Post #5

In the article Digital Tools and UDL-Based Instructional Strategies to Support Students With Disabilities Online, Rao, Torres, and Smith (2021) explore how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can be applied to reduce barriers in online and blended learning. The authors argue that while many digital tools became widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, their true instructional value lies in how they are applied through intentional strategies aligned with UDL’s three core principles: providing multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement. They emphasize that barriers in education often come from the environment and instruction, not the learner. As such, when educators design lessons with learner variability in mind from the outset, they can better support all students, including those with disabilities (Rao et al., 2021, p. 106).

The article outlines key challenges students face in online learning environments and offers tools and strategies to mitigate them. For example, Read&Write for Chrome supports reading comprehension through features like text-to-speech, dual-color highlighting, and vocabulary support (Rao et al., 2021, p. 107). Screencasting tools such as Loom or Screencastify can replace traditional teacher explanations with asynchronous, visual instructions that are easier to follow (p. 107). Tools like Canva and Google Slides are recommended to support varied expressions, allowing students to demonstrate understanding through visual, written, or multimedia formats (p. 108). These recommendations directly connect to the lesson I am currently designing for my middle school theatre students, where students create a scenic design mood board digitally. This lesson uses Canva or Google Slides to encourage students to express design concepts through imagery, color, and layout. By offering these tools, I aim to foster equitable participation and authentic creative expression for all learners.

Using the CAST UDL Guidelines website (CAST, 2018), I identified two strategies that will be meaningfully integrated into my scenic design lesson. First, under Guideline 1: Provide options for perception, I will provide students with screencast videos explaining how to use Canva or Google Slides. Second, under Guideline 5: Provide options for expression and communication, I will offer students flexibility in how they demonstrate their understanding of scenic design. Students will be able to choose from a variety of methods, such as slide decks, screencast, or collages, for how they would like to present their scenic designs. 

The 2024 National Education Technology Plan (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, 2024) further supports the application of UDL strategies to close the Digital Use Divide. The plan stresses that access to technology is not enough, and that students must also be supported in developing the ability to use digital tools meaningfully and creatively. This aligns directly with my lesson’s objectives. Rather than having students passively consume content, I am guiding them to actively construct their own representations of dramatic settings through digital media. This approach ensures that all learners have access to both the tools and the instructional strategies needed to thrive.

References

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning guidelines version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A Call to Action to Close the Technology Access, Design, and Use Divides: National Educational Technology Plan. Department of Education. Retrieved from: https://tech.ed.gov/netp

Rao, K., Torres, C., & Smith, S. (2021). Digital tools and UDL-based instructional strategies to support students with disabilities online. Journal of Special Education Technology, 36(2), 105-112.