Websites & Software to
Support a UDL
Environment
Lorinda Tait, MA-CCC, SLP
Lotait@aol.com
Life is Simple!
•
What do you already
know?
• What is the focus of Universal Design
for Learning?
• What resources are there to
supplement your teaching?
• What websites are available?
Curriculum Barriers
What is the focus of Universal
Design for Learning?
• To remove barriers to learning
• To provide supports where they
are needed
• To engage every student in a
successful learning experience
Universal Design
• The careful construction of
curriculum and curriculum materials
to encourage access for all students.
• It refers to the features of a curriculum
that make it compatible for a large
(universal) audience.
Multiple means of representation: Use
multiple formats and media
• Highlight critical
features (e.g., Use
different colors of
highlighters to
identify the title,
headings, main
ideas and
supporting details in
an expository text)
• Present multiple
examples and nonexamples of a concept
(e.g., Some examples
of conflict are
arguments and war.
Non-examples include
cooperating to solve a
problem and working
together to help
someone.)
• Support Background
Knowledge
Use multiple formats and
media to support learner
differences:
• Print
– Textbooks and Trade Books
– Newspapers and Magazines
– Considerate, age-appropriate texts (like
Start-to-Finish® books)
– Web content on any subject at a variety of
difficulty levels
Websites
• NASA explores site
http://www.nasaexplores.com/
• Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/
• Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for
Kids
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
Literature/Language Arts
• The Children’s Literature Web Guide
www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown
• Online Classic Literature Library
http://www.literature.org/authors/
• SparkNotes-Classic Books Online
http://www.sparknotes.com/texts
• Project Gutenburg
http://promo.net/pg/
• American Library Association
• http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/
Videos for Download
•
•
•
The Prelinger Archives offer
over 45,000 advertising,
educational, industrial, and
amateur films. Since its
beginning in 1983, its goal has
been to collect, preserve, and
facilitate access to films of
historic significance that haven't
been collected elsewhere. The
collection is open to all for free
downloading and reuse but not
sold.
Media Channel: Scroll down to
the middle of this page to find
and extensive list of links. Many,
but not all, link to video clips.
Some cannot be downloaded,
but the items that are available
cover a range of interesting
current topics.
•
•
•
•
Exploration in Education offers
Electronic Tutorials form a
NASA supported program.
Apple Learning Interchange:
Videos as well as the ways
teachers have incorporated
them into the classroom are
scattered throughout this site.
Lesson plans and study guides
can be downloaded as well.
Perseus Project contains a
video about the ancient Olympic
games; also take a look at the
other collections offered on this
site.
Career Videos offers 360
captioned videos each about a
different career.
edutopia online, the George
Lucas Foundation site - discuss
topics relevant to today’s
classrooms.
Audio Books
– (free, via subscription or CD-based such
as Start-to-Finish books)
– Software programs that translate printed
text into speech (like SOLO®,
Read:OutLoud, Aspire Reader, WYNN,
TestTalker) used with text files available
through the Internet and/or directly through
publishers (NIMAS)
Electronic Books
• Talking books on line for elementary:
http://www.starfall.com,
www.facthound.com choose the grade
level, type in this book ID:0736863346
or 0736863354 or 1404823182
• click Fetch It. Best sites will come up!
• www.childsworld.com ,
www.picturewindowbooks.com
Visual
– Graphic organizers—both print-based and
electronic programs (like SOLO,
Read:OutLoud, Draft:Builder®, Inspiration,
Kidspiration, Visual Thesaurus).
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/student
s/learning/lr1kwlh.htm
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/new
theme0206.html
– Considerate, age-appropriate educational
videos intended for use as learning "anchors"
(like Incite!) and/or full-length videos or video
clips (available free or by subscription)
More Visual
– Graphics libraries that include
photographs, illustrations and
animations www.FreeFoto.com,
www.Pics4Learning.com
– Multimedia—Text, sound, graphics,
animation and video software (like
PowerPoint, HyperStudio, Kid Pix)
– Teacher tools-rubrics, graphic
organizers, bibliography maker
www.myt41.com, www.eduplace.com
Digital Media
• Present information in multiple
modes and with multiple levels of
support to challenge as well as
scaffold learners across a wide
range of needs and abilities.
• Save, share and use from class-toclass, teacher-to-teacher and yearto-year, expanding the options you
have available to individualize
learning in your classroom.
• Saves time while assuring that more
learners are successfully included
in meaningful learning.
General Sources
• KidsClick was created by a group of
librarians at the Ramapo Catskill Library
System, articles listed with illustration
information and readability level.
http://www.kidsclick.org
• Pink Monkey
http://www.pinkmonkey.com
• California State University, Northridge:
Current events and electronic resources
for kids.
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/cevents.h
tml
More Sources
• Internet Public Library, Youth Division
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace
• Internet Public Library, Teen Division
http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/
• Awesome Library
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Classroom/
Technology/Technology.html
• Discovery School
http://school.discovery.com/students/
• Class Homework
http://www.classhomework.com/
Social Studies
• Library of Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/amhome.html
• National Geographic for Kids
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
kids/
• National Park Service/Historic Places
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/
Center for Applied Special
Technology www.cast.org
• Founded in 1984 CAST has earned
international recognition for its
development of innovative, technologybased educational resources and
strategies based on the principles of
Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
• Creation or codevelopment of
innovative software such as Thinking
Reader, WiggleWorks, and Bobby
What do you know now?
• What is the focus of
Universal Design for
Learning?
• What resources are
there to supplement
your teaching?
• What websites are
available?
Lorinda Tait
Lotait@aol.com
Subject: MITS
Thanks for coming!!!