Nearpod And Global Collaboration

Nearpod is an interactive tool that is used in the classroom that allows teachers to create and share presentations, quizzes, polls and even videos. 

    Nearpod is aimed at making the classroom a more interactive place for students and allowing lessons to be teacher-led, student-paced, or even in front of the class. 

    Not only is Nearpod a great use for teacher use, it also allows the students to interact with students virtually all over different parts of the country and other countries. 

    Global collaboration is being introduced more and more in classrooms everyday with the help of programs like Nearpod. Nearpod also has the ability to let students tour different areas around the world without having to physically visit the locations. Students are able to create relationships and learn about different parts of the country virtually. 

    Creating interactive lessons in the classroom is such a game changer. I have always enjoyed hands on lessons more than just reading or listening to someone speak about a topic. I have also witnessed first hand how much more engaged other students have been when partaking in an activity and being able to navigate things on their own. Nearpod seems like such a cool and inclusive tool that I would definitely use in my classroom! 

Changemakers - Say It Now

    Being a future educator I am open to all tips and tricks. This course alone has given me so many outlets and options that I am inclined to use in my class as a new teacher. Navigating around WE Virtual Learning Center  has made me excited for future use.

  I located the Virtual Learning Center on the website which provides so many cool courses and organizational tools for teacher use. They provide calendars to help plan our days and lesson plans as well as courses to help teachers navigate student engagement and empowerment.

  They also provide downloadable resources for teachers as walk through, step-by-step instructional lessons. I like the We Have Gratitude lesson and could definitely see my self using this in my class. This downloadable resource provides the purpose and objective of the lesson. It provides the skills that will be used, the time that will be consumed and the materials that are needed.

    Not only do these lesson plans lay things out for us, they are fun and interactive. Even the modules are colorful and intriguing. Here is a screenshot of part of an activity given in the We Have Gratitude downloadable content, which walks the teacher and the students through the lesson plans. 

    WE Virtual Learning Center seems like such a good tool to use in the classroom especially for new coming teachers who really don't know how to run things yet. I will for sure be using programs like this and others to help direct my classes! 

Accessibility Tools

 This week I researched 7 different accessibility tools that can help in the classroom. Being a future educator I want to ensure I am aware of any kind of platforms that can be used to help provide the best possible outcomes for my students. There are going to be students who struggle more than others and who need different measures to accommodate them. 

Google Text-to-Speech is the first accessibility tool I researched. This tool will convert text to a natural-sounding voice. This would be a great tool for students that maybe have hard time comprehending instructions. 

C-Pen is also a text-to-speech tool. This tool specifically scans words on paper and reads them aloud. Not only does this pen help people that might suffer from learning disabilities, it also supports multiple languages and can help someone who is trying to learn a different language. 

Smart Pens are another great accessibility tool! Smart Pens often go hand in hand with tablets or smart notebooks. The pens will translate the information you are writing and transform them over to the device you choose to store your notes on. This can help with organization and also helps share with other people! 

Screen Readers are programs that allow the blind or visually impaired the ability to read text. Screen readers converts text and other elements into a Braille output allowing the users to interact with digital content. 

Voice Typing is a type of software that lets you speak into a microphone and transforms those words onto a digital document. This is a great accessibility tool for those who might suffer from physical disabilities and don't have the opportunity to physically type on a keyboard. 

Zoom and magnification tools on browsers are great for users who might have visibility issues. The tools give them the option to enlarge words pictures, and videos making it easier to see and view content. 

Open Dyslexic is a free program that can be downloaded onto a browser that converts text to create increased readability for readers with dyslexia. The program offers regular, bold, and italic styles and offering 2 typefaces of OpenDyslexic and OpenDyslexic-Alta. 

Seven Accessibility Tools

Assistive technology is transforming the way we read, write, and engage with content. Whether you're a student, educator, or someone looking for accessibility support, there are many beneficial tools designed to make digital communication more inclusive. Let’s get into some examples of these incredible tools:

Google Docs - Voice Typing

Voice Typing in Google Docs is a hands-free writing tool that is perfect for anyone who finds typing challenging or simply wants to capture ideas quickly. This tool is very easy to use and is available right in a Google document. Just go to the “Tools” tab and select “Voice Typing.” A microphone will appear and users can just click on the icon when they are ready to use and click again to stop the voice typing.

Microsoft - Immersive Reader

Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is a built-in feature in Microsoft Edge and across many Microsoft 365 apps, designed to make reading easier for everyone. It offers adjustable text size, spacing, background colors, read-aloud features, and grammar tools. In the classroom, it’s a great resource for teachers to personalize support for students learning to read. Immersive Reader makes text more accessible, guided, and user-friendly for all kinds of learners.

Screen Readers

For individuals with visual impairments, screen readers are essential. These tools convert text on a screen into speech or Braille, allowing users to navigate websites, read documents, and interact with content independently. Some of the most widely used screen readers include JAWS, Dolphin ScreenReader, Microsoft Narrator, and NVDA for Windows. There are also tools like Orca, TalkBack (Android), and ZoomText for other platforms and needs. Screen readers help make sure everyone has equal access to digital spaces.

C-Pen Reader

The C-Pen Reader is a tool that helps to improve reading skills, aid comprehension, and promote independence for individuals with difficulty reading or who may be learning a new language. The C-Pen Reader is an easy, pocket-sized tool that scans words and reads them aloud, using text-to-speech technology. 

Google Slides - Speaker Notes and Live Captions

Google Slides presents a tool for speaker notes and caption features to help individuals expand their presentations while also benefiting others who are viewing the presentation. The speaker notes section helps presenters stay on track, while the live captions feature displays spoken words in real-time on the screen. This can be a game changer for those with hearing impairments, language learners, or anyone sitting in the back of the room. Speaker notes and live captions is all about making presentations more accessible and engaging.

Microsoft Windows - Color Filters

Although color filters are often associated with photography, they have another important role with accessibility. For individuals who are color-blind or have difficulty focusing on on-screen text, changing color contrast or applying filters can dramatically imp
rove one’s ability to read. Adjusting these settings can make text pop, reduce eye strain, and help maintain concentration. It’s a small tweak that can make a big impact.

Google Meet - Transcripts

Transcripts in Google Meet allows participants to review and edit meeting dialogue in written form. This is beneficial for referencing key points, creating meeting minutes, and keeping everyone on the same page. Transcripts also helps people of another language to receive the meeting dialogue in the language they know best. For example, the meeting transcripts are available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

 

Google: an accessibility driven Company

In the United States K-12 education system, the google system is widely used. Google has a myriad of tools that can be used in the classroom, and due to their increased usage in the United States, I do believe that Google has ensured that their tools have proper accessibility upgrades to make sure that the students who use their tools are all accommodated for. 

Google Chromebook accessibility upgrades:

A Chromebook was distributed to every student in my high school beginning in 2020 (Covid influenced this decision by the district). I am sure that other districts across the country followed a similar path. With students having access to the Chromebook it then becomes a priority to create an environment where ALL students can thrive. The Chromebook has several key accessibility upgrades that can aid those with visual impairments. The big three of those upgrades would be the In Screen Reader, the braille device-Chromebook compatibility, and the On Screen Keyboard. The In Screen Reader is a tool that reads the screen to the computer user, making the user able to still comprehend what is on the screen, even if they struggle seeing. Compatibility with Braille devices allows blind users to read their screens through their device, making the internet a new realm that formerly was blocked off. For those with poor vision, the On Screen Keyboard can be used to place a keyboard on the screen, which is much larger and also is able to be used by touch(if available on the computer). 

Google Docs follows suit:

Google Docs has similar accessibility capabilities as the Chromebook in general, and that should be expected! It is all google after all. Google Docs has the same In Screen Reader as the Chromebook, however, in Docs, the Reader can be used to edit documents! The braille accessibility is still available within Google Docs which will aid those with vision problems. Where Docs differs from the broader Chromebook is that you can type through your voice. This can aid those who, again, struggle with vision. The ability to speak instead of type can make writing much easier if it is difficult to see the keys on a keyboard. 

Gmail and the importance of Email: 

An email and access to it is important at all levels of life, whether as a student or adult. However, some people do need aid, and Google has provided some with its tools built into Gmail. The trend continues! Gmail also has access to the In Screen Reader. This of course allows for the visually impaired to get some help with what is on their screen. As for an overall accessibility upgrade, Gmail can be accessed, through IMAP(Internet message access protocol), across multiple email clients. In other words, your gmail can be utilized through other email applications like outlook. 

Google Slides, copying Docs? It's all Google so yeah!

Google slides is another heavily used Google application. As mentioned above, the schools of The United States love google, so slides is used heavily for projects and lecture slides. For students with visual impairments to do work in Slides, it is important that their vision gap is met with proper accessibility upgrades. Google Slides also has the built in In Screen Reader, which, same as for the previous tools, can be used to read the screen to the user, enabling them to hear, should they struggle reading. Slides also has access to Braille device compatibility. A tool that separates Slides from Docs however, is their caption system. While presenting a slideshow, the user can turn on captions, allowing those who may have trouble hearing the ability to read the captions of the presentation, bridging the auditory gap. 

Google Sheets, the hardest Google tool to learn:

Sheets is hard to learn in its entirety, but that is just because it has the most baseline features. What that means however, is that it can be increasingly difficult for students with accessibility needs. Following the preceding programs, Google sheets has Braille device support and the In Screen Reader built into it. This includes the In Screen Readers ability to have live commentary. This live commentary would be useful when collaborating on a document with others. The In Screen Reader can announce the entrance and departure of document collaborators along with whether or not the user is working(typing, deleting, inserting) near one of their collaborators. Once more, Google is making sure their most used tools have accessibility features for those with visual impairments, ensuring that they do not feel left out and are quite literally not left out. 

Google Chrome, searching for accessibility: 

While using the google search engine, students with accessibility issues have been given the opportunity to search for accessibility features via Chrome extensions. This tool, the Chrome extension tool, allows students to search for accessibility features that can tailor to their needs. Chrome also has the capacity to turn on image descriptions, where the device will describe images that are on the screen. The most intriguing tool is the Chrome Actions tool. This tool can streamline, well, actions. This can help speed up processes and allow students to work faster, which can aid students. An example of this would be asking Chrome to "create a google doc" or "translate this page." This tool is interesting and I am curious as to why Google created it, because there must have been a specific reason. Regardless, this tool can help students with accessibility needs through its ability to speed up processes and center all of Googles tools into the search bar, streamlining all of its processes.