This week we learned about Assistive Technology and equity. It is very important that we make education more equitable for learners with a wide range of learning needs. While using technology to enhance aspects of the classroom there can be several benefits along with some drawbacks. During this class we also talked about how we can make our own websites more accessible. We can make it accessible by either using automated closed captioning tool or H5P to add text to boxes or labels through the video to convey the message you are communicating in text form.
Accessible photos allow the observer to see a visual representation of what is being read and/ or spoken about. Photos help teach lessons to a wide range of learners. The photo I included is a picture of my ukulele, this photo could help its observers understand what it looks like and its relative size. This is a good example of how accessible photos could be used in a music class/ lesson!
Accessible videos is another technology tool that can be used to help widen the range of learners that can benefit from the content. I have provided a video from YouTube that teaches people the parts of the Ukulele. The accessibility benefit with this video is the creator is talking along with physically showing the parts of the ukulele. He also enabled closed captions so that people can read along with him or refer back to written text.
A digital accessibility practice that I often see missed is alternative text for images or the enabled closed captioning on many videos! This is a drawback for learners that need the extra support/ learning aspect. While looking into different means of learning, a digital accessibility that surprised me is the lack of closed captions available in videos.
Hi Nicole!!! This is a great post with lots of helpful information. I love how you included a personal photo and then linked the video to the same topic. I agree that alt text is commonly left out and that it’s important to add it in when we can. The only thing I would suggest you could add to make it more engaging is colour. Adding some background colour or a header photo could engage the reader. You could also add a hyperlink to more information on this topic. Overall, amazing job!!!