Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Texthelp Blog - Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Blog

“UDL has been around since the 1990s. But it’s been implemented primarily as a framework of strategies and tools to help with the teaching and learning of text-based digital content. Inevitably, UDL has found an audience with English, humanities and related subjects – and as a result math and STEM subjects have been left behind.

UDL is all about finding multiple means of representing and expressing content to suit every learner’s personal needs. So at Texthelp we asked ourselves the question “how can we apply this insight to math and science in today’s classrooms, where pupils and teachers are working electronically with Google Docs, Sheets and Word documents?”

Today’s students are looking for better, easier ways to create and share mathematical material. And that’s what we’ve done with EquatIO. There are already digital solutions out there for creating math, but they rely on fiddly coding and they’re far from intuitive.  If you’re writing a blog you don’t have to know HTML. Why shouldn’t writing math be just as painless?

The biggest obstacle to creating math digitally is the keyboard on your laptop or tablet. It’s a struggle writing even quite basic expressions like “the square root of x over 4y”. So with EquatIO our goal was to offer much more natural, intuitive ways to interact with your device.

If you’ve got a touchscreen, EquatIO instantly recognises your handwriting and turns it into accurately-formatted, editable notation. It can anticipate what you’re trying to write, much like predictive texting on your phone. And if you’re using a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen, EquatIO’s speech input understands the spoken word accurately and intelligently.

And what about that other input device that’s in everyone’s pocket – their smartphone? Our new mobile app lets students and teachers scribble an expression on paper. Snap it with your phone’s camera, and it magically appears in your EquatIO workspace, ready to edit however you wish.

Universal Design for Learning is all about lowering barriers to learning. And with EquatIO, we’re giving students the tools to engage actively with mathematics in the way that suits them best.”

Martin McKay - UDL Talk @ UDL-IRN 2018

See the full programme of speakers and activities at this year’s UDL-IRN Summit 2018 here.

EquatIO: reimagining math in a UDL world

Named as one of this 2018's EdTech50 leaders, our CTO Martin McKay explains how EquatIO brings a UDL mindset to mathematics and STEM teaching.

Technology provides dynamic opportunities for instruction in math and STEM classrooms. We can enhance the learning process and make concepts come alive through engaging and interactive media. We may also offer additional supports to address the needs of all learners and create customized learning experiences. Here are some important ways that students can benefit when we incorporate technology with our math and STEM lesson instruction.

Teaching math using technology - Use Multimedia

Multimedia brings learning to life! We can bring videos, animations, interesting movies and other media into the learning process to help our students develop skills and understandings. And it can help to motivate and excite our students about their learning!

Mr. DeMaio, a third grade teacher in Union Beach, New Jersey, creates customized movies to help his students understand class topics such as multiplication tables and borrowing in subtraction. He hosts a YouTube channel with “edu-taining” lessons and music videos that feature teachers in the school and recurring favorite characters such as puppets Steven and Andy.

How to Round to Tens and Hundreds!

The movies are so enjoyable to watch that kids play them again and again and ask for more on different topics! Compared to prior school years, Mr. DeMaio has found that this multimedia approach to blended learning has led to better retention and increased student understanding of the concepts, even in math and STEM lessons.

We won’t all produce movies like Mr. DeMaio, but he is a good example of how we all have the ability to find and create great content to share with our students through digital tools, platforms, and apps.

Interactive Visualizations and Explorations

Making math (or STEM subjects) visual goes beyond student engagement; brain research indicates it to be integral to learning maths. Neuroscientists at Stanford University are studying how the brain thinks mathematically and evidence shows that visual pathways are involved even when working on symbolic number calculations. According to Jo Boaler and the team at Stanford Graduate School of Education’s youcubed, representing all mathematical concepts visually, and including visual activities at all grade levels, can greatly help students.

Technology provides additional opportunities for learners to see and interact with mathematical concepts. Students can explore and make discoveries with games, simulations and digital tools.

One excellent platform for teachers and students is the web-based graphing calculator, Desmos. The Desmos classroom activities page is a great starting point to engage students in playing with and testing mathematical ideas and also sharing and collaborating.

And, the new addition to Texthelp’s STEM offering, EquatIO mathspace, creates a digital whiteboard where students and teachers can combine math equations and formulas with Desmos graphs, geometrics shapes, manipulatives, and freehand drawings to encourage visual problem solving.

Personalized math lessons using technology

Increased access to technology for math allows for a more customized learning experience. Because no two learners are exactly alike, technology can provide individual students with content and supports that are particularly helpful to their individual needs. Kids can view lessons, tutorials, screencasts, and other instructional media on their own device and at their own pace. So if one student is still confused on a topic, and another is ready for additional challenges, technology can enable each to take the appropriate next step.

A great example of how technology empowers learners is the phenomenon of Khan Academy. Sal Khan did not intend to build a non-profit educational organization when he started posting the recordings of his math lessons on YouTube (as he delightfully explains in his TED Talk). He was only trying to help tutor his cousins from afar and didn’t see any reason to set the videos to Private mode. From the feedback from his cousins, and then from other people from all over the world who found his videos, he realized how valuable this medium was and the importance of being able to choose, rewind, and control the lessons.

The Khan Academy platform has emerged from his work, giving learners personalized learning experiences in a number of ways. For example, users can take quizzes to see what concepts they have mastered and what they need more practice with. Or students that learn better through written text can access transcripts that accompany the instructional videos. Providing the ability to direct and control learning pathways is a powerful reason to include technology in our own math instruction.

Let's use video to reinvent education | Salman Khan

Teachers can use technology to help students see how concepts they are learning in the math or STEM classroom can be applied to everyday life. Instead of giving her students a problem-solving worksheet, educator Jennie Magiera recorded a short video in the dairy aisle of the supermarket, posing the real-world problem of deciding what would be the best deal. She challenged her students to figure out what brand and size of cheese to buy based on the prices and promotions seen on the shelves. Recording videos of scenarios outside of the classroom such as this can be done easily with a smartphone and then shared on YouTube or the class website.

Jennie Magiera Cheese Shopping Rates Lesson

Integrating technology in the math classroom allows students to interact with people outside of the classroom to help broaden their understandings and perspectives about what they are studying. Teachers can set up live interactive video calls with experts on a wide variety of curricular topics using sites such as Skype in the Classroom and Nepris. One teacher on Nepris posted a request for industry experts to share ways they use math concepts in their daily work, and as a result students were able to virtually meet a playground designer who demonstrated how he uses measurement, multiplication, and more in his decision-making and planning.

Technology gives us the ability to expand and enrich our math lessons using technology. What ways has technology supported your students in learning math or STEM? Please share your comments!

Technology provides dynamic opportunities for instruction in math & STEM classrooms. Here are some important ways that students can benefit when we incorporate technology with our math & STEM instruction.

What are the benefits of teaching math using technology?

This is a guest blog post from Kristine Scharaldi, an education consultant and instructional coach with a specialization in the fields of educational technology, Mind-Brain-Education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and 21st Century Skills/Global Education.

Continue reading to learn about the advantages of using technology in the math classroom.

Education is in the middle of a frenzied digital revolution right now with technology playing an integral role in how lessons are both delivered and how learning is taking place. Very few institutions had plans in place for remote learning or academic continuity. Schools and universities have since taken on the mammoth task of switching (quite rapidly) to remote learning. This has been markedly different for each institution, depending on the level at which they had adopted technology as part of teaching practice before this pandemic. With some finding it relatively easy to transition to learning remotely and others finding it a particular challenge. 

The rush to embrace remote learning in such a quick period of time meant that institutions made a rush for digital solutions; migrated systems almost overnight to cloud technology and in many cases educators undertook one of the most condensed and focused periods of professional development of their careers.

For most educators, remote learning is a brand new concept. The vast majority have had limited time to adjust to a changed approach to their teaching practice and are still finding their feet. It is important to understand that moving teaching and learning online involves much more than just uploading files and video links to a learning management system. 

Teaching remotely requires a different approach. It’s a new kind of pedagogy, a new dynamic and a steep learning curve. While remote learning isn’t a perfect substitute for in-class instruction, there are lots of ways to keep students motivated while they’re learning from home. 

The collapse of the structure of what was a typical school day, a timetable and the immediacy of in-class support has meant that educators need to think differently now. Learning needs to be engaging yes, but it’s priority should be to keep learners engaged and motivated to learn. 

Embracing learning platforms such as Google Classroom are essential. These help provide structure and build mechanisms for feedback, discussion and communication. The approach can’t be to simply fill these systems with the same content as would happen in school-based learning and expect the same results. 

Remote learning requires a different set of approaches & methods to motivate students to be active participants in their learning. Content that considers a digital and not paper environment with video and audio playing a central role. New ways to deliver assessment and provide feedback, and an ability to track progress. All while sustaining educator to student dialogue.

The reality is that technologies are available today to support these changing sands, but if there is a lesson to be learnt on the scramble to remote learning, it’s that we must carefully consider and select the right mix of technology and prepare everyone with the skills and underlying pedagogy to utilise them.

What’s been clear about this shift is that embracing technology and these new ways of working and learning is no longer just down to our educators. Students, and their parents need the same level of support, understanding and involvement in learning and in technology to make it a success.

Accessibility has never been more important

Our schools have been models of inclusion, with a recognition that every student learns differently, and that every student therefore needs support in differing ways. Taking learning fully online needs that same focus and dedication to inclusion. We can’t, and shouldn’t, expect all students to access this plethora of digital content and platforms in the same way. 

It’s our responsibility to make digital content accessible. It requires planning, and provision of specialist tools such as screen readers if we are to be sure that no student is at a disadvantage and continues to receive continuity of support in the absence of teaching and learning assistants.  

Accessible content can no longer be the exception - it has to be the rule. 

If you're looking for ways to ensure your SEN pupils are included in your digital lessons and content, join our expert panel webinar to hear best practice. 

There are many reasons to worry about the prospect of scaled remote learning across the UK, many of which the government was hoping to tackle with its EdTech strategy, but are not yet in place. These include the issue of insufficient infrastructure as not everywhere has stable and reliable broadband connectivity. Another consideration is that neither all schools nor all homes have the technology needed to make this happen, particularly in primary schools. Finally, few teachers have the capacity to create well-designed online materials with their already heavy workloads.

Medium and longer term will have huge implications for exam boards and will likely expedite the move to all digital/online exams. This has been slow to develop and the exam bodies do not have systems in place to deliver at the moment, but this situation will push them to build these much much faster.

The reality is that, at least until children can all safely return to school, teachers are going to have to get creative with ways of continuing their education outside of the classroom. With a significant volume of information being pushed out which could lead to confusion or poor strategy, and the kick back from educators viewing EdTech start-ups as taking advantage of the situation, this is a particularly challenging time.

Coronavirus could well be a “tipping point” to push educational technology into the mainstream, with DfE England publishing an official set of recommendations and guidelines to support ‘blended’ or a mix of in class and remote learning when schools start to return. While these recommendations are not statutory it is a clear sign that things are changing and that the Department for Education must consider the many areas of support schools will require to deliver this ‘new normal’. 

From identification of the right technology tools, attention to inclusion and accessibility, the need for infrastructure & devices and considerations around CPD & monitoring/evaluation. The expectations are set - it’s now time to support schools, and teachers to deliver exceptional teaching and learning in and out of the classroom. 

How have you found the transition to remote learning, do you think your school was well positioned to support teachers & students? Let us know in the comments below.

As Coronavirus spread, school doors closed all over the country but teaching continued, presenting educators with a number of challenges; how do schools continue to teach? How do teachers know that learning has taken place and how do they keep students of all ages engaged? Texthelper Patrick shares his thoughts on COVID-19’s impact on learners and how to design an effective interim strategy.

Coronavirus: A learning curve for education

As Coronavirus spread, school doors closed all over the country but teaching continued, presenting educators with a number of challenges; how do schools continue to teach? How do teachers know that learning has taken place and how do they keep students of all ages engaged? 

Originally featured in Open Access Government in April 2020, Patrick shares his thoughts on COVID-19’s impact on learners and how to design an effective interim strategy. 

First, we hear from Michael Beckett, Texthelp’s Development Manager, on the rationale behind Browsealoud’s fresh design and functionality... 

“Since Browsealoud’s first release it’s hard to believe how much the web has changed, and we felt the time had come to bring Browsealoud up to modern standards - to make it faster, improve its compatibility with modern websites, improve performance, and bring a completely new look and feel to the product.

We’ve invested heavily in this new version of Browsealoud, expanding our development team to meet the challenge, and providing all the resources needed to make Browsealoud v3 a success. We hope our customers will appreciate the new UI design and find the new features we’ve added useful.

This is so much more than a simple revamp - we’ve taken our beloved old Browsealoud back to the car dealer and we’ve swapped it for a new model fit for the 2020s. I hope you enjoy the ride!”


 A slicker design & more compact placement

Firstly, we’ve updated the design of the toolbar, giving it a much sharper look and clearer visibility - with a deeper depth of colour, the toolbar pops against the backdrop of common website designs, making sure it can be viewed easily by the user. The user can also change the colour theme of the toolbar to a colour contrast that works for them (available in the ‘Settings’ menu).

Not only that, we’ve updated the placement of the toolbar - when it’s launched, you’ll notice that the toolbar docks to the top of the webpage browser. This means that as the user browses the web page it remains instantly accessible to them, without getting in the way. 

We’ve enhanced the functionality of some of the features, including…

We’ve improved the simplify feature by increasing the accessibility of the simplified content. As normal, users can choose to increase or decrease the amount of content that’s simplified; select a colour contrast option that works for them; and, change the size of the text. However, users can now also select a font of their choice, allowing them to read online content in a font that’s accessible to them. We’ve also updated the colour contrast options, and made selection much easier with a drop-down menu. And, brand new is the addition of ‘Wiki-definition’, providing users with word definitions at the click of a button.

The ‘Pause’ function within ‘Text-to-Speech’

We’ve improved this feature to ensure a seamless user experience, allowing the user to confidently use the popular text-to-speech function in a way that suits them best.

We want to make sure Browsealoud helps to improve web accessibility for each and every user - and that’s why the ability to personalise the user experience is so important to us. 

As already noted above, we’ve made a few new additions to increase accessibility for every user - like changing the colour theme of the toolbar, and the font on a simplified web page -  and, to make sure users can personalise their experience as easily as possible, we’ve also updated the ‘Settings’ menu.

With a fresh new look, the menu is now much more clear and accessible, helping users to customise Browsealoud much more efficiently.

We’ve given users the chance to tell us all about their experience, with a new user feedback survey. That means we’ll get to hear directly from end users, to help us keep improving Browsealoud to meet their needs.

Lastly, we’ve also removed our Browsealoud cookie and security banner notification, so users will only see your own cookies banner and privacy policies, giving them a better experience. (please note: if you’re a current Browsealoud customer, we recommend that you add Browsealoud’s cookie settings to your own cookie settings, using our recommended text).

We’re sure you’ll agree that Browsealoud v3 is the best version of Browsealoud yet! If you have any questions, or would like to learn more, visit our customer support article, or feel free to get in touch. 

If you’re not yet a Browsealoud customer, you can try it out on your own website free for 90 days.

Browsealoud has been given a revamp and it’s now faster, more efficient and more accessible than ever before.

Product update: Meet Browsealoud v3

Browsealoud has been given a revamp and it’s now faster, more efficient and more accessible than ever before. In this blog, you’ll find all the details you need to know about the latest update, so have a quick read and check out version 3 for yourself.

The good news is, we’ve been exploring how to champion inclusivity in communications by building it into the design itself. Our recently released report, Inclusive by Design, looks at the sea of challenges in diversity and inclusion communications, including why it goes wrong and how to better approach it. As part of our thinking, we outlined ten practical principles to help guide communications. When it comes to digital messaging, web accessibility is a critical element too often overlooked. We know navigating WCAG 2.0, AA and AAA standards is easier said than done, so we’ve pulled together a few of our top tips on how to make your website more inclusive and help engage your visitors even more.

1.    More than just a pretty (type)face:

Typeface and colour selection is about much more than good aesthetics. These design elements have enormous impact on how easily (or not) your audiences will be able to see, understand and engage with your content. It’s really important that you use specific digital fonts on your online platforms to ensure legibility and make it easier for the reader to digest content in situ. Check out Google Fonts for fonts that are up to web accessibility standards and also completely free. When it comes to colours, it’s usually best to keep it simple, avoiding certain colour combinations that may make it harder to read for those with vision impairments or conditions like colour blindness. Light colours and pastels are particularly difficult when it comes to web accessibility. When in doubt, use a contrast checker. For type choices, make sure that it’s large enough and legible for everyone to read – any text below 40px should be kept simple and bold, particularly considering audiences who default to viewing content on mobile. 

It’s good practice to use clear, simple language in all communications, but on websites in particular, there is an added opportunity to play with interactivity in a way that could make your communications easier to understand. If definitions or contextual information could help audiences digest key messages, consider bolstering your content with interactive information displays to help explain unfamiliar terminology or embedding hyperlinks to make related content easily accessible. This could be as simple as a pop-up label that displays when viewers hover their cursor over a word, or a content page that’s chock full of helpful resources, like Wikipedia’s linked articles. But be careful to avoid flashing content, which poses a problem to those with neurodiverse conditions. 

Video content can be extremely effective and engaging, but in order for audiences to get the maximum value from it, it needs to be configured properly. Closed captions or transcripts aren’t just a nice-to-have, they are necessary to ensure that video content is accessible – not only for those who have hearing impairments, but also those who are watching in environments where they are not able to listen to audio, such as on a noisy bus or in a quiet library. 

The actual design and layout of the website itself should consider the different formats your audiences use. Varying specifications of desktops, tablets, and mobile phones means there’s a wide range of resolutions and screen orientations that need to be accounted for. Responsive design is an absolute no-brainer if you want to ensure that all audiences are able to view your content, no matter which device they may be on. It also means that your website will be more search engine friendly, with a URL that’s able to serve all devices. Non-decorative, non-text content should include text alternatives, including images, buttons, icons, etc. Text isn’t always the only or preferred way to inform or direct users, icons exists to support actions that you want the user to perform, so don’t shy away from them. And there are resources to ensure your icons are as functional as they are illustrative.

Keeping the above tips in mind can help improve your audience’s experience on your website. Though these may seem like small considerations at first, it can make all the difference to your next viewer. Your communications will demonstrate that you value all of your audiences, and in turn, they will want to engage more with your content. Still not sure where to start? There are great resources to find clues on topics and key words for ensuring you are providing relevant content people are actively searching for. Adopting an inclusive approach, in digital communications and beyond, is how we’ll improve the experience for everyone.

To read more about what we found on the shocking state of D&I clichés, why diversity is important for business, and how to actually get to good D&I communications, you can download Radley Yeldar’s full report, Inclusive by Design.



If you'd like to hear more from Jennifer, check out our recent webinar - 'Making essential digital communications accessible and inclusive'.

Discover the top tips on how to make your website more accessible and help engage your visitors even more.

How to make your web content accessible and D&I-friendly

How to make your web content accessible and D&I friendly

At its core, diversity and inclusion communications is about making sure your message reflects and connects with your audiences. Seems pretty simple, right? But most marketing communicators understand that simple isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it’s hard enough to make sure your message lands just right, let alone worrying about the format. So when it comes to translating it into digital spaces, it can often feel like opening up Pandora’s box.

So what is WCAG? WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The guidelines aim to make your content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. It’s quite a long list but it represents about 1 billion people across the world.

The guidelines inform the international standard for web accessibility, and legislation such as the EU Directive for Web Accessibility, outlines that organizations must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

Following the guidelines will not only make your web content more usable to ALL USERS, but will also ensure you're in compliance with legal requirements.

Make sure all images that are visible to screen readers have descriptive ALT text. For example, an image of a pie chart might have ALT text reading: “Pie chart illustrating that “40% Voted Yes and 60% Voted No.”

Format links to contrast from the body text, such as using underlines or icons next to the text. Use descriptive TITLE text, and descriptive link text such as “click here to download policies PDF.”

Add a border to input fields, populate the LABEL tags for each field, and add helper text that provides an example input for each field. Make sure form elements are not hidden or inaccessible by using the tab key.

Set the contrast ratio between text and the text’s background to be at least 4.5 to 1. If your font is at least 18px bold, the minimum drops to 3 to 1. Use a color contrast tool to analyze your site for AA and AAA standards.

Apply H1, H2, H3, and H4 tags for your headings and apply landmarks such as main, form, and navigation to the structure of the page.

Use aria-hidden=”true” on elements such as pull-quotes, dividers, and icons to hide them when the site is accessed by screen readers.

Select an easy-to-read font, and limit the number of fonts used on the site. Use relative units for font sizes so they can be increased with screen magnification. Avoid very small text.

How do I improve web accessibility for users of assistive technology?

Many users with disabilities use assistive technologies to access digital content. Assistive technologies include screen magnifiers, screen readers, alternative keyboards and pointing devices, and site, or browser based assistive tools.

Understanding how assistive technologies work and applying the principles of accessible design allows you to successfully deliver web content for every user.  The practices of accessibility affect all areas of a website, including: 

Your code needs to be optimized for screen readers, including appropriate HTML markup structure. Users should be able to navigate the entirety of the site, including any forms, using only a keyboard. Accessible coding is generally the responsibility of a web developer.

Think about users with vision impairments and make sure that the use of colors, contrast, and font sizes is optimized for visibility. Colors should not be the only element used to indicate important information. 

Ensure that screen readers and other devices can translate visual content into speech or text by providing text alternatives for graphic elements and links.

To help you delve deeper into web accessibility and create digital content that's inclusive, we've pulled together several free resources for you to explore:

Webinar and WCAG checklists for designers and marketers


Discover more the WCAG guidelines and what they mean.

What is WCAG 2.1 and how do I make sense of the guidelines?

Have you ever avoided delving into WCAG compliance due to its complexity? Never fear, we’re here to help. This blog will highlight the main components of web accessibility, without all the technical jargon. 

Blog

EquatIO: reimagining math in a UDL world

What are the benefits of teaching math using technology?

Coronavirus: A learning curve for education

Product update: Meet Browsealoud v3

How to make your web content accessible and D&I friendly

What is WCAG 2.1 and how do I make sense of the guidelines?

Categories

Education

Solutions

Products

Workplace

Solutions

Products

Resources

Resource centre

Events

Learn & Support

Company