Get ready for some fantastic news from Texthelp—your go-to for making learning accessible and joyful for every student.

Over the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with Texthelp on numerous occasions.

Time and again, they’ve proven themselves as a steadfast ally in our shared mission to make education accessible for all students. I deeply respect their dedication to developing practical, free resources for educators.

They’ve whipped up three incredible guides packed with expert tips to spice up your teaching.

From easy-peasy captioning tricks to making lessons visually vibrant and beyond, these resources are game-changers.

Whether you’re looking to enhance reading skills or make content more engaging for every learner, these guides have got you covered.

Dive in and watch your classroom transform into a place where learning knows no bounds.

This blog post is sponsored by Texthelp.

3 Essential Guides for Teachers: Adapting Instruction to Every Student Ability

by Mary Pembleton from Texthelp

As an accessible technology company, Texthelp is always looking for ways to support educators with the diverse learning needs in their classrooms.

To help, our content team recently asked five experts to share their best tips: a researcher, two teachers turned education journalists, an accessibility consultant, and one AT specialist.

Get the Guides!

They gave us excellent advice, and from it, we created three downloadable guides:

• A guide about inclusive reading instruction
• A guide to supporting English Language learners in general education classrooms
• A guide to essential accessibility practices in schools and classrooms.

…with more on the way.

These guides include advice for administrators and MTSS teams, loads of research studies, and lots of quick tips for educators who need simple ways to adapt grade-level instruction to the different levels of abilities, backgrounds, and needs in their classrooms.

Below are six of their best tips. To gain more, head over to the Texthelp website to get the complete guides delivered to your inbox.

1. Turn on captions when teaching as another way for students to take in information.

It’s easy, free, and super-supported by research. 

Turn on live captioning in Google Slides as a visual aid in the classroom, even if you aren’t using a slide deck to teach.

Who it benefits, and how:

• Learners who are deaf/hard of hearing by allowing them access to the content in an alternative way
• English Language Learners by helping with pronunciation, language acquisition, and comprehension
• Learners who are learning to read by increasing exposure to print and building literacy skills
• All learners by improving comprehension, attention, and memory of the video content

How to do it:

• To display the captions in a captioned video, simply click the “CC” button.
• To add live captions to any lesson you teach verbally, you can enable live captions with one quick adjustment in Google Slides.

Here’s how to set up live captions in a Google slide presentation: 

1. Ensure your computer’s microphone is on
2. Click or enable “Present” in Google Slides
3. At the bottom left of your screen, select “More options.”
4. Click “Captions Preferences”
5. Toggle captions on.

Now, when you speak, live captions will appear on your screen or smartboard.

For more information about live captioning options in Google Slides, visit the “Present slides with captions” section of the Google Help Center here.

2. Teach with a microphone. 

Remote Microphone Systems were created for people who have difficulties hearing, and are often used as an assistive technology in the classroom.

Casual microphone use by a classroom educator should never replace necessary assistive technology support. However, the voice amplification offered by any microphone could be a helpful tool for engaging students who have trouble with listening, students with autism, and lend a hand with classroom management.

Pair sound amplification with free live captioning in Google Slides, listed above, for added benefit. 

3. Have students record themselves reading, and listen back to it.

To help learners of all abilities with their reading skills, ask them to record themselves reading a text out loud and then listen back to it. This helps struggling readers, beginning readers, and ELLs improve their reading fluency. 

4. Use visuals to supplement instruction automatically. 

Including visuals in your instruction is a great way to build understanding in all learners, particularly EL Learners and learners with autism, who benefit from the easily understandable additional context of visuals.

To empower learners with one-click visuals while reading, try Read&Write’s visual dictionary tool. Learners can click on an unfamiliar word in a text, and the visual dictionary feature will give them a picture to help them understand it.

Related: How to Create a Dynamic Reading Experience

5. Give everyone the same required readings, and show students how to adjust the reading level.

Rewordify is a free tool that allows learners to automatically adjust the reading level in any text to adapt any digital content to their ability.

Read&Write also offers a Rewordify feature, which allows students to adjust their reading levels wherever they are reading. 

6. Play an audiobook while having students read along from a physical text.

Complex texts and grade-level content benefit all learners, but are also not accessible to everyone. One way to normalize accommodations and make content accessible to everyone in class is to play an audiobook while students read along with a physical text.

Another benefit is that bimodal presentation, or providing both audio and written forms simultaneously boosts processing speed and information recall.

For additional ways to make learning more accessible to everyone in class, visit the Texthelp website’s Tier 1 is for Everyone page.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post 3 Essential Guides for Teachers: Adapting Instruction to Every Student Ability appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

In this episode, Kasey interviews Mike Marotta, co-author of Inclusive Learning 365.

Together they discuss how inclusive learning is meeting the needs of all learners.

Every teacher should fight exclusion!

Mike shares tips and strategies to help teachers shake up inclusive learning in their classrooms.

Mike doesn’t have a typical education career. He started with a career as an electrical engineer, however, he struggled to find a job in this field until he was hired at a school.

The school needed his expertise to help keep its assistive technology up and running as it was a school for children and adults with disabilities.

In the beginning, Mike fixed wheelchairs and such, but as technology expanded so did his work assisting students with disabilities.

Now Mike works as a consultant to help explore options to help support every learner. 

Listen to this article.

This episode is sponsored by Lumio.

Lumio is a digital learning tool that will transform your lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences. Every day more schools and districts are switching to Lumio – it’s truly a flexible, time-saving tool that makes it easy to turn your PDFs, Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Notebook files into engaging lessons with interactive activities, games, group workspaces, and formative assessment ALL built right in. Boost your student engagement on any device wherever learning needs to happen. To get Lumio for FREE, head to Lum.io today.

Fighting Exclusion: Shake Up Inclusive Learning

Recently, Kasey and Mike teamed up to share a webinar that merged their two topics of inclusion and implementing the 4 C’s to shake up learning. Both Mike and Kasey have the mission to help every learner and share how technology can better assist their learning. This doesn’t have to mean students with disabilities, but it absolutely includes them.

Everyone’s Different

In reflecting back on the past few years with the changes education has seen due to the pandemic, Mike asks the question, “what tools have stuck?” At the onset of the pandemic, a lot of technology was thrown at teachers and students alike. Many teachers discovered tools they didn’t know about and learned how to incorporate more technology into their teaching practice. Now that most classrooms have moved back to in-person learning, Mike shares his curiosity about how teachers continue to utilize technology to help their students. 

Every student brings their own unique learning needs to the classroom. Looking for those flexible, creative ways to ensure that everyone has a chance to succeed in the classroom is the ultimate goal. Mike explains that in brainstorming content for their book, Inclusive Learning 365, the authors began thinking about individual tools. They pivoted from focusing on the tool to focusing on the teaching strategy.  

Mike explains that often teachers begin with the tool and consider how it can be used rather than starting with the student and thinking about their needs. Starting with the learner and considering what works for them, what excites them, and what engages them in the learning. Mike makes the point that asking lots of questions helps to expose what needs to be accomplished and the best strategy or tool to make that happen. 

What is Inclusion

Inclusion is fighting against exclusion. This idea, brought to the table by Chris Bugaj, struck the group as being the best picture of what inclusion means. Mike, and his co-authors, offer a website of resources. One of those resources is a self-assessment tool to examine how well a teacher is providing inclusive strategies. The self-assessment can also be useful in providing new mindsets or shifts for how to provide more inclusive strategies. 

Mike shares an example of this from the webinar. He begins with the importance of providing authentic options for students to share their learning. It’s not about providing the option to use a red pen versus a blue pen. If the end goal is for a student to share what they learned and they are struggling to type their ideas then there needs to be a better option. For example, sharing their ideas by recording audio would accomplish the same end goal. Unless the end goal includes the skill of typing sharing through audio provides the same end product. 

Teaching Resources

Technology is now a readily available resource. A resource that every student can use. Rather than thinking that students who have documented accommodations should be the only ones to utilize technology resources, allow all students to have the option. People utilize different means for gathering information all the time, sometimes people prefer to read information, and sometimes people prefer to listen. It’s why podcast episodes and these show notes simultaneously exist. 

Mike shares his own editing tip of listening to the audio of his own typing rather than reading it. Either can produce the same end results, but knowing that hearing the audio will be more effective allows Mike to make the best choice for his end product. Teaching students to make these decisions with their own learning can provide them with practical life-long learning skills. 

Looking Ahead

With the next school year several weeks away, Mike shares some ideas to consider when planning the upcoming school year. The book, Inclusive Learning 365, is organized as small “nuggets” of information. The eight areas of focus for the strategies included are cross-content, reading, writing, STEAM, research and studying, executive functioning, social-emotional learning, and professional learning. 

Each page provides a teaching strategy in one of those eight areas. The strategy is explained or defined, then there is a list of inclusive paths with tools for the strategy along with how it might be incorporated into the classroom. Finally, the resources and tools are aligned with the ISTE standards. 

The book itself is meant to be a resource and tool for educators. Mike shares that it doesn’t need to be read cover to cover. It’s possible to flip through and learn a small piece to add to the bigger experience of providing more inclusion in your classroom. 

Mike says he’s often asked, what’s the best tool? and his standard response to that is that it depends. However, he does have some favorites. Deciding that a tool is a favorite for Mike means that they are flexible, easy to use, has several features, and is readily available. 

Two of Mike’s favorites include Read and Write for Google and Book Creator. He appreciates how these tools have so many accessibility pieces “baked” into them. Kasey wholeheartedly agrees with these choices! Both of these tools are free for users and Kasey reminds us that it’s important to know which tools are being provided to teachers through their districts. 

When coaching teachers, Mike likes to start by asking what tools are already available. Often tools are already provided and a better understanding of the depth to which they can be used is a place to begin. Another great place to begin is the Inclusive 365 website. Mike explains that because technology is constantly changing the book also provides an electronic companion. 

In case you miss the ISTE conference this year, take a look at all the resources gathered through an inclusive scavenger hunt! Another great place to help build your toolbox of inclusion. 

About Mike Moratta

Twitter: @mmatp

Website: inclusive365.com

Mike is a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional and the 2017 ISTE Inclusive Learning Network Outstanding Educator. Mike is a nationally and internationally recognized presenter providing practical training to professionals interested in assistive and inclusive technology. In addition, Mike is an adjunct professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey (NJ) teaching Masters level educators in Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning.

Mike is the Director of the Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center and serves on both the CAST Accessible Educational Materials and Center on Inclusive Technology and Education Systems (CITES) Advisory Boards. Mike is also the founder of EdcampAccess NJ and co-moderator of the weekly #ATchat Twitter chat. Mike is one of the co-authors of the ISTE book Inclusive Learning 365: Edtech Strategies for Every Day of the Year.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Fighting Exclusion: Shake Up Inclusive Learning – SULS0164 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

Accessibility is and should be a huge topic of discussion across multiple industries but especially in learning.

I’m going to give you tips, tricks, and resources to help use Google accessibility tools to reach all learners.

Google tools are loaded with features that help us differentiate and support ALL learners in our classrooms.

In this article and podcast episode, we are going to take a deep dive into tools and strategies that you may not know about.

Let’s get shakin’ y’all.

Shoutout

Sarah Kiefer recently wrote a wonderful review of the Dynamic Learning with Google podcast series. (Episodes 44-47 – You can find them here!)

I appreciate the review so much. Go check out her blog, My Brain Can’t Hold It All.

Listen to this article:

...

Do you have a question or idea to share on the podcast? Leave me a message here.

Quick Tip of the Week

In any Google Doc, use the keyboard shortcut, Control + Shift + 8 (Command + Shift + 8 on a Mac), to add a bullet to your document. This keyboard shortcut is amazing if you need to add bullet points quickly to a doc.

Accessibility Tools with Google

I did a ton of research before deciding to chat about this topic today because I wanted to put together the best resources for you. 

Check out Google’s Accessibility page here for a very comprehensive list of features broken down by application. Also, keep in mind that Android devices have built-in accessibility features as well.

Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are not just time savers; they are also accessibility features for students and teachers. If any of your students are unable to use a mouse, then these are imperative. 

• CTRL + T will open a new tab in your browser
• CTRL + (1-8) will toggle to that corresponding tab within your browser. For instance, if you have 8 tabs open, CTRL + 6 will go to the 6th tab. 
• CTRL + 9 will take you to the last tab that you have open.
• CTRL + Shift + T will reopen a closed tab.
• CTRL + W will close a tab.
• ALT + F + X will completely close Google Chrome. (Cmd + Q on a Mac)
• CTRL + +/- will zoom in and out on your browser. 

(Use CMD instead of CTRL on a Mac)

Check out a full list of Chrome keyboard shortcuts here! For all the shortcuts you can use to zoom in and out and change text, image, and video sizes, use this resource. 

Why You May Need High Contrast Colors

Some students may benefit from high-contrast colors rather than the regular settings we get with every browser.

Some students can focus more easily when the background is black with white text rather than vice versa. Darker backgrounds are also easier on the eyes for everyone. 

There’s a Chrome extension you can use to change the color schemes for all webpages. You can find the extension here, but be sure to follow your school policies regarding installing extensions.

Text to Speech (Reading with Your Ears)

Some of the most useful extensions will read the text on the screen out loud to your students. These extensions help younger students learn how to read, but is also helpful for students who have dyslexia or other learning difficulties. 

One of my favorite Chrome extensions is Read & Write for Google Chrome. I shared a post on this extension a while back that you can read here, but essentially you install a toolbar, and then any webpage you visit can be read out loud to you. 

This tool is a fabulous accessibility feature to help all types of readers.

You can change the voice, the speed, and it has a translation feature as well. 

Two more Chrome extensions that will read text from the screen are Speak It and Announcify. I shared these in a previous post about supporting struggling readers. 

With Speak It, you highlight what you want to hear, and it will read that section out loud with just a couple of clicks. 

Another favorite is Announcify because it does more than just read what is on the screen. It will open in a new page, and then it will blur out anything that is not being read. This is great for limiting distractions. 

Speech to Text (Dictation)

Essentially speech to text is considered dictation, but this feature is so helpful to many different types of learners. Many apps and devices now have voice recognition built into their interfaces, making dictation much more accurate than it has been in the past.

Even if you don’t need speech to text for an accommodation, many of us talk faster than we type, so this can be a huge time saver. 

The first resource I want to talk about is dictation.io. This is not an extension but instead a Chrome app. You click on the microphone and start speaking, and your words are shown on the notepad.

The Voice Note II Chrome extension is another fantastic tool that opens a new clean window with a microphone in the top right. You click the microphone and start talking, and when you stop, your words are there.

Both of these tools allow you to then copy, paste, tweet, email, message, etc. the words that you’ve spoken.

If you’d like additional Chrome extensions and tools along with explanations of them, check out my Chrome Database. 

You can also watch this video playlist that has additional information on Chrome and Chrome OS Accessibility.

Chrome OS & Chromebooks

The Chrome OS on Chromebook has several accessibility features built into the device so that you won’t need additional tools. I’ve listed a few resources below to help you familiarize yourself with the built-in tools.

• Chromebook accessibility help
• ChromeVox – Built-in screen reader
• On-screen keyboard (with microphone option) 
• Chromebook keyboard shortcuts

Accessibility Tools in Google Docs

First off, I cannot say enough for having a full understanding of keyboard shortcuts. You can find a list of shortcuts specific to Docs here, but understanding these shortcuts and being able to share them with your students is unbelievably helpful.

Google Docs also has built-in voice typing. You can find it under Tools > Voice Typing. It works very similarly to the apps and extensions mentioned above, but it allows you to talk your work directly into your document. You can also dictate your formatting options as well, like bold, italicize, etc. Here are 7 reasons you need to try voice typing in Google Docs. 

There is also an entire suite of accessibility settings directly within Docs. If you want to see the comprehensive list, go here. But this is where you turn on things for screen reader support, collaborator announcements, a screen magnifier, and others. You can find these options and settings in Tools as well.

Final Thoughts

When you’re creating a visual for a website or page, don’t forget to create pertinent alt-text. The alt-text allows you to put in a title and description. Most of the alt-text that you see on websites is the random name someone used to name the picture for their computer. Take the time to create meaningful titles for those students who aren’t able to process busy webpages. 

Insert your image, right-click, and select alt-text to update it. This will also give a screen reader a way to describe the image in text to speech tools. 

Another way to make your documents more accessible is to use the commenting and suggestions function. Screen readers can jump specifically to those comments rather than jumbling up the text on the page.

One last thought about formatting. Screen readers do not acknowledge bold, italicized, and underlined words. Instead, if something is important, type “important” before the upcoming sentence. Additionally, use numbered lists instead of bullet points to better distinguish the order of importance in your documents. Also, start using headings rather than simply increasing your font size.

Podcast Question of the Week

• How can accessibility tools help you reach the learners in your classroom?
• Post your answers in the Shake Up Learning community or on your favorite social platform.

Join our FREE Shake Up Learning Facebook group.

Post your answer to your favorite social media platform using the hashtag #ShakeUpLearning, or share it in the Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook!

The Shake Up Learning Book Study

Don’t miss our next book study! It’s completely FREE, and it’s all available online!

Get the details here.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Google Accessibility Tools to Reach ALL Learners – SULS049 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.