Notes from UHD Technology Learning Conference 2019

The Technology Teaching and Learning Center (TTLC) at the University of Houston-Downtown hosted their annualTechnology Learning Conference on October 11, 2019. This year's theme was Making Our Learning Space More Accessible; my notes on the sessions I attended are below.

Session	Notes
YOUR ALLY IN CONTENT ACCESSIBILITY TIM HENNINGSEN We'll explore different ways to help make your course content more accessible using the Blackboard Ally tool. Learn how to prioritize and fix some of the most common accessibility issues, including those dreaded scanned PDFs.	Alternative formats - promotes different forms of access: downloadable formats, annotatable, screen reader, audio, Braille, translations Accessible content improves engagement, info retention, faster task completion Personalized learning for better outcomes Alternative formats can be disabled on per content basis +1 thinking model - present content in another modality Ally will soon be available in the text editor Ally info https://www.uhd.edu/computing/services-training/blackboard/Pages/Ally.aspx
SOCIAL READING AND DIGITAL ANNOTATION  DR. DAGMAR SCHAROLD & MANUEL FERNANDEZ A presentation and discussion on the rise of digital annotation, social learning, and how it can be used in future classes. We will also discuss how to encourage students to complete the assigned read- ings, the tools to do so, and what we observed in the process.	Many students cannot read text successfully Digital mediums + annotation have not resulted in improvements Perusall LTI Social annotation of documents- allows quieter students to participate in a live or asynchronous discussion Flipped classroom Address misconceptions Pre-reading Qs Student-owned study guides Passage-based paper System of organizing notes Provides analytics: assignment progress, reports Groups, collaboration, jig-saw activities Can use some published texts or OeER
THE "SMART" APPROACH TO STUDENT UTILIZATION OF DATA ANALYTICS MONICA HERNANDEZ VALENCIA  By using activity trackers and innova- tive software, students can learn to mine their own data in order to visualize correlations and the impact of their actions and behaviors. This approach can be used in science, math, kinesiology, as well as other disciplines, both in online and face-to-face formats. Having students manipulate data in meaningful ways provides context and increases understanding of course concepts.	Using tools to develop 21st century skills eFit.health - ADA compliant FitBit Raw data needs analysis for learning and understanding Create a graph software - NCES Same concept can be applied across disciplines: biology, business, kinesiology, physics Development and constructivist theory Concrete ⟶ abstract  Data analytics helps bridge concrete to abstract Faculty need to discuss best practices for accessibility and alternative formats, seek ADA compliant companies
2019 TTLC NEW VIDEO RESOURCES DAN KO  Technology Learning Services is excited to announce several new technologies available to IJHD faculty and staff. We have installed a new lightboard system that can take your flipped or online classroom to a whole new level.	Incorporate video into teaching and learning experiences, for example Lightboard and SmartBoard.

508 standards: Section 508 requires that the federal government procure, create, use and maintain ICT (information and communications technology) that is accessible to people with disabilities, regardless of whether or not they work for the federal government. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage the development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards

WCAG standards: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are published by an international standards organization, the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines define how to make Web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility involves a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/ https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/