Jeanette's+Evaluation

**Locator Assessment for Tech Coordinators at Simmons College**
Question 1: //(a) Detailed specification-based technology plans are developed separately from the school/district’s overall technology plan, and the selection of products, including assistive technologies, is done on an ad hoc basis.// Question 2: //(c) All networks have broadband connections and include wireless technologies, and network disruptions are rare; technology is replaced according to an established schedule.// Question 3: //(a) There are no dedicated staff members who assist in the use of technology, and there is little to no specialized support for the use of assistive technologies.// Question 4: //(b) There is a policy in place that helps to ensure privacy and the appropriate use of technology.// Question 5: //(b) IT staff generally have formal training and certifications and attend training and professional development opportunities regularly.//

Score: 4 - Developing Tech

__Thoughts on Developing Tech__ It's unfortunate that I'm not in a place where any significant change can be made by my simple desire to institute that change. At Simmons there is no longer a set office for disability-related issues and Universal Design has all but flown the coop. It is a common misconception amongst administrators that disabled students = higher demand with less rewards. Rather than simply bringing in revenue, often disabled students spend revenue on human, strategic and technological accommodations. While Simmons College has made small steps in the area of access and universal design by improving overall technology access for students, the fact that disabled students are not included in strategic planning with regards to academic and technology goals is evident. And while I don't have the authority to design and implement changes to the UDL plan and procedure at Simmons, I am embracing the Locator and ensuing road-map to both educate myself and garner some suggestions for those at the College that may in fact be able to put into place disability-friendly systems. As Simmons is a Developing Tech institution with a lot of work ahead of it with regards to becoming inclusive and accessible, I've chosen what may seem rudimentary points to address.

Destination Road Map Target Areas
1. __General__ Universal Design is not considered as an integral part of constructing programs, designing classroom technology set-ups or providing information to instructors on legal rights, responsibilities and resources. In utilizing the resources and information available in //[|Universal Design In Higher Education]// the College could better evaluate where services are lacking and more completely define Universal Design and what it means to Simmons. In using the [|Interactive Map of Disability and Emergency Preparedness Resources] Simmons could better align Universal Design with other non-academic components of the College including Public Safety and Facilities.

2. __Support Needs of All Students and Teachers__ While Simmons College has attempted to provide instructors and students with basic information at some level regarding disabilities and higher education, more assistance and direction could be provided. Using resources like [|4Teachers] to guide instructors on making clear, concise and easy to understand ruberics and other classroom materials would benefit student and teacher and add further free professional development opportunities for instructors. Another low-tech problem solver in supporting needs of all students and teachers would be access to and instruction on making materials accessible in alternate formats. Rather than daunting student and instructor on what this means, web resources like [|NIMAS' Alternate Formats] section could be supported and offered readily.

3. __Advance Professional Knowledge__ Organizing a strategic planning committee dedicated to improving IT knowledge and support of assistive technology would be the most appropriate place to start. Making use of free resources like those of CITEd at large would be helpful. First and foremost however would be a need to properly assess disability support at the College. Using the CETT framework would allow said committee to recognize important areas of improvement and areas in which the College is flourishing. In addition, the [|University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD)] has plenty of resources with which to train the trainer, train the IT professionals and provide information to others wanting to support learners with disabilities.

New Media Project: Writing and Reading with WIki!
[|Visit my wiki]

**Planning and Delivering Instruction Using New Media** Focusing on fifth grade learners, I choose to incorporate new media into a reading and literacy lesson plan. While I choose a book often read in fifth grade, //Dear Mr. Henshaw// for the purpose of creating resources, the text is secondary to the methodology and praxis of new media in education. Incorporating five different new media tools, learners are expected to gain practical knowledge on social issues, improve writing skills and learn more about their world. These four tools are utilized to better engage differentiated learners.

The project developed to address studying concepts and writing skills in a generalized curriculum setting focuses heavily on using new media as a way to incorporate universal design in the classroom. Providing a platform on which all learners can rest allows the cognitive load of learning lessen to the tasks of information decoding and understanding, rather than the business of stressing over environments and other students in the room. Because all of the projects are online internet access will be required to complete the assignments, as will computer access. With computer access comes the need for evaluating each learner for physical and psycho-social accommodations and access. Software and hardware may be utilized for students with varying physical and psychological disabilities, including text-to-speech and speech-to-text programs and alternative keyboards and mice. Each project incorporated into the //Dear Mr. Henshaw// project has been evaluated for accessibility and found to work well with assistive technologies.

The following tools were used to create a new media learning experience; Twitter, Wikispaces, Google Docs, Timeline Maker (beta) and Quia. Wiki was used because of its’ ease and accessibility and the ability to lock sections and open others for editing. Because learners can embed in pages writing projects could be multi-faceted. Twitter was chosen for cultural relevance and its’ creativity. Writing diary or journal entries can be daunting for learners with disabilities yet Twitter turns those entries into text message sized snippets, lessening cognitive load by removing the need for spell-check and structure yet getting messages across. Quia allows for java and html-enabled quizzes so that all learners can use matching and interactive quizzes in a fun environment and scores are able to be viewed by instructors only. Google Docs is one of many tools for making online forms and embeds nicely, allowing for clear, concise communication with prompts to stir the brain. Finally a Timeline tool was used to encourage visual mapping and learning with decoding.