Digital Passport, UDL, #a11y

Digital Passport is Back!

Digital Passport, the award winning suite of 6 interactive games from Commonsense Media, has been a staple in our school's digital citizenship work, so I was dismayed when it wasn't ready to go at the end of the summer.  But, it's back! What's new?  The biggest change is that students no longer log in the same way; no student information is collected.  This is both positive and negative.  The students create their own username. Their work is saved, when a unit is completed- on that computer, on that browser. If they switch computers or use a new browser- out of luck.  They can download or print certificates, take screenshots, etc.  But, you just know that someone will forget to do this.  

​One other new feature- you can now choose to play the games in English or in Spanish.

I also kind of wish there was an easier tie in with Google Classroom, but that would of course attach student data.   After taking a quick glance at the new Educator Guide- clean, simple and easy to use.   I'm looking forward to trying this out soon with our 3rd graders! 

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Looking for UDL ideas?

When Wikispaces made the difficult decision to close, so many of my favorite websites also went by the wayside or had to find a new home.  So happy that my good friend, teacher, and mentor, Karen Janowski spent the time to move her incredible UDL ToolKit to a new space. If you are looking for ideas on how to accomodate students on IEPS, 504 plans, or just about any student you teach- look no further than THE UDL TOOLKIT.

To quote Karen: " My passion is to remove the obstacles to learning for all students and these free tools offer opportunities for struggling learners that promote academic success. When material is digital or electronic, it is flexible and accessible. It is our responsibility as educators to provide materials that promote success. Please encourage all educators to consider using these free tools."

Bookshare Special Collections

I just learned about an amazing tool on Bookshare from @karenjan last week.  I never knew they had Special Collections.  If you have students on Bookshare- check it out!  You can take some of these amazing collated collections and add them as reading lists for your students. For example-

• 2016 ALA Youth Media Award Winners
• ALA Award Winners - Young Adult
• or browse by lexile level. 

 Very cool tool to know about. 

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Parent Newsletters

I just wanted to share this info from Shelly Terrell with excellent directions on creating and sending parent newsletters.  I embedded her tweet below. Her original post can be found here.  Check it out as Shelly shares her templates too!

How to Quickly Create, Send, & Translate a Parent Newsletter https://t.co/PMEFFXn6PC #edchat #elearning #edtech #teachereducation #googleedu #parentengagement #education #teacheredchat #satchat pic.twitter.com/FMEdkPgYJL

— □□□□□□ □□□□□□□ □□□□□□□ □ (@ShellTerrell) September 23, 2018

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Join the UMass #30 Day Access Challenge

The challenge will run Oct 1 to Nov 30. A new #challenge will be posted to this #Twitter and on our #Facebook (@UMassATC). You can participate on either platform (pick one!). Complete each actionable item within the 10/1-11/30 timeline and use #30dayaccess to enter. Join us! <3 pic.twitter.com/n2UjD1VbF4

— UMass Amherst ATC (@UMass_ATC) September 24, 2018