ICS Subject Centre 10th Annual Conference

1
ICS Subject Centre 10th Annual Conference

• Smarter, Better, Faster, Stronger Inclusive use
  of technology
• in teaching ICS
• Dr Simon Ball simon_at_techdis.ac.uk
• www.techdis.ac.uk

2
This presentation.

• can be downloaded from www.techdis.ac.uk/communit
  y
• Login and navigate to the HE section and Simons
  Presentations - you can download from there and
  you will have all of the URLs as clickable links
• Direct link http//www.techdis.ac.uk/community/co
  urse/view.php?id93

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Inclusive Use of TechnologySmarter, Better,
Faster, Stronger

• Work it harder make it better, Do it faster
  makes us stronger,More than ever, hour after
  hour,Work is never over
• Daft Punk Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
• We need to work Smarter, not Harder - Can we save
  ourselves and our students work, use Better tools
  for the job and make systems Stronger, by
  inclusive use of technology?

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Smarter Make use of the services available to
you like JISC TechDis

• JISC advisory service (HE and FE) providing
  advice and guidance on inclusive use of
  technology.
• Working at policy level, institutional strategy
  level, and practitioner level.
• Much advice and guidance available for
  practitioners to improve practice (see next
  slide) but now we have reached a stage where we
  need management and policy to further enable
  inclusive use of technology
• Many free JISC services available JISC InfoNet,
  Netskills, JISC Digital Media, JISC Legal,
  Procureweb

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10 Handy resources for practitioners to enhance
inclusive use of technology

• Accessibility Essentials www.techdis.ac.uk/accessi
  bilityessentials
• Teaching Inclusively www.techdis.ac.uk/getTeaching
  Inclusively
• Free Software www.techdis.ac.uk/getfreesoftware
• Library Guides www.techdis.ac.uk/getlibraryguides
  
• Alternative Formats www.techdis.ac.uk/getaltformat
  
• Assistive Technologies www.techdis.ac.uk/getATrepo
  rt
• Case Studies (HEAT scheme) www.techdis.ac.uk/gethe
  atscheme
• Getting started Mobile Learning
  www.techdis.ac.uk/upwardlymobile
• Creating Accessible Learning Objects
  www.techdis.ac.uk/getxerte
• Web2.0 Evaluation Tool www.techdis.ac.uk/getweb2ac
  cess

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Better Improvements to practice

• HEAT scheme
• Funded by JISC and HEA
• Staff awarded technologies up to 2K (i.e.
  achievable projects) to uncover or develop an
  aspect of inclusive teaching.
• www.techdis.ac.uk/getheatscheme
• Some examples you might want to consider

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Creating an accessibility/usability testing
facility for students Manchester Met. University

• Students learning software design, web design,
  e-learning design are taught accessibility
  principles but have little chance to evaluate
  other than using automated tools
• Facility gives them chance to obtain first hand
  user feedback
• Students were very animated during session and
  referred to facility as an eye opener
• Assessment suggests this years cohort have a
  much deeper understanding of usability

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Supplementing Learning and Teaching Through
Mentoring Avatars Ulster University

• Avatars available 24/7 at times when human staff
  unavailable
• Trialled with groups of volunteers due for
  wider rollout this coming term
• May be of particular benefit to students with
  Aspergers
• Further work needed to integrate more fully with
  existing systems

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Whats it worth? Equivalent assessment
opportunities Roehampton University

• Began by offering alternate means of assessment
  to disabled students eg video or audio recordings
  in place of written work
• Raised issues of equivalence how much footage
  equates to a 3000-word essay?
• Produced an equivalence table of over 40
  assessment types further work being done to
  refine and expand the table.

10
Using mobile devices and microblogging to analyse
student use of learning spaces University of
Leicester

• Two groups of students (UG and PG) used the iPod
  touches for a period of 4 weeks each.
• Asked to microblog about where they were and what
  they were doing, to increase understanding of
  student use of learning spaces.

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Other HEAT projects include

• Evaluating e-book readers for marking student
  assignments
• Use of Mediascapes to enhance mobile-based field
  learning (urban education)
• Evaluating the use of mobile devices to support
  disabled students
• Over 80 projects in total
• www.techdis.ac.uk/getheatscheme

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Faster Technology in everyday practice aids
inclusion

• There are many technologies available that are
  easy to use, require no installation (therefore
  anyone can use on any machine) and can add
  significantly to the inclusivity of your everyday
  practice. For example

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Everyone could be using these

• Audacity Audio recorder Portable version
  available Good tutorials on Youtube and Videojug
• Screentoaster.com Screen capture web-based
  tool similar to Camstudio (which requires
  install)
• Dspeech Automated audio of text Portable
  version available voices not great but picks up
  others from PC
• Robobraille.com Send a Word document off to
  britspeech_at_robobraille.com, get an MP3 back!
• Readthewords.com Automated audio of text much
  better voices (some ?! E.g. Charles, Nina)

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Access Apps

• See www.techdis.ac.uk/getaccessapps
• You can choose full package for a 2 GB memory
  stick or smaller Lite version
• Provides via a single menu over 50 tools that run
  from memory stick so will run on any PC
• Now part of larger EduApps suite
• (Access Apps Learn Apps Teach Apps)
• http//www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eduapps/compare.p
  hp

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These are not as simple to learn, but can aid
inclusivity substantially

• WINK Portable version available Produces more
  flexible presentations, with image selection,
  flexible audio and captioning, subtitling and so
  on
• Xerte Generator of Accessible Learning Objects
  (a bit like Articulate, CourseGenie etc) Can be
  installed but better used via web find out more
  at www.techdis.ac.uk/getxerte (including
  Creating your first object guide) and have a
  play in our sandpit www.techdisplayxerte.info
  (username techdis, password jisc) if display
  error occurs use IE, hit F5 to refresh and try
  again

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QR Codes

• Generate a QR code freely on the web eg.
  http//qrcode.kaywa.com - print and stick
  anywhere
• Download and install free QR reading software to
  your phone
• www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/
• Two example uses National Star College and
  Heriot-Watt University

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Travel text is read out by a text to speech
application running on the phone
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HEAT2 mLearning Case Study Heriot-Watt
University

• Alasdair Thin used mobile phone to stream
  context specific audio information to students
  with visual impairment
• Used camera phone QR codes to push text files to
  students mobiles, used TextAloud to convert this
  to audio. Moved on to using QR codes to access
  web url to download audio.

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Stronger making sure inclusive practice is
facilitated by policy

• 12 Steps Towards Embedding Inclusive Practice
  with Technology as a Whole Institution Culture
• Sent to all Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic/LT) or
  equivalent along with copies to be given to the
  heads of Staff Development, Learning Technology,
  IT/Networks and Disability Support.
• So far feedback 78 ve, 1 -ve

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12 Steps to Inclusive Practice with Technology
1 to 3

• Step 1 Deputy / Pro-Vice Chancellor (or
  equivalent) forms inclusive practice action team.
• Step 2 Department/Faculty Heads facilitate
  gathering and sharing of good practice.
• Step 3 Relevant parties ensure achievable
  inclusive practice is signposted within Learning
  and Teaching handbook.

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12 Steps to Inclusive Practice with Technology
4 and 5

• Step 4 Learning and Teaching Strategy reviewed
  to explicitly refer to inclusive practice
  principles. Staff Development Head ensures
  provision of contextual exemplars and guidance.
• Step 5 Heads of IT, Learning Technology and
  Disability Support ensure free and Open Source
  technologies are made as widely available as
  systems allow, and the use of memory sticks is
  encouraged.

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12 Steps to Inclusive Practice with Technology
6 to 8

• Step 6 Learning, Teaching and Assessment Policy
  adjusted to facilitate the use of specialist
  technologies and ensure that they are
  appropriately supported.
• Step 7 D/PVC ensures Procurement and Estates
  Managers fulfil legislative duty to involve
  disabled users.
• Step 8 D/PVC facilitates management
  collaboration to overcome technology
  territoriality.

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12 Steps to Inclusive Practice with Technology
9 and 10

• Step 9 Inclusive practice action team ensures
  Equality Scheme works practically and is not just
  statement of intent.
• Step 10 Inclusive practice action team embeds
  inclusive practice into HR, administration,
  information management and procurement functions.

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12 Steps to Inclusive Practice with Technology
11 and 12

• Step 11 Senior management review of funding to
  ensure inclusion through mainstream improvements.
• Step 12 Inclusive practice action team
  acknowledge the ongoing nature of the process.
• Full paper, briefing and FE version all available
  from www.techdis.ac.uk/getTCI