I was really happy to see that this topic was included in the tool kit. I work with a group of special needs students and I find that technology is a great way to make accommodations for these learners to help address their needs. Technology is also a good tool to help students with focus issues stay on task. The interactive components of using computers/programs as a learning tool, has proven to be very beneficial with the group of students I work with. However, as was outlined in the toolkit, not all unit/programs are created with accommodations.
I really liked the resources which gave suggestions and helped to check if learning resource are accommodating to different learns. It is good to be aware and mindful of such things. From my own experience, I have seen how sometimes learners who have different needs get left on the sidelines. As a special needs teacher, I am constantly making accommodations and altering material for my students I work with. A lot of times I have no option but to use a different resources or to create a special resource for some of my students because the ones available are not mindful of needs and do not take differentiation into account.
I had a look at my site and used the resources outlined to see if my site was accessible for all learners. Unfortunately, I found that it was not. I could have made it more accessible by adding audio and having alternate activities available, etc. It is my hope to use the resource I created with my students in the future. I want to go back and make some changes and additions to it so it is more conducive to the learners I work with. I will have to make accommodations for my learners while using this resource. For example, I will get my students to use ‘Read and Write Gold’ (a program that helps students who struggle with reading) with my site. I did not take extra measures to make my site more accessible when I was creating it despite the fact that I work with students with different needs. Hence, I am not surprised that this is a common practice. It takes more time and effort to make accommodation and that is probably why not all resources are created mindfully. However, I think this will change with time and with awareness.
