2. SENnet: Special Educational Needs Network sennet.eun.orgsennet.eun.org is a community dedicated to the use of technology to improve learning for students with SEN SENnet activities: Research: finding and sharing good practice, e.g. video clips Digital learning resources: improving access and discoverability Teacher education: online ‘learning episodes’ Peer networking: study visits

3. Aim, objectives Aim: To introduce key ideas in designing technology- supported learning activities for students with special needs in mainstream classes Objectives: Understand ‘special needs’ Learn about Universal Design for Learning Discover useful resources for the inclusive classroom Make video and digital learning resources accessible

4. Accessibility issues Accessibility for whom? “Special needs students’ are not well defined internationally but usually cover those for whom a special learning need has been formally identified because they are mentally, physically or emotionally disadvantaged ” OECD Trend to integrate students with SEN into mainstream schools and close special schools

5. How many? In England, the largest categories in schools are:England Moderate learning difficulty Behaviour, emotional and social difficulties Speech, language and communications needs A much smaller proportion of pupils have: Autism spectrum disorders Physical disabilities Visual or hearing impairments

6. Does equity matter? 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – Provide accessible information to persons with disabilities – Design, develop, produce and distribute accessible ICT’ Standards bodies: – WCAG 2.0 Guidelines. Web content must be p erceivable, operable, understandable and robust It’s easy and there are additional benefits, e.g. for: – School (certification) – All learners

7. SEN and inclusion “Inclusive education does not mean making SEN pupils participate or attend mainstream education but transforming the education system so that all students (with their differences) can exploit the educational offers and opportunities regardless of their individual needs.”

8. Quick poll www.surveymonkey.com/s/2WCX93K

9. Universal Design for Learning

10. Designing for all: from pavements and kitchens… …to digital learning www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4 Do we do it instinctively as teachers?

11. Understand and apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning

12. Useful resources for learners with special educational needs

13. NameDefinition Access Mode Human sensory perceptual system or cognitive faculty through which a person may process or perceive information. VocabularyAuditory, colour, tactile, textOnImage, textual, visual Adaptation Media Type Term identifying a media type commonly used to aggregate accessibility modalities or functionalities as media. Vocabulary Braille, ChemML, Daisy, EPUB3, NIMAS, LaTex, LIT, MathML, Nemeth, OEBPS, PDF Adaptation Type Term describing an adaptation type. Vocabulary alternativeText, audioDescription, captions, e-book, haptic, highContrast, signLanguage, transcript, longDescription, extendedAudioDescription, visualRepresentation, subtitlesFor Deaf, fullTranscription Control Flexibility Term describing an input method. VocabularyfullKeyboardControl, fullMouseControl, fullVoiceControl Display Transformability Term describing a characteristic of a resource display that can be modified. Vocabulary backgroundColour, cursorPresentation, fontFace, fontSize, fontWeight, foregroundColour, highlightPresentation, layout, letterSpacing, lineHeight, structurePresentation, wordSpacing, fontColour, imageContrast Educational Complexity Term describing a resource that is simplified or enriched relative to another resource that presents the same intellectual content. Vocabulary Simplified, enriched Hazard Term describing a characteristic of the described resource that must not be delivered to some users. Vocabulary Flashing, motionSimulation, sound SENET-LRE Metadata Application Profile

14. Useful resources for learners with SEN European survey of SEN resources and repositories of SEN resources - Positive feedback Collected and registered in a Google database Various ways to categorise resources The registered records were transferred to EUN’s Learning Resource Exchange (LRE). 204 new titles are now in the LRE tagged with SENNET as provider

15. OERs: lreforschools.eun.org

16. The LRE widget English version of the widget http://lrewidget.eun.org/widget_sennet_en.htmhttp://lrewidget.eun.org/widget_sennet_en.htm

17. Resources for learners with SEN (LRE)

18. The website www.chillola.com has a number of resources in various languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian) which help children to learn basic vocabulary. www.chillola.com They see pictures associated with words, can listen to the correct pronunciation and can easily switch between languages to listen to the word in another language.

19. Video case study with observation of and interview with student with dyslexia and her teacher. The student demonstrates how she uses the IT-backpack. http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resource-details?resourceId=621757 It-rygsækken (Danish with English subtitles)

20. http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resource-details?resourceId=626552 Doorway (in English) Doorway Online is a collection of free learning activities originally developed with funding from Scottish Borders Council. The suite comprises highly accessible educational activities that learners will find easy to use independently. Each exercise has range of accessibility and difficulty options.

21. Online teacher training experiences

22. Inclusion and Accessing Technology

23. Accessibility for video: practical considerations Belgium – Consumer tools: smartphone and MS MovieMaker – Permission, publishing – Fonts and contrast Italy – Professional equipment and tools – Scripting Portugal – iPad and iRig mic adapter, Final Cut Pro – Get the scenes, light, sound right – Captioning tools (Amara, YouTube)

24. Captions are easy! 1.Log on to YouTube 2.Choose a video you have uploaded 3.Use the caption tool 4.Share thre results!

25. Accessibility essentials Print, documents, PDFs Presentations Web sites

26. Checklist UDL applied? Text: digital, sans serif, structured, bullets functions used, language simple, contrast Video: captions and transcript Presentation: 16 pt minimum, high contrast Web content: alternative text to images Built-in features of tools used, e.g. templates

27. Going further Classroom ideas, advice: sennet.eun.orgsennet.eun.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/SENnetwork/www.facebook.com/groups/SENnetwork/ Project ref. 518426-LLP-1-2011-1-BE-COMENIUS-CNW This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.