I completely agree with Mx. Dreeszen Bowman's sentiments in the module 7 video introduction stating disabilities in the school setting are mostly seen as a "problem that needs to be fixed" rather than what differently abled staff and students can contribute to a school community (Bowman, 2022). My close friend and teaching colleague is in a wheelchair and is constantly having to ask for accommodations that most of my district's buildings typically do not provide. Taking Dr. Copeland's Universal Design class really opened my eyes to this widely accepted misconception of disability as a "problem." Rather, as librarians we "have the incredible privilege and responsibility" to make a child feel comfortable and support their learning in many different ways (Copeland, 2011). As a school librarian, I hope to be able to improve the accessibility and culture of my future school library in order to be inclusive to all.
As I teach many differently abled students, I've had to employ a variety of accessibility tools in order for my students to be able to access material and learn the content presented. My current favorite accessibility tool to use is Edpuzzle. While this is not a traditional accessibility tool, it does have many of the features described in this week's readings and resources, of which I use regularly. It contains a closed captioning feature, the ability to pause and re-watch, and slow or speed up the video. The teacher also has the ability to assign specific questions and versions to specific classes in Google Classroom. Rather than explain all of these great accessible features in writing, I made the video below to show you how I use some of the features to make my history content more accessible to my students.
- Edpuzzle Help Center- includes resources for teachers, students, and parents
- What is Edpuzzle and How Does it Work? - more details on how to create an account and setup
- 5 Ways to Use Edpuzzle- some other ideas for lessons and using Edpuzzle in the classroom
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