Glogster+and+Learning+Disabilities+(and+visual+impairments)

Glogster is a wonderful Web 2.0 online tool that offers many accommodations for today’s learner. First and foremost, Glogster adheres to the tenants of UDL, Universal Design for Learning. It provides multiple forms of representation, expression and engagement for all learners. For example, language learners can excel in presenting their ideas with more than just text. Glogster allows for graphics, videos and music along with text to express an idea or a point. This is allow language learners to show mastery in multiple modes of expression. Glogster can also accommodate different levels of project difficulty. Glogster provides project templates which makes learners who have issues with project planning feel more in control and guided in their assignment. For intermediate learners, Glogster allows for levels of customization to their graphics, text, videos and music for different types of representation. The advanced learner can create from a blank template and use all features of Glogster including links to other sites when they create their masterpiece. This allows for all types of collaborative efforts of different skill level learners to participate together. For students with fine motor difficulties, expressing their ideas with a conventional poster may become tedious and frustrating. Using Glogster allows that same student to feel that they can be as creative as they want to be while putting together a visually stunning project.

There are some limitations to Glogster, though. Glogster is highly visual and “point and click” orientated. Although this is a plus for most types of learners, this does leave the visually impaired unequally yoked with the necessity to see in order to accomplish. These learners are able to use screen readers along with a speech synthesizer to read the website and navigate. There are also refreshable braille displays available for their use. For the visually impaired (but not blind) learners there are screen modification programs that can assist them in creating visually stunning posters. One fault is that Glogster is not totally anti-mouse friendly, but mostly can be navigated solely with the use of a keyboard.

Sources: i. [] ii. [|http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udl guidelines]