comment by Wisdom
I like how accessibility and usability of new software depends on the audience that will be using the software. It is interesting how you highlighted these critical questions in determining the accessibilty and usability of software, and trying the weigh the pros and the cons of using the software if it will meet the required objective.
-Morgan Dorsky
When determining the accessibility and usability of new software, there are a number of different aspects that one needs to consider. Firstly, when selecting school software, one needs to identify who the intended audience of this software will be. Some questions to immediately consider when determining the accessibility of a prospective software are: Will this software be used to aid in instruction and frequently used by students? What is the overall grade level, academic abilities, reading comprehension abilities of these students, and what types of skills will be needed by them in order to download, operate, and effectively use this software? Have students been adequately trained in these skills or will they need to undergo training? If this software is being used by teachers to aid in practices such as assessment, data collection, and instructional practices, will the school's network support the use of the software in a manner that allows it it to be used daily, for multiple consecutive hours, and by multiple different staff members simultaneously? Do the developers of this software offer training courses or professional development on the use and implementation of this software, and will they be readily available to assist and support teachers and students as needs and questions arise?
Once these questions have been asked, given careful consideration, answered, and a software has been selected, then the time comes to determine best practices for using this software to aid in instruction and learning and to evaluate the overall usability of this software. A best practice to follow when incorporating any type of educational technology is to get immediate feedback from educators in order to hear any of their concerns, answer any of their questions, and to aid in the implementation as much as possible. Once immediate concerns have been addressed, feedback should be gathered again after a few weeks of implementation, and consistently throughout the year or time frame that the new technology is being used. Ultimately, when teachers are included in the decisions about the technology, software, and curriculum they will be using, adequately trained on it, and given a space to share feedback about how it is working, this not only allows us the opportunity to properly evaluate this technology, but aids in teacher buy in and leads to the technology being implemented with fidelity and with more success. Once feedback has been given and the software adequately evaluated, a best practice would be to set up a time in which teachers and/ or students can receive further guidance on this software and be further trained in the use of it throughout the year. These could be set up as office hours, weekly, monthly, or quarterly meetings, or even can be virtual spaces where teachers and students can meet with the software developers and or/ technology support when the need arises in order to guarantee that this software is accessible for all and meeting all of its intended instructional purposes.
Accessibility Within the Classroom - Tristan Silver
Without taking accessibility into consideration when selecting software, a school is jeopardizing the opportunity for all students and their parents to be equal participants in their education and even setting itself up for litigation due to ADA non-compliance. Such was the case in 2014 when Noel Nightingale, a blind mother of three, sued Seattle Public Schools due to failure to make their websites and other online resources accessible to screen readers, leaving her unable to be an active participant in her children’s education in the same way that sighted parents could. Seattle Public Schools went on to update their software, platforms, and training processes so that they could meet the ADA’s level of acceptable compliance for web content (Taylor, 2020), but it would still never make up for the time she had lost when unable to track her children’s educational progress or help with their homework. To prevent such things before they happen necessitates an investment in accessible resources, including outlining accessibility standards in the school or district’s technology plan if one does not already exist. As accessibility becomes a more talked about subject and awareness surrounding it has increased, It is hopeful that an increase in requests for more accessible software from developers will result in wider availability of such services.
An investment too has to be made into educating teachers on accessibility, what exactly it means to be ADA compliant, and what steps they can take to make their current lesson plans more accessible to students with disabilities. Investigation of software vendors is important, but ensuring that the same information is accessible to all within the classroom should go beyond the software purchased for school use and include training teachers on how to make websites, PDFs, PowerPoint files, etc. more accessible to all. This may be something as simple as ensuring a PowerPoint is designed with contrasting colors, for the benefit of students with low vision. Two participants in a 2021 study on accessibility design commented that they would like to see more online courses designed with headings because it helped to guide them while navigating the website by splitting things up into sections, another consideration when it comes to website design (Marghalani & York).
Consideration also has to be given to expanding the accepted modes of learning beyond what educators may be used to, such as allowing students to submit video or audio responses instead of text to accommodate different ways of learning. One such success was found in a case study by David E. Robinson that focused on five special needs middle school students who were given the opportunity to present a multimedia alternative to the traditional research paper. In the creation of their video documentary on the U.S. Civil War, which required the students to research a specific topic, write a script, and record a video, the educators involved observed that the students learned more from the collaborative process than they would have if tasked with writing a research paper. Robinson (2017) offers an evocative example of one such moment:
As [a student] was narrating a scene on the assassination of President Lincoln, she suddenly went off script and said, “Oh my god, they killed the man.” This was a landmark moment for the classroom teacher and myself. We had been discussing the Lincoln assassination through the entire process, but it wasn’t until the narrator read the script in conjunction with the images, that she correlated the assassination with the death of President Lincoln. (p. 60)
It is by allowing students to learn in the mode that works best for them that we provide an exemplary education for all, which requires the commitment to investigate how different students learn and implement alternative modes of learning for them over providing one-size-fits-all lessons. Through working to reduce barriers to learning that students with disabilities may experience within school shows that they are valued as individuals with unique learning needs. A school’s commitment to accessibility sets up all students for success not just in school but in life, to “permit all learners to express their knowledge and abilities” and to show them that their unique experience of the world adds value to a classroom or workplace (Robinson, 2017).
References
Marghalani, A. & York, C. S. (2021). Online Courses Accessibility for Low Vision. Distance Learning, 18(3), 1–13.
Robinson, D. E. (2017). Universal Design for Learning and School Libraries: A Logical Partnership. Knowledge Quest, 46(1), 56-61.
Taylor, K. R. (2020). Road to Accessibility. School Library Journal, 66(4), 46–48.
Evaluating Educational Software
Elise Bennett
Educational software plays a significant role in enhancing learning experiences. However, choosing software for educators can be challenging. The software needs to be valuable, accessible, and align with the state academic standards. If teachers are not utilizing the software effectively and efficiently in the classroom, then the usability value is worthless. Thus, evaluation of the software provides insight of performance, attitude, and in the learning environment.
With numerous software developers selling their products to educators, it is important to follow a checklist of criteria so educators can choose an appropriate software for their students. Here are a few guidelines to follow when making important decisions on educational software:
Alignment: Software should be constructed on a basis of clear learning requirements that align with the state standards.
Engaging: Software needs to create a learning environment full of enrichment. With this, positive meaningful learning experiences will be formed. Students should have a choice of how they learn. The content should be at an appropriate level of difficulty. Therefore, learning will be more enjoyable and engaging. Collaboration is another important feature with educational software. Meaningful learning that allows collaboration provides students with opportunities to integrate in higher-level reasoning skills.
Support: As software is implemented in the classroom instruction, educators and technology coordinators ought to consider several factors.
· Does the software meet the needs of their students?
· Does the software provide higher-order thinking skills?
· Does the software integrate to the content?
· Does the software provide professional development to support successful implementation?
· Does the software customize learning for students?
· Does the software provide valuable reports on student performance?
Accessibility & Usability: Educational software needs to be presentable for educators and students to use successfully. The screen design should be well organized and pleasing to the human eye. Text type should be an appropriate font and size. Navigation should be easy and user-friendly.
Based on the book, Technology and Teaching by Jeff Sigafoos and Vanessa Green, other features for evaluating educational software can be based on theoretical perceptions (Sigafoos 2007). Firstly, technology coordinators and educators can view software as a tool that is implemented in the classroom instructional content. Secondly, software can be evaluated as an instructor. Software should be a new avenue for students. Thirdly, software can be evaluated as a facilitator of learning. For example, the software should introduce a topic, have questions, discussions, illustrations, resources, etc. Lastly, software can be evaluated as a virtual class. For example, software should be flexible, offer a variety of learning experiences, additional resources, etc.
Educational software can be a powerful and a valuable tool if the program aligns with teaching and learning. Software can enable educators to be at their most creative and bring different perspectives to students’ learning experiences.
Sigafoos, J., & Green, V. (2007). Technology and teaching. Nova Science Publishers.