Leu, et.al 2004). There are different ways of adjusting font sizes depending on whether you are using a PC or Apple computer, or depending on what internet browser is being used. The text can be enlarged by using Zoom or selecting View on the toolbar and selecting Text Size. This can be adjusted from smallest to largest. There is software available that can help to enlarge the entire screen as well which is especially useful when there are numerous graphics. [|Vischeck] is a site that can run what a site would look like for students who are color blind. By entering a URL and clicking the type of color vision to simulate, people can see how a website will be viewed by people with color blindness. Another resource is the [|WAT]. This is a web accessibility toolbar that consolidates the necessary features to evaluate the accessibility of websites. In addition to screen readers, there are also other resources that can be used to assist students with lower level reading abilities. Teachers can access online tools that help to analyze the readability of sites. [|OKAPI], the Internet application for creating curriculum-based assessment reading probes, is one of these sites. Once a teacher has identified a potential website, he/she can then copy a section of text from the site and paste it into the box. The teacher can then check the readability of the site by clicking on the analysis button. Okapi produces results in a number of fields including grade level. [|KidsClick] is a search engine that produces results and rates their readability by grade level. More information about teaching students with learning disabilities can be found at the [|Learning Disabilities Resource Community]. A great thing about Internet activities is that they can be differentiated and individualized to meet each student’s needs. Scheduled weekly computer time can be used for these students to practice and develop the skills that they need to work on or to investigate topics that are interesting to them. Students are also more able to work at their own pace, rather than trying to keep up with their peers in whole class instruction. Students with hearing impairments can utilize closed captioning or view written transcripts available for many different types of multimedia found on the Internet. Brainpop is a site geared to elementary students that contains videos on a variety of subjects. All of these videos come with closed captioning. In addition, [|Discovery Education Streaming] offers an educational resource where videos can be downloaded. Using the advanced search feature, videos can be located that include closed captioning. [|MAGpie2] is a program that can be downloaded so that closed captioning can be added to video. This would be a great way for student created work to be accessible to everyone. Teachers can also design classroom activities to help promote communication between hearing and deaf students. Asking students to learn about sign language during Internet Workshop helps them develop communication skills. Suggest that students start by visiting [|A Basic Dictionary of ASL Terms.] Learning and sharing new signs can help all students feel more connected to one another. Students with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome can also benefit from Internet use. These disorders often make it difficult for students to connect with their peers and may result in isolation from the general student population. The Internet offers a comfortable space more suited to their communication style, possibly one in which their interaction seems less odd. By using computer-mediated communication some of the social and communication hurdles which contribute to the disability of autism may be broken-down. The Internet can be used to help students with Autism build communication skills; pictures can be printed out and used to express a students feelings and needs from [|Visual Strategies]. Students can also practice recognizing facial expressions and emotions and participate in other learning games at [|Do2Learn]. By using computer-mediated communication some of the social and communication barriers which contribute to the disability of autism may be broken down. Leu, et al (2004) presented four instructional models for teachers to use in supporting the acquisition of the new literacies in their classrooms: Internet Workshop, Internet Project, Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest. Each one of these instructional models can be used to support the acquisition of new literacies in the classroom with ALL students (Leu, et al, 2004, p.99). Internet Workshop is a good way to begin. “Taking time to carefully arrange opportunities for students with special needs to have access to the Internet independently or with a partner in a non-threatening environment is an important first step (p.379).” Internet workshop is also a great way to create awareness of regular education students to the diverse needs and experiences of others in the classroom. Students with special needs can also explore the Internet through Internet Inquiry. At the site [|LD- Online], students can learn about the [| best and most commonly used technologies for students with learning disabilities.] Webquests can be used not only to practice new literacies but to also use as a motivating opportunity. [|Kids’ Quest] offers students several engaging Webquests related to the limitations that people with disabilities face in participating in various activities. These limitations are grouped under motor, communication, personal-care, and learning. Internet Project can also be used, but they do take a bit more time and planning. Internet Projects provide students with excellent opportunities to explore opportunities outside of the classroom. Students can develop an awareness of others, build friendships with students with special needs, while at the same time building new literacies and fostering reading and writing skills. [|**Sign-Writing Literacy Project**] is great example of an Internet Project where students share and exchange reflections, opinions, and finished student products written with sign writing. In the [|E-Buddies Internet Project], students can participate in an e-mail pen pal program that pairs persons with an intellectual disability in a one-to-one e-mail friendship with a peer volunteer who does not have an intellectual disability.

I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. [|**Albert Einstein**]

Additional Resources 1. [|Trace Shareware and Freeware] contains a large collection of accessibility freeware and shareware to use on both the Mac and PC for people with all types of sensory and physical disablities. 2. For information about designing lessons for all kinds of students and for resources about using technology to help meet the needs of individual students, visit the [|Center for Applied Special Technology]. 3. If you have visually impaired students in your classroom, visit these sites for additional resources and instructional strategies: [|Strategies for Teaching Students with Vision Impairments] [|Blindness Resource Center] 4. For hearing impaired students interested in verbal communication, check out [|Auditory Verbal International] or [|Oral Deaf Education]. 5. [|LDOnline] is a great resource for teachers interested in learning more about how to support students with LD and ADD; including articles, advice, stories, discussion forums, and instructional strategies. 6. [|Thinking Skills Workbook designed for Children] with Autism is a great resource to support younger children with Autism in your classroom. 7. Also revisit the Assistive Technology wiki created by our cohort in the fall for more information and valuable resources. References Leu, D. J., Leu, D.D., & Coiro, J. (2004). Teaching with the Internet K-12; New literacies for new times (4th ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.