The Importance of Questions by Cari Collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions In the column with the question from your table add your responses en-us 2018-05-10 22:59:52 UTC 2018-05-15 15:39:14 UTC hello@padlet.com As we provide professional development for BLEND on basic functions such as adding pictures, we also train teachers to add alt text. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809375 2018-05-10 23:19:56 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809375 When we share information about how to create content in our LMS, we explicitly discuss that we are designing for all learners. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809413 2018-05-10 23:20:17 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809413 We give easy to follow guidelines such as recommended font size and encourage a practice of quality alt text for images. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809438 2018-05-10 23:20:33 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809438 When we are coaching or providing PD to teachers, it is important to make teachers aware of certain things that they may not ordinary think of. For example the color and size and even font types makes a big difference to different users. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809481 2018-05-10 23:20:55 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809481 We discuss things like types of documents that screen readers can and cannot read, and being cognisant of the artistic design you choose and how that may impact learners. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809545 2018-05-10 23:21:29 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809545 Our Tech Design Team strives to incorporate accessibility in all of our PD. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809583 2018-05-10 23:21:54 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809583 We have reached out to other departments within our district to build their awareness of accessibility and to find out more about ways they would like our team to support their needs as they work with teachers and students. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809604 2018-05-10 23:22:10 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809604 With accessibility resources auto built into the LMS interface it makes it easier to make sure I'm conscious of checking items for accessibility. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809635 2018-05-10 23:22:25 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809635 As we follow teachers' leads in our coaching conversations, we look for opportunities to talk with teachers about the implications of their digital choices. For example, if they want to include a video, do they know how to set closed captioning? cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809740 2018-05-10 23:23:09 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809740 In coaching conversations we encourage teachers to look at their lesson plan from the viewpoint of a variety of learners. Who might struggle, where, why, and how might we design the lesson to allow all students to be successful. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809773 2018-05-10 23:23:22 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809773 So many elementary teachers use cute fonts and colorful presentations and it is somewhat uncomfortable for them to think of producing visuals in a different manner. Once they gain more awareness of the complications of fonts with curly-ques on each letter and the incompatibility of color combinations, they start to alter their view of "best looking content" to a view that is more in tune with accessibility in mind. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809845 2018-05-10 23:24:03 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259809845 This question speaks the most to me, I honestly never thought about accessibility two years ago in any of my digital designs. Then, I was a part of the team that reviewed and restructured the Academic portion of the AISD website with as close to 100% accessibility in mind. Since, I have shared my experience and knowledge with many team members with the hope of spreading as much awareness as possible. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810011 2018-05-10 23:25:31 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810011 We are able to learn in public and share our journey of designing for accessibility. I feel I am still getting started on that journey and can empathize with how teachers feel navigating the complexities of content, design, and accessibility. It is essential for all of us to understand the connection between these three and how they are in service to one another. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810030 2018-05-10 23:25:44 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810030 One of my biggest "aha" moments was when I came to the realization that while I was putting more and more content online for my students to share with their family members, my lack of proper formatting could be causing major obstacles for family members with disabilities to be able to effectively view and interact with what I was posting online. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810090 2018-05-10 23:25:58 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810090 Learning about how screen readers work (or don't work) based on how text is entered with different formatting was a big eye opener for me as was finding out how graphics and images can interfere with online presentation when they are not labeled with the appropriate alternative text. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810113 2018-05-10 23:26:10 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810113 One of the highlights of moving forward with a district-wide LMS has been consistency with messaging and resources. We are now able to practice and model designing for all within our own courses and content using one platform. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810191 2018-05-10 23:26:52 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810191 Just having the single font choice in BLEND is a HUGE help with accessibility. I have found that it actually frees up time that teachers used to spend trying to find fancy fonts and special graphics. cari_collins https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810220 2018-05-10 23:27:05 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/259810220 https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891401 On the communications team, we love to create visually appealing designs, but need to consider how a user will be interacting with readers, or other accessibility tools. User research will help us identify what needs we should be considering from the get-go.]]> 2018-05-15 15:17:37 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891401 https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891493 When blended learning is a concept that covers 1/3 face to face, 1/3 online and 1/3 by student path, the institution is providing a platform and a model for how users learn. Institutions are helping their instructors build course content that is accessible to all forms of learners. Instructors can create a learning environment that houses all forms of content for all types of learners. ]]> 2018-05-15 15:17:49 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891493 Supporting awareness initiatives such as OpenAir. https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891617 2018-05-15 15:18:04 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891617 https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891675 BLEND has accessibility features. Single font, alt text input for graphics. It is a good platform for organizing instruction, saving it forever (no recreating the wheel each year), and sharing with student's and their families.

]]> 2018-05-15 15:18:12 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891675 https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891827 Helping school administrators understand what their legal obligations are and the obligations of the vendors that they use.]]> 2018-05-15 15:18:35 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891827 Ask questions and then implement the design qualities. https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891869 2018-05-15 15:18:44 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260891869 https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260893448 Many LMS companies have resources that their clients can reach out to to ask questions about how to best interact with the LMS and how to create content that is accessible for a wide variety of students.]]> 2018-05-15 15:22:29 UTC https://padlet.com/cari_collins/importanceofquestions/wish/260893448