In the ever-shifting educational landscape of remote, in-per- son, and hybrid learning, it is important to be able to provide learning opportunities in new and creative ways. The addi- tional demands of teaching in a pandemic have left time and resources stretched beyond the already constricted limits. With the dizzying array of products that have been advertised, it is overwhelming to find just the right tool that can meet a variety of educational needs. Google Slides is regularly utilized in class- rooms and available to all students. However, how to apply the features of Google Slides to create powerful accessible learning materials is not often taught to teachers or other professionals in the learning community. It can be used digitally, in-person or remotely, individually or collaboratively. In this article, we will outline some of the creative uses that Google Slides has to offer. We hope that after reading this article, you can start using Goo- gle Slides to create accessible homework assignments, student portfolios, and encourage self-guided learning. SELF DIRECTED LEARNING 1. Adapted Books: Google Slides offer an array of features that allow teachers to create adapted books which can be ad- vanced with the press of a spacebar. For students who struggle to access the space bar, there are many ways to move through the slideshow. This includes tapping the touchscreen in preview mode, creating a cardboard cut out for the spacebar, or a low- tech button pusher (See Image 1), or a USB switch interface (See Image 2). Max is a student with a complex physical, visual, and cogni- tive profile. In the immediacy of becoming remote, his switch interface was left at school. He was able to continue to access adapted books created by his paraprofessional with his favor- ite songs and images. Mom was able to set him up with his Chromebook and the low-tech button pusher. This was the only activity during remote learning that he was able to engage in that did not require adult support.
Image 2: Hitch 2 is a USB switch interface available by Ablenet, Inc.
Image 3: Copy and paste the Google Slides shareable link and change /edit to /preview..\
Image 1: Create your own low-tech button pusher using corrugated cardboard or a 3 ring binder. Add a glue stick to where the cardboard will make contact with the space bar and glue a piece of glue stick to that spot.
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December, 2020 / January, 2021 | www.closingthegap.com/membership
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