BARD Access - National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) BARD is a free library service of downloadable braille and audio reading material for residents of the United States and U.S. citizens living abroad who are unable to read or use standard printed material because of visual or physical disabilities. BARD provides access to thousands of special-format books, magazines, and music scores. The site is password-protected.
Lost, Stolen or Censored? - Intellectual Freedom Blog By: Kristin Pekoll, Office for Intellectual Freedom If a person sets fire to library materials, we know that is censorship. We’ve seen the pictures from Germany of the thousands of books burned by Nazis. At the core, burning books denies access to information and ideas that is constitutionally protected by our First Amendment.
Find, Share and Recommend Accessible iOS, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV Apps Here at AppleVis we strive to make it easier for you to find great and accessible apps to use on Apple products. From this page, you can browse and search our directories of iOS, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV apps; see what apps others are recommending; see which iOS apps our community has inducted into our Hall Of Fame; and check to see if there are any promotions on accessible apps. iOS Apps iOS App Directory Our main resource for owners of iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch is the iOS App Directory, which currently contains user-submitted information on the accessibility of more than 3000 apps.
Culture - The controversy behind Disney’s groundbreaking new princess Moana is a groundbreaking film for Disney, because it features the studio’s first Polynesian princess – but that’s not all. The film’s title character is also the first princess to possess an ‘average’ body, who unlike her counterparts, does not have a tiny waist and unusually long limbs. The film has just opened in cinemas and has been winning some positive early reviews, with Slant magazine praising Disney’s latest princess for being “neither selfishly rebellious nor simplistically innocent”. Rebecca Hains, author of The Princess Problem: Guiding Our Girls through the Princess-Obsessed Years, definitely views Moana’s physical appearance as progress. Updated Personalization vs. Differentiation vs. Individualization Chart Version 3 Personalization v Differentiation v Individualization (PDI) Chart (Version 3) The PDI chart was created for a reason: to clarify the differences in these terms. In 2010, the National Ed Tech Plan defined all three of these terms as they are related to instruction. We needed to emphasize the differences: Personalization is learner-centered. The other two, Differentiation and Individualization are teacher-centered. Personalization or Personalized Learning means the learner is driving their learning.
Intellectual Freedom and Youth: Practical and Philosophical Considerations When it comes to intellectual freedom, most people would agree that adults should have the right to read what pleases them. Many would also agree that teenagers need some freedom to explore their own reading tastes and choices. But what about children, specifically school-aged children? Does it make sense to talk about intellectual freedom for a population that generally exercises little freedom at home or at school? The Library Bill of Rights does not discriminate on the basis of age, which would include younger children as well as older ones. But are there other reasons to support intellectual freedom for younger readers?
Design Thinking and UDL for Makerspaces in STEM and STEAM Classrooms Some makerspaces are set up in separate rooms down the hall, in the library, or in another building. Kids may only be able to use the makerspace once a week or month. Some activities may focus on how to use the resources available and not connect the activities to the curriculum or around a real world problem. If this is how the makerspace is set up in your school, then your kids may not have access to the resources, materials, and tools when they need them, especially for STEM or STEAM. This is why we decided to focus on this topic for #plearnchat and created a planning tool for makerspaces in the classroom using the Design Thinking Process and Universal Design for Learning®. For more information about this process and the Planning tool, go to the post Design Thinking & UDL Planning Tool by Barbara Bray and Jackie Gerstein.
Celebrate Science: Behind the Books: The Nonfiction Family Tree If you’re a longtime reader of Celebrate Science, you may remember that back in 2012 and 2013, I spent a lot of time trying to develop a Nonfiction Family Tree. This effort to categorize and understand the various kinds of nonfiction and the interplay among them was heavily influenced by the ideas of such nonfiction thought leaders as Marc Aronson, Myra Zarnowski, Sue Bartle, and Mary Ann Cappiello. Eventually, I gave up on the family tree and started to think about other ways to classify nonfiction, but recently I decided to take a fresh look at the tree analogy, and I came up with something that I think is worth sharing: Traditional Nonfiction At one time, nonfiction books for children routinely included dry, stodgy expository writing—prose that explains, describes, or informs.
About UDL A short video by CAST illustrates the three principles of Universal Design for Learning. How US Federal Statute Defines UDL The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, passed with strong bipartisan support, established the statutory definition for universal design for learning. Read the definition
Getting Personal with Books How do we encourage teens to come back to reading for fun? For my high school library, getting personal with books has made all the difference. Part of the answer lies in knowing your specific patrons and collection and matching students to books that might draw them in. Another part of the answer lies in choosing programs and promotions that might engage your teen readers. Research from Common Sense Media shows that as students grow through adolescence they spend less time reading for fun. the special needs hat The mission statement for my library included this statement We are dedicated to providing and promotingintellectual and physical access for allto an extensive range of print and electronic resources,tools and technologies It sounded very grand in theory but what did it look like in practice? Was it even put into practice? Or was it one of those statements that had no substance behind it?
Finding Clipart and Photos for Print and Multimedia Projects This month, I am going to share something that my students frequently ask me for. I create a lot of multimedia projects and handouts. My students always want to know where I get the pictures and clipart that I use for educational projects.