Resources
Increasing Access Through Technology

Digital media support lessons that adapt to each child's learning needs.

Excerpt
"The challenge posed by greater diversity and greater accountability is to enable students with widely divergent needs, skills, and interests to attain the same high standards. . . . Fortunately, technological advances have equipped educators with tremendous new instructional resources in the form of computers and digital media."

Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning
By David H. Rose and Anne Meyer (with Nicole Strangman and Gabrielle Rappolt)
216 pp. $26.95 paperback
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Way back in the 1980s authors Rose and Meyer, along with researchers at their nonprofit Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), began exploring how technology could be used to help students with disabilities. By the early 1990s, they had developed an award-winning series of electronic books. Students could have text read aloud by a computer, "turn pages" with a voice command, and select a new text to read with the click of a switch.

That work led Rose and Meyer to an "a-ha" moment: Rather than make students adapt to an inflexible, text-supported curriculum, why not change the way curriculum itself is developed via new technologies?

Thus was born the idea of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). As the book explains, universal design refers to built-in accommodations such as ramps, sidewalk curb cuts, and automatic doors that benefit a range of users, from those in wheelchairs to shoppers pushing grocery carts. In the UDL model, digital technologies are marshaled to meet the diverse needs and abilities of students by providing multiple ways of accessing information and demonstrating their understanding.

The book is broken into two parts. Part One provides a clear review of UDL's scientific and theoretical underpinnings, including recent brain research that explains why particular lessons or classroom tasks challenge students in different ways. The section is helped by a few well-chosen illustrations and by anecdotal sidebars that buttress the argument against instruction and assessment that rely exclusively on "fixed," text-based media.

Part Two looks at the practical applications of UDL principles. How can classroom learning goals and standards be shaped and expressed to include all students? How can new media enable all learners to reach these standards by various paths? How do digital technologies help teachers design fair and ongoing assessments that support individual learning goals?

One example highlights CAST's Thinking Reader software for reading instruction. For some students, the computer highlights text and reads it aloud; others can get a definition of a word they don't understand with a mouse click. Occasionally, a cartoon genie appears onscreen and prompts them to think more deeply about the text--say, to summarize or predict. Students type their responses into a log at the bottom of the screen that helps their teacher assess their progress. Teachers who use Thinking Reader closely monitor students and provide targeted guidance.

At a time when federal law says special-education students must have the opportunity to learn from the same curriculum as their peers, and when state standards require schools to improve outcomes for all students, this book provides fresh suggestions for how new tools can help educators meet those goals and improve K-12 education across the board.

--David T. Gordon
Editor, Harvard Education Letter

From the NEA Professional Library

Excerpt
The entire front perimeter of our school has been divided into 11 whimsical "literacy" gardens, each based on a popular children's book. After choosing a book and theme for their gardens, students used a computer drawing program to help them map out a design. Then they conducted research by going online to gardening Web sites for kids.

Teaching with Technology
The Teacher-to-Teacher Series
96 pp. $9.95 NEA members
$12.95 nonmembers
#2915-1-00-FN

In a world where schools are wired and students surf the Net with ease, teachers know that it's not enough for kids to be computer literate; they also need to be information literate. Teaching with Technology helps educators shift their focus from teaching about technology to integrating technology as a learning tool for core subjects. Classroom and computer resource teachers, along with library/media specialists, share their strategies for revamping instruction and helping students develop the critical thinking and interpersonal skills they need to become better learners.

To order, call 800/229-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books.

Books by NEA Members

Getting School-Wise: A Student Guidebook
By Carol A. Josel
This book, written by a veteran teacher and learning specialist, outlines a valuable set of teaching strategies and skills in a fun and accessible format. Organization skills, learning styles, and how to teach students to be effective listeners are just a few of the topics covered that will help improve student and teacher performance. 176 pp. $29.95 from Scarecrow Press, Inc. To order, call 800/462-6420 or go to www.scarecroweducation.com.

Collaborating To Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for K-6
By Toni Buzzeo
Written for library media specialists and their teaching partners, this book presents comprehensive units in a standardized template that can be adapted and used in librarians' own collaboration efforts. Easy to read and use, the book also lists the benefits of collaboration, as well as ways to overcome obstacles. 224 pp. $39.95 from Linworth Publishing. To order, call 800/786-5017 or visit www.linworth.com.

Internet-Based Activities for High School Mathematics: Real-World Content and Applications
By Tracy Kearnes and Beverly May
Two veteran math teachers connect real-time data from the Internet with algebra and geometry concepts in this workbook. Choose from eight activities that include step-by-step instructions, Web addresses, questions, and word problems. 74 pp. $12.95 from the Science and Mathematics Network. To order, go to www.sciencemathnetwork.org.

Tears Are Wept, Memories Are Kept: A Remembrance Book for Bereaved Children and Families
By Eleisa Trampler, Mary Hernandez, and the Children of Colorado
Retired Denver public schools teacher Eleisa Trampler compiled this book of sentiments and drawings by K-12 students in Denver area schools to help others deal with the loss of loved ones. The book also has space to record feelings, thoughts, and memories of a special someone. 222 pp. $14 from Maval Publishing, Inc. To order, go to www.maval.com.

Discipline Without Stress, Punishments, or Rewards
By Marvin Marshall
Learn how to reduce stress, motivate others, foster responsilibity, and ad-vance learning with strategies that promote collaboration and eliminate the reward/punishment system of discipline. With experience in teaching, administration, and counseling, the author offers practical solutions to problems in education and parenting. 300 pp. $39.95 from Piper Press. To order, call 800/606-6105 or go to www.piperpress.com.

TV Tips

Bang, Bang You're Dead
Showtime, Sunday, October 13, 2002, 8-9:30 p.m., ET, check local listings.
Based on William Mastrosimone's play of the same name, this drama offers an unflinching look at youth violence and the problems of achieving social and emotional health in schools today. The film depicts events in a high school where violence is pervasive when a drama teacher and his students try to stage a production of Mastrosimone's play. A guide to the film produced by KIDSNET includes an action workshop for educators, helping professionals, parents, and teens, and is available at www.KIDSNET.org. Parents/teachers should preview the program by themselves to determine if it's appropriate to show to their children/students, and they should lead follow-up discussions after any viewing.

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
PBS, Tuesdays, October 1-22, 10 p.m., ET, check local listings.
This four-part series explores the complexities that defined life during the Jim Crow era. The first major documentary to examine this oppressive era, the series spans the years from the end of the Civil War to the start of the modern Civil Rights movement in the 1950s.

Discovery Kids on NBC
NBC, October 5, 10 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Discovery Kids cable network and NBC will debut a Saturday three-hour programming block inspired by shows from the Discovery Network. "Walking with Dinosaurs and Kids" uses computer animation to recreate the sights and sounds of the prehistoric world. "Croc Files" stars Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, who investigates all types of wild animals. "TLC's Operation Junkyard" features teams of kids who use trash to create functional machines, such as catapults. "Black Hole High" invites viewers to investigate strange events and scientific mysteries at an unusual school.

Sporting Physics
ESPN2, October 7, 14, 21, and 28, 5:30 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Designed for middle and high school students, this series of four, 30-minute episodes features professional athletes demonstrating math and physics concepts, such as algebra and friction, through sports. Programs and lesson plans can be used in the classroom. Lesson plans are available at www.sportsfigures.espn.com.

Nick News: Special Edition
Nickelodeon, October 7 and 30, 6 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Linda Ellerbee created this series of specials from the NEA and Peabody Award-winning news program for kids in grades 4-6. In "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," she explores life in Afghanistan after Taliban rule. She takes questions from American kids on her visit to the country and talks with Afghan children in their homes, in school, at play, and at work. The program can be taped and used in the classroom for 10 years. A lesson plan is available at www.teachers.nick.com.

November Warriors
History Channel, October 28-31 (one episode per day), 6 a.m., ET, check local listings.
This four-part program chronicles the history of American presidential elections and can be used in class for two years, along with a lesson plan at www.historychannel.com/classroom. The first episode, "Noble Dreams/American Realities," outlines the first battles for the presidency. Part 2, "Trial By Fire," explores the "free vs. slave" issue in the Lincoln/Douglas presidential race and looks at whistle-stop campaigning and the intro- duction of a third party. Part 3, "The New Arena," traces presidential campaigns from the 1930s to John F. Kennedy's election in 1960, and the final episode, "The Modern Campaign," looks at more recent presidential campaigns, up to Ronald Reagan's.

Liberty's Kids
PBS, Mondays-Fridays in October, check local listings.
This animated series introduces 7 to 12-year-olds to the exciting stories and people behind the birth of the United States. Each program presents historical events seen through the eyes of two teenage apprentices who work in Benjamin Franklin's print shop and experience the American Revolution firsthand. The show can be taped and used in the classroom for one year. A companion website is available at http://pbskids.org/libertyskids.

Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers
PBS, check local listings.
This five-part series examines how children learn to read, why so many struggle, and how adults can help them. Each 30-minute episode illustrates a stage of the reading process, incorporating the latest research and featuring top U.S. reading experts. Shows highlight children's book authors, including Norman Bridwell (Clifford the Big Red Dog) and Kate Duke (Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One). Launching Young Readers is part of the multimedia initiative Reading Rockets, which offers information to parents and educators so they can help kids become avid readers. For more, go to www.readingrockets.org.

Web Winners

Staying Healthy
Use this site to teach children healthy habits early. Focusing on four health themes--Eat Well, Stay Fit; Open Wide; Dealing with Feelings; and Head Lice Advice--the site offers units with activity sheets for kids and information for adults. The themes are also connected to an episode of the PBS series "Arthur." Go to http://pbskids.org/arthur/grownups/health_tips/index.html.

Frog Dissection?
Leave your facemask in the drawer and grab a virtual scalpel instead. This site walks you through the dissection of a common bullfrog. Interactive animations, Flash objects, educational text, and a soundtrack make for a unique, odorless learning experience. Set aside at least 60 minutes to click your way through Frog Guts. Go to www.froguts.com.

Lesson Plans
The Lesson Plans Page collects over 1,000 ready-to-use lesson plans, primarily at the elementary level, that were developed by students and faculty at The University of Missouri. Launched in October 1996, this site serves elementary school teachers, preservice teachers, and parents. Go to www.lessonplanspage.com.

America's Library
With more than 4,500 items from the Library of Congress' collection on its website, America's Library is a good place to go to learn about American history and culture. Each of the site's five sections contain different activities to keep kids engaged and learning. Go to www.americaslibrary.gov.

Tracking the Payback
Campaign donations, special interest groups, and lobbyists. They all have a lot of influence on Congress and what laws are passed. Check out this site to see who's giving money to whom and how much they are giving. Published by the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, this site is useful for students learning about campaign contributions and lobbying. Check it out at www.opensecrets.org/payback.

Cyberspace Copyrights
Use this interactive activity to quickly learn about copyright issues on the World Wide Web. Visitors view 11 questions students, teachers, and parents may have about using Web images, sound recordings, and text in papers, presentations, and Web projects. Go to www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf.