BARD Access - National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) | Library of Congress 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. Three steps to begin using BARD 1) Become an NLS patron 2) Register for BARD 3) Get a Device You can get a free talking-book player on long-term loan from your network library, buy a commercial model on your own if there are features you prefer, or download the free app to your smart device. Four steps to getting books on BARD Mobile 1) Sign In Sign In to BARD on your mobile device. For help with BARD, access videos on How to Use BARD Mobile or send an email to NLSDownload@loc.gov 2) Find Books You can search through recently added audio books, audio magazines, braille books and braille magazines. 3) Add to Wish List 4) Download
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. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracks censorship. Facebook post expressing outrage and disgustPrincipal directive to ban a book from the library collectionDistrict disinvites an author from visiting the schoolSuperintendent removes book from school curriculumLocal politician demands to delete library tweetsDean requests relocation of controversial displayFaculty relocates controversial material to a university vaultCataloger refuses to process new books Individual requests to remove library resources or cancel services is just one example of the reports we receive. Is this censorship? What about when labels are strategically placed over images? You tell me.
Find, Share and Recommend Accessible iOS, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV Apps | AppleVis 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. View the latest entries in the iOS App Directory Browse the iOS App Directory by category Browse the iOS App Directory by app name View a list of iOS apps that have been developed specifically for blind or low vision users Use our Advanced Search to find iOS apps Submit an app to the iOS App Directory iOS App Recommendations View the latest iOS apps to be recommended Mac Apps Mac App Directory Apple TV 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. But conservative writer and talk show host Debbie Schlussel sees a thicker framed Moana as one more example of political correctness gone too far. Princess problems The film’s male mythological figure, Maui, a demigod of South Pacific legend, has also been criticised for being too big and bulky, and giving a distorted view of Polynesians.
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. It has been some time since we initially published the PDI Chart in January 2012. We updated the chart again to version 3 from your feedback. Individualization involves assessment OF 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? First things first: What is intellectual freedom? Second, let’s look at elementary school aged children. Besides being developmentally appropriate, intellectual freedom for kids has some practical benefits for librarians. Even more importantly, free choice in reading is good for reading motivation! Reading is also a key component of identity formation. Loretta M.
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. The big question: How can a maker and design thinking mindset encourage deeper learning for STEM and STEAM? July 6th 7p ET, 4p PT Chapters 1 and 2 (Kathleen)
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. Browse-able NonfictionThanks to Dorling Kindersley’s innovative Eyewitness Books series, the 1990s brought remarkable changes to traditional expository nonfiction. Narrative Nonfiction Active Nonfiction
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 UDL Series A free online collection of rich media presentations that help educators to build UDL understanding, implementa-tion skills, and leadership ability. Visit the UDL Series Resource for Parents and Teachers The UDLinks app was developed through a grant from the Maryland Department of Education to help teachers and parents search for online teaching resources aligned with UDL. UDL Now! In UDL Now!
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. If you ask a teacher in any grade level or content area what one of the largest barriers they face is, they will invariably tell you it is time. Personal book shopping is a school-wide library program where I hand-pick 4 books for each participating student based on their answers to a few short questions. I then stack the books together, tie them with string, and attach a tag that has the student’s name on it. Work Cited Common Sense Media. 12 May 2014. Author: Elizabeth Pelayo Like this:
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? Achieving this part of the mission statement became a very real necessity as the school grew and more and more students enrolled. One of these special children was Molly who was a delightful child, but who suffered from severe and very frequent epileptic episodes which intruded on her everyday functioning as well as her ability to learn. It meant closely examining a number of things a familiar place Provide teddies or other soft toys which the children can cuddle during storytime, read to or tell their secrets to. Teddies provide comfort physical access resources Signage needs to be bold and clear social online
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. So, I am sharing a list of free websites. This is my disclaimer. References PIRO4D. (2017). November 2017 Professional Development Opportunities Title: Finally, A Guide to Parent Engagement That Works Every Time! Organization: EdWeb.netDate: November 1, 2017 @ 4:00 PM EDTDescription: We all know that parent engagement in their child’s education is key to successful growth, but consistently engaging parents is at the top of the list of teacher frustration. Title: Fostering Student Collaboration Through Coding Organization: EdWeb.netDate: November 2, 2017 @ 4:00 PM EDTDescription: By 2020, it is projected there will be nearly 3.8 million jobs that are computer science related. Title: It’s SOCIAL Media, not a Commercial Message Author: Daniella Smith