Tag: accessibility

#OneNewThing from TLT
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CREATE AN ORGANIZED AND EASY TO NAVIGATE SYLLABUS IN ONENOTE

Mendi Benigni

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Microsoft’s OneNote is available as part of our Office 365 and is available to all Faculty, Staff and Students. This newsletter will show you how you can use it to create and organize your syllabus into something that is more easily digestible by students.

Below is an example of a converted syllabus.

You’ll see from the example that OneNote forms an easy to use navigation on the left side which helps the student to find the exact section of the syllabus they need.

You can easily add graphics and images to your syllabus as well.

If you use the OneNote integration in OAKS to create a Class Notebook, you can import an existing syllabus right in and modify it for that semester. This will also give your students automatic access to the syllabus.

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

This method is not without its downsides.
  • You can only print one section at a time, not the entire syllabus.  This could be difficult when including it in T&P or on a departmental website.
  • You should share it via the Class Notebook link in OAKS, otherwise, the Share link is only good for 30 days.
  • Students have to log in with their CofC credentials to see your class notebook and therefore, your Syllabus.

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ppt slide with captions at the bottom
Accessibility, Presentation

Did you know that PPT has live captioning?

Mendi Benigni

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I just learned that PowerPoint now has the capability to create live (real-time) captions for your audience members who may need them. When you’re presenting, you can turn on the captions and Microsoft automatically transcribes what you are saying.  While it’s not 100% perfect, it’s pretty good and can be a real help to individuals in your audience/class that need captions.

ppt slide with captions at the bottom                       

 

 

 

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HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

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What you need:

  1. A microphone
  2. Microsoft PowerPoint version 16.22.127.0 or higher

Set up captions and subtitles

You can choose which language you want to speak while presenting, and which language the caption/subtitle text should be shown in (i.e. if you want it to be translated). You can select the specific microphone you want to be used (if there is more than one microphone connected to your device), the position where the subtitles appear on the screen (bottom or top, and overlaid or separate from slide), and other display options.

  1. On the Slide Show ribbon tab, select Subtitle Settings.

    Settings for Captions and Subtitles are on the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint.

  2. Use Spoken Language to see the voice languages that PowerPoint can recognize, and select the one you want. This is the language that you will be speaking while presenting. (By default, this will be set to the language corresponding to your Office language.)

  3. Use Subtitle Language to see which languages PowerPoint can display on-screen as captions or subtitles, and select the one you want. This is the language of the text that will be shown to your audience. By default, this will be the same language as your Spoken Language, but it can be a different language, meaning that translation will occur.

  4. In the Subtitle Settings menu, set the desired position of the captions or subtitles. They can appear over the top or bottom margin of the slide (overlaid), or they can appear above the top or below the bottom of the slide (docked). The default setting is Below Slide.

  5. More appearance settings are available by clicking Subtitle Settings > System Caption Preferences.

    You can change the color, size, transparency, and font style of the subtitles. You can change the background to improve contrast and make text easier to read. 

Turn the feature on or off while presenting

If you’re in the middle of giving a presentation and want to turn the feature on or off, click the Toggle Subtitles button from Slide Show View or Presenter View, on the toolbar below the main slide:

In Slide Show View:

The Toggle Subtitles button in PowerPoint Slide Show View.

In Presenter View:

Toggle Subtitles button in PowerPoint Presenter View

Tips

  • If you see problems in the captions or subtitles, try speaking more deliberately.

  • Try to avoid or eliminate background noise that may interfere with your voice.

  • Captions & Subtitles depends on a cloud-based speech service, so it’s important to have an internet connection that’s fast and reliable.

TAKEN FROM MICROSOFT SUPPORT –  Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint

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What you need:

  1. A microphone
  2.  Microsoft PowerPoint version 16.0.11601.20178 or higher

Set up captions and subtitles

You can choose which language you want to speak while presenting, and which language the caption/subtitle text should be shown in (i.e. if you want it to be translated). You can select the specific microphone you want to be used (if there is more than one microphone connected to your device), the position where the subtitles appear on the screen (bottom or top, and overlaid or separate from slide), and other display options.

  1. On the Slide Show ribbon tab, select Subtitle Settings. Or, you can adjust the settings without leaving your presentation through the context menu, Slide Show or Presenter View menus > Subtitle Settings > More Settings.  

  2. Use Spoken Language to see the voice languages that PowerPoint can recognize, and select the one you want. This is the language that you will be speaking while presenting. (By default, this will be set to the language corresponding to your Office editing language.)

  3. Use Subtitle Language to see which languages PowerPoint can display on-screen as captions or subtitles, and select the one you want. This is the language of the text that will be shown to your audience. By default, this will be the same language as your Spoken Language, but it can be a different language, meaning that translation will occur. 

  4. In the Subtitle Settings menu, set the desired position of the captions or subtitles. They can appear over the top or bottom margin of the slide (overlaid), or they can appear above the top or below the bottom of the slide (docked). The default setting is Below Slide. 

  5. More appearance settings are available by clicking Subtitle Settings > More Settings (Windows).

    You can change the color, size, transparency, and font style of the subtitles. You can change the background to improve contrast and make text easier to read. 

Turn the feature on or off while presenting

If you’re in the middle of giving a presentation and want to turn the feature on or off, click the Toggle Subtitles button from Slide Show View or Presenter View, on the toolbar below the main slide:

In Slide Show View:

Toggle Subtitles button in PowerPoint Slide Show View.

In Presenter View:

The Toggle Subtitles button in Presenter View

You can also toggle subtitles from the right-click menu, or with the shortcut key J.

To have subtitles always start up when a Slide Show presentation starts, from the ribbon you can navigate to Slide Show > Always Use Subtitles to turn this feature on for all presentations. (By default, it’s off.) Then, in Slide Show and Presenter View, a live transcription of your words will appear on-screen.

Tips

  • If you see problems in the captions or subtitles, try speaking more deliberately.

  • Try to avoid or eliminate background noise that may interfere with your voice.

  • Captions & Subtitles depends on a cloud-based speech service, so it’s important to have an internet connection that’s fast and reliable.

TAKEN FROM MICROSOFT SUPPORT –  Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint

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What you need:

  1. A microphone
  2. Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome 34+, Mozilla Firefox 25+Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome 34+, Firefox 25+

Set up captions and subtitles

You can choose which language you want to speak while presenting, and which language the caption/subtitle text should be shown in (i.e., if you want it to be translated). You can also select whether subtitles appear at the top or bottom of the screen.

Simplified Ribbon:
Subtitle Settings in PowerPoint Online.

Classic Ribbon:
Options for Subtitles and Captions on the classic Ribbon in PowerPoint Online

  1. (Simplifed Ribbon) On the Slide Show ribbon tab, select the drop-down arrow next to Always Use Subtitles to open the menu of options.

    (Classic Ribbon) On the View ribbon tab, select Use Subtitles. Then click Subtitle Settings to open the menu of options.

  2. Use Spoken Language to see the voice languages that PowerPoint can recognize, and select the one you want. This is the language that you will be speaking while presenting. (By default, this will be set to the language corresponding to locale of your web-browser.)

  3. Use Subtitle Language to see which languages PowerPoint can display on-screen as captions or subtitles, and select the one you want. This is the language of the text that will be shown to your audience. (By default, this will be the same language as your Spoken Language, but it can be a different language, meaning that translation will occur.) 

  4. Set the desired position of the captions or subtitles: they can appear overlaid at the top or bottom margin of the slide. The default setting is Bottom (Overlaid). 

Turn the feature on or off while presenting

To have subtitles always start up when a Slide Show is presented, select View > Always Use Subtitles.

If you’re in the middle of giving a presentation and want to turn the feature on or off, click the Use Subtitles button in Slide Show, on the toolbar below the main slide:

Toggle Subtitles button in PowerPoint Slide Show View.

On/Off keyboard shortcut: J

Tips

  • If you see problems in the captions or subtitles, try speaking more deliberately.

  • Try to avoid or eliminate background noise that may interfere with your voice.

  • Captions & Subtitles depends on a cloud-based speech service, so it’s important to have an internet connection that’s fast and reliable.

TAKEN FROM MICROSOFT SUPPORT –  Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint

[/et_pb_tab][/et_pb_tabs][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Read&Write Screenshot of a webpage highlighted
Accessibility, Best Practices, instructional technology

Improve your, and your students’, reading and writing confidence

Mendi Benigni

Did you know that the College has purchased a site license for Read&Write from TextHelp (thanks Disability Services). Read&Write is a toolbar for your computer or web browser that allows the users to increase their literacy.  This toolbar works in any application on your computer, allowing you to:

  • have the computer read digital documents to you
  • highlight any website or document to assist with summarizing and categorizing
  • suggest words as you type (prediction) to develop writing skills
  • convert inaccessible text, such as a screenshot, into accessible text
  • proofread your documents
  • and more…

Read&Write toolbar screenshot

I use Read&Write to read difficult or boring documents out loud while I read it.  It helps me stay focused especially if I’m not keen to read it to begin with.  It also has a Screen Masking tool which is another tool to help prevent loss of focus.

These are just a few of the things Read&Write can do without much, if any, instruction.  However, if you want to do more then you can use it to

  • give you word definitions.  There is even a picture dictionary which can be good for non-native speakers.
  • create audio files from typed text.
  • check verbs for agreement.
  • create a collection from your highlights.
  • create a vocabulary list.
  • add text facts to a web resource (such as notes, title, author, etc.).
  • export the notes you create to a Word document.
  • translate words
  • similar word checker

These tools can definitely help users with disabilities but it’s important to know that they can help EVERYONE become more literate.  We all have times where focus or vocabulary or writing is an issue and this is a tool that can help.

If you want to know more visit Read&Write Quick Start and Read&Write Getting Started.

Installation:

  1. Go to https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/products/read-write/read-write-for-education/
  2. Click Try Now choose your platform and follow the normal installation instructions for your platform
  3. Once it’s installed, open it up and accept the User Terms, click OK.
  4. IMPORTANT: When asked to sign in you MUST choose GOOGLE and use your CofC email and password.

If you have problems getting it installed or logged in, contact the CofC Service Desk at 843-953-DESK.

Small Teaching Tip 14 Course Design with Accessibility in Mind
Accessibility, Best Practices, Small Teaching Tip, Teaching Advice

Small Teaching Tip #14: Course Design with Accessibility in Mind

Jessica Smith

A couple years ago, I had a startling wake-up call as an instructor.  While wandering the aisles at Target, I received an email from one of my students informing me that she is blind and may need accommodations in my class.  I leaned against my cart and realized I had never before considered how accessible my course is.  Most of my readings were scanned book chapters and articles that were not screen reader friendly.  None of the images I used included alt text.  Some of my charts and diagrams relied on color alone to convey information.  And I relied a lot on video clips.  

It was one week before the semester started.  I was screwed.

Ultimately, however, the student and I worked together to make her experience in my class positive.  I learned about optical character recognition (OCR) and how to make PDFs “readable” by software like JAWS.  When grading, I recorded audio feedback rather than using Word’s track changes and discovered almost all my students preferred this method.  And I provided typed descriptions of important visual elements in the videos I showed in class.  While I was able to ensure this student had access to everything the rest of her classmates did, it was a lot of work and a lot of last-minute scrambling.

Thus, I want to encourage you to not make the same mistake.  Now is the time to think about accessibility, not when you receive an accommodation letter from a student.  Yes, it will add preparation time up front, but it is much more efficient to be proactive than reactive.

What can you do as an instructor to ensure all students have equal access to your course materials and learning environment?  Here are a few ways to get started:

  1. Information must be presented to students in ways they have the ability to comprehend (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses).  For example:
    • Provide text alternatives for non-text content (such as full-text transcriptions).
    • Include appropriate alternative text (alt text) that provides an equivalent to image content.
    • Provide captions and/or alternatives for audio and video content.
    • Make content available to assistive technologies, such as screen reading software.
    • Use sufficient contrast to make things easier to see.  For example, use dark background and light font or vice versa.  A contrast checker can help determine if your materials adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  Also, do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.
  2. Make sure all users can navigate and interact with your learning environment.  For example:
    • Make all functionality keyboard accessible, rather than requiring a mouse or trackpad (e.g. keyboard shortcuts).
    • Give users enough time to read and use content (e.g. additional time to take an exam).
    • Do not use content that may cause seizures or sensory discomfort (e.g. rapidly flashing animations).
  3. Avoid hyperlinking phrases like “Click here,” “More information,” or “Continue.”  
  4. Ensure technology tools, websites, or other outside resources used in the class are accessible to all students. 
    • For example, if you will be using a textbook publisher website, it is your responsibility to confirm their website is Section 508 compliant.

These additional resources will further help you design your course with accessibility in mind:

This post is part of a series which presents low risk, high reward teaching ideas, inspired by James Lang’s book Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning.

Voicethread Universal Design
Accessibility

VoiceThread is now more accessible than ever

Mendi Benigni

VoiceThread is an easy way to create everything from student presentations to course lectures….

Universal View

This view is readable by computerized screen readers used by those with sight issues. This view is also navigable using only the keyboard (no mouse needed) so it’s more accessible to those with physical issues. The Universal View is also perfect for faculty who want to capture a snapshot of all the text comments for a slide in VoiceThread.

comparison of standard view and universal view

Captioning

VoiceThread now also allows for captions of not only the videos you upload but your audio and video comments as well.  As with all media players that allow captioning VoiceThread can DISPLAY a closed captions file but it cannot CREATE a closed captioned file.  That has to be done using a third party app such as Movie Captioner (site license owned by CofC) or YouTube.

Captioning Comments:

You can caption both audio and video (webcam) comments.

Step 1:  Create the caption file and save it to your computer as one of the following: .DFXP, .SRT, .SAMI, .SCC, .SBV

Step 2:  Start playing the comment.

Step 3:  Click on the CC button at the bottom of the comment, next to the trash icon.

Step 4:  Select the caption file you created earlier.

Step 5:  Click OK.

Captioning Video:

You can also caption the video that you upload or record into the main VoiceThread content window.

Step 1:  Create the caption file and save it to your computer as one of the following: .DFXP, .SRT, .SAMI, .SCC, .SBV

Step 2:  Navigate to the slide that contains the video.

Step 3:  Hover your mouse over the video icon on the left side of the page.

Step 4:  Click on the CC button in the top-right corner of the VoiceThread window.

Step 5:  Click “Add captions”.

Step 6:  Select your caption file.

Step 7:  Click “OK”.

 

VoiceThread is continuing in their efforts toward universal accessibility however the roadblock remains the creation of the caption file.  Check back in the next few weeks as we hope to have a tutorial on the easiest way to create captions for VoiceThread comments and content.

 

 

3D image of triceratops
1-1-1, Faculty Technology Institute, Innovative Instruction

Guest Post: Adapting lectures for a visually-impaired student and planning for new technologies

Kaitlin

Our guest blogger is Robin Humphreys from the Department of Geology. Robin attended the Faculty Technology Institute in 2014. In this report, she details her experiences modifying lecture materials to meet the needs of a visually-impaired student.

 

Teaching introductory courses has many challenges, such as how to keep student attention in a large lecture hall, engage in meaningful dialogue with more than just the students in the front row, create assignments that are insightful and challenging but can be graded in a timely manner, etc.  During the FTI workshop of Summer 2014 we were introduced to many different ways to use technology, such as Poll Everywhere, Kahoot!, and PowToon, in our classrooms to help overcome many of these types of challenges and create stimulating, engaging learning environments.  After our week-long workshop, I left the course very inspired and excited to incorporate these new ideas into my introductory Geology lecture courses for Fall 2014.

What I did NOT anticipate was having a visually-impaired student – totally, 100% blind – in my class. So…how do I incorporate technology we learned from the FTI that requires being able to see, such as PollEverywhere, Kahoot, and Powtoon, into a format that is accessible to everyone, including someone who cannot see? Not only did I have to rethink how I presented the material (I primarily use PowerPoint and the Whiteboard for my lecture discussions), but now I had to design lectures and in-class activities for someone who cannot see me, the PowerPoint presentation, or the whiteboard.  I quickly had to rethink my approach of using cutting-edge technology in the classroom and went for more of an ‘old-school’, low-tech, hands-on approach.

So, how do you describe the Grand Canyon to someone who has no depth perception or concept of scale?  To help our student understand the basic concepts and principles of geology, I sought the expertise of Dr. Cassandra Runyon, who has been developing materials for visually-impaired people through her educational NASA workshops for over twenty years. Dr. Runyon created tactile models of the images from my lecture presentations, using an incredible variety of different types of materials (e.g. corrugated paper, beads, foam, felt, etc.).  Below is an example using various beads to indicate different fossils within sediment layers in stratigraphic columns. While extremely time-consuming to make, these low-cost and most definitely low-tech models were very instrumental in helping the visually-impaired understand and ‘see’ how Earth works.

Materials for visually-impaired students
Materials for visually-impaired students

Additionally, I recruited several senior geology majors to help me both during class and outside of the classroom.  During class, the geology seniors quietly explained the images or graphs on the PowerPoint slides as I was discussing the concepts.  To help the visually-impaired student ‘see’ the slides, the geology majors would make simple sketches of the images, using a special type of drawing pad that would transfer the sketches into a raised format that makes it possible to ‘see’ via touch.  Generating these simple tactile sketches in real-time was a very effective method of helping the blind student ‘visualize’ the concepts being taught.  Outside of class, I provided the geology seniors with copies of my lecture PowerPoint presentations. The geology majors provided verbal descriptions of each and every image, graph, or video in every one of the PowerPoint slides, using the ‘ALT TEXT’ option provided in PowerPoint –an incredibly time-consuming task (see example below). I quickly realized by week two of the fall semester that I did not have the 6-10 hours it was taking for each of the Powerpoint lectures! Fortunately, I have a very supportive department chair, Dr. Mitchell Colgan, who allowed me to hire students to provide the PowerPoint slide alternate text accessible by screen readers. I was very grateful, as the ‘ALT-TEXT’ option in PowerPoint was very instrumental in helping our visually-impaired student understand the images and concepts.

Adding alternative text to PowerPoint slide
Adding alternative text to PowerPoint slide

In all of my courses, I have the students take daily quizzes on the upcoming lecture material prior to each class period, in addition to in-class quizzes and/or activities on prior lecture material. These daily quizzes, both in and outside of class, have proven to be quite helpful in both student understanding and retention of the lecture material as I have noted increased exam scores and positive student feedback.  I use the College of Charleston’s online learning management system, OAKS, as a tool for providing the lecture materials, readings, and online quizzes (see OAKS quiz list below).  My visually-impaired student rarely had difficulty using OAKS and was successfully able to navigate the quizzes and course materials.

Screenshot of OAKS Quizzes, a tool that works with screen readers
Screenshot of OAKS Quizzes, a tool that works with screen readers

I had planned on integrating the new technology learned during the FTI, such as Poll Everywhere and Kahoot!, for the in-class quizzes, but quickly realized these programs would prove to be difficult for someone who cannot see. I resorted to the old-fashioned paper-and-pencil method for my in-class activities instead. I hope to try the new programs, such as PowToon and Kahoot!, along with Poll Everywhere, in the Fall.

One of the other ways of helping our blind student ‘visualize’ was to provide models of the fossils we were discussing.  However, many of our fossil samples and models are too fragile to be handled.  Kaitlin Woodlief and I tried to make a 3D print of one of our dinosaur models (Triceratops), using the new 3D printer.  This process had several issues, primarily with having to generate the 3D scan file, rather than using a file already made (see image below).  We are going to continue trying to find ways to make 3D copies of these fragile models for the upcoming year.

3D image of triceratops
A screenshot of the program used to create a 3D triceratops

In summary, while I was eagerly anticipating incorporating new learning technologies and strategies learned in the FTI workshop of 2014 into my Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 courses, I was not able to do so due to the presence of a visually-impaired student in my classes.  I relied heavily on low-tech models and pen/paper for helping teach the visually-impaired student.  I hope to incorporate the new technologies in my courses this fall (2015), even if I have a course with another visually-impaired student as some models and groundwork are already prepared.

Lastly, I want to point out how much I learned, and benefited, from the experience of teaching such a visual subject as Environmental Geology and Earth History to someone who cannot see.   It was an eye-opening (pun intended!) experience and a challenge I found enormously rewarding!