Retrieved from: http://www.xtmotion.co.uk/wp-content/themes/alabastroswp/js/timthumb.php?src=http://www.xtmotion.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Web-Accessibility-Icon-Qicon-blueRGB.jpg&w=640&h=265&q=95&zc=1
To start out with, I honestly have never heard of “UDL” before. I am assuming because it is grouped together with accessibility, that it has to be related to that. I know that accessibility is being able to use something or go onto something. In the context of this class, I believe that when it talks about accessibility, it is talking about the ability to use either technology or the internet. I know that accessibility to the internet and technology is a problem in the world today because of poverty and the inability to afford to have those things. I also know that this problem is often overlooked and is seen as not as big of a problem as it actually is. I am curious to learn about what is causing people to not accessibility to these technologies besides the financial aspect. Also, I would like to know more about if there are any types of rules that are in place in order to protect those who are unable to access these certain things. I am actually very interested in this topic because I feel like this topic is not as talked about as it needs to be.
I learned a lot about this topic when preparing for class. First off, I actually found out what UDL means! While watching the video “UDL at a Glance” while preparing for class, I learned that UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning and that there are a lot of different aspects that go into it. UDL is an effort to make learning accessible for all, making sure that everyone has a chance. From this video, I learned that there are 3 different principles that go into the Universal Design for Learning: Representation, Action and Expression, and Engagement. When talking about representation, teachers are supposed to use multiple forms of representation in order to make everyone have the same opportunity to learn. This means having text, images, simulations, demonstrations, activities, and so on because every student has his or her own learning style. One student may be more of a visual learner while another is more of an audio learner. Next is action and expression. Teachers are supposed to have different ways for students to express their learning because every student has different strengths in different areas and it is better for them to do what they are best at to show you as the teacher how they learned the information. Last is engagement, have the students have choices in how they want to engage in the learning. Just like I stated above, students all have different forms of learning, meaning that students engage in different ways in order to learn. It is important to keep all of these in mind in order to give every student an opportunity to learn to the best of their ability. Next when preparing for this class, I was watching the videos and reading from the website “Introduction to Web Accessibility” and I learned so much about this problem. I honestly did not know how prevalent this problem of accessibility is today and how many websites are not accommodating for those who need it. The videos linked on this website talked about how the blind, the deaf, and those who are physically not able to work a computer suffer because websites are not accommodating for their needs. Everyone deserves to be able to use the internet and actually, most people need to be able to access it for school, work, and other reasons. I learned that there are actually laws in place about accessibility and how all websites are to accommodate these people through The Americans with Disabilities Act, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Web COntent Accessibility Guidelines. Websites, by law, are supposed to be available to use by all sense, be able to be controlled with alternative technologies, accessible by various technologies, and to be concise on their information so that their website is accessible by every person. But unfortunately, this is not the case of what is being done. Overall, I learned how big of a problem accessibility is and how it needs to become more of a focus in order to give learning opportunities to everyone.
My understanding of this topic really changed from the beginning where I practically knew nothing about the topic to after class where I feel like I am well-versed in the knowledge of UDL and Accessibility. To start with, I actually know what UDL means now and I know the different components that go into implementing it. I now know how important UDL is when teaching children because every child and every person in general have different ways of learning and as a teacher, it is your job to make sure that everyone learns that information. Also I have learned so much about the accessibility problem and what is being done to stop it. i thought internet accessibility was only limited to those who did not have enough money to have internet, but I learned that accessibility is way more than that. I learned how much of a problem this is in our world today and how this is how it is going to be in the classroom when I become a teacher. This lesson really taught me about how to apply this learning to my future classroom and making me think about possible strategies for the future.
I learned a lot about this topic when preparing for class. First off, I actually found out what UDL means! While watching the video “UDL at a Glance” while preparing for class, I learned that UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning and that there are a lot of different aspects that go into it. UDL is an effort to make learning accessible for all, making sure that everyone has a chance. From this video, I learned that there are 3 different principles that go into the Universal Design for Learning: Representation, Action and Expression, and Engagement. When talking about representation, teachers are supposed to use multiple forms of representation in order to make everyone have the same opportunity to learn. This means having text, images, simulations, demonstrations, activities, and so on because every student has his or her own learning style. One student may be more of a visual learner while another is more of an audio learner. Next is action and expression. Teachers are supposed to have different ways for students to express their learning because every student has different strengths in different areas and it is better for them to do what they are best at to show you as the teacher how they learned the information. Last is engagement, have the students have choices in how they want to engage in the learning. Just like I stated above, students all have different forms of learning, meaning that students engage in different ways in order to learn. It is important to keep all of these in mind in order to give every student an opportunity to learn to the best of their ability. Next when preparing for this class, I was watching the videos and reading from the website “Introduction to Web Accessibility” and I learned so much about this problem. I honestly did not know how prevalent this problem of accessibility is today and how many websites are not accommodating for those who need it. The videos linked on this website talked about how the blind, the deaf, and those who are physically not able to work a computer suffer because websites are not accommodating for their needs. Everyone deserves to be able to use the internet and actually, most people need to be able to access it for school, work, and other reasons. I learned that there are actually laws in place about accessibility and how all websites are to accommodate these people through The Americans with Disabilities Act, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Web COntent Accessibility Guidelines. Websites, by law, are supposed to be available to use by all sense, be able to be controlled with alternative technologies, accessible by various technologies, and to be concise on their information so that their website is accessible by every person. But unfortunately, this is not the case of what is being done. Overall, I learned how big of a problem accessibility is and how it needs to become more of a focus in order to give learning opportunities to everyone.
- "Internet Society." Internet Accessibility: Internet Use by Persons with Disabilities: Moving Forward. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. This website talks about how the internet claims to be “for everyone”, but that does not seem to the case because millions of Americans and people all around the world are not able to access the internet due “disabilities”. The sad fact is that websites are not fully accommodating to those who have problems accessing the internet, making the internet not accessible or for everyone. The authors of this website believe that if we were to remove barriers by adding tools to help, such as subtitles, tools to read to you, tools to navigate other than a mouse and so on, people who have disabilities will be able to independently access what they need to and will be able “to contribute to their communities”. This is becoming more of a problem because of the lack of awareness of this issue. I think that this website is helpful because it goes more indepth about internet accessibility and addressing the issues very head-on, telling it how it is and how we all need to do more in order to get this problem fixed. This website is very informational and helpful to understand the current situation of this problem.
- "Americans Living with Disability and Their Technology Profile." Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. This website is a very informative website about disabilities and how difficult it is for them to use the internet independently. It shares some statistics about barriers when using the internet, like 9% of American adults have serious hearing difficulties, 7% of American adults are either blind or have serious seeing problems that cannot be fixed by glasses, and so on. This helps the information seem more real because there are statistics of how many people are affected by these “disabilities”. This website discusses the laws that are in place about this issue and how these laws are being broken by many website creators because most do not follow the exact criteria that they are supposed to have in order to not have accessibility as an issue. It talks about how this problem can affect different aspects of life like not being able to access health information or educational information, which are both very important to be able to have. This website is very helpful because it gives you actual numbers about how many people are really affected by this issue and discusses what can be done to make this issue less of an issue.
My understanding of this topic really changed from the beginning where I practically knew nothing about the topic to after class where I feel like I am well-versed in the knowledge of UDL and Accessibility. To start with, I actually know what UDL means now and I know the different components that go into implementing it. I now know how important UDL is when teaching children because every child and every person in general have different ways of learning and as a teacher, it is your job to make sure that everyone learns that information. Also I have learned so much about the accessibility problem and what is being done to stop it. i thought internet accessibility was only limited to those who did not have enough money to have internet, but I learned that accessibility is way more than that. I learned how much of a problem this is in our world today and how this is how it is going to be in the classroom when I become a teacher. This lesson really taught me about how to apply this learning to my future classroom and making me think about possible strategies for the future.