These links are shared for educational purposes only.
Resource Description
  • Khan Academy A collection of over 3000 videos that K-12 math, biology, chemistry, physics and some of the social science. Each video is about 10 minutes long and many include interactive components to check understanding.
  • Encyclopedia of Life A rich collection of science resources.
  • Cosmo Learning A collection or free learning materials in multiple formats organized by traditional curriculum standards.
  • PBS Learning Media A free, subscription-based service that contains quality multimedia on all subjects for all grade levels. Once subscribed you can tag and annotate your favorite resources for future reference.
  • Discovery Education A paid, subscription-based service that contains video, interactive lessons, real-time assessment and other virtual experiences for students and teacher professional development. (Many schools have subscriptions, check to see if your school does).
  • LearnOutLoud Over 5000 free educational audio and video titles including famous speeches and lectures around the world.
  • Gooru Learning Gooru allows you to search for rich collections of multimedia resources, digital textbooks, videos, games, and quizzes created by educators in the Gooru community. You can save and customize your resources with an account and share your content with others in the community.
Interactives
Resource Description
Developing Learning Contracts A learning contract is a collaboratively written agreement between a student and a teacher that describes what is to be learned, how it will be learned, and how learning will be evaluated. It allows students to have an active voice and therefore to be more engaged and motivated in their own learning. You can read more about learning contracts.
View some sample learning contracts and goal setting worksheets:
​Resource Description
  • LibriVox A collection of free audio books, featuring human narration, from the public domain.
  • Project Gutenberg A collection of free electronic books, many with accompanying audio.
  • StorylineOnline A collection of titles read by members of the Screen Actors Guild. Each title includes an activity guide.
  • UDL Bookbuilder This tools allows you to create, share, publish, and read digital books that engage and support diverse learners according to their individual needs, interests, and skills. Click on the “Public Library Books” link to see books that have already been developed and shared by others.

 Below is a selection of assistive technology resources. Think about what supports your students need and explore those that are of most interest.

Stand-alone accessibility tools
ResourceDescription
  • Essential Accessability (Windows only) A downloadable app that allows for hands-free web navigation
  • Dictionary.comOffers a dictionary, thesaurus and translation tools to support students with limited English vocabulary. (Check out their web browser extensions as well)
  • iSpeechFree and pay TTS services that can convert text from a number of sources including Word, PDFs, HTML, blogs, and RSS into audio files.
  • SpokenText A TTS converter supporting multiple languages and formats.
  • Text To Speech TTS service with several advanced translation features.
  • NaturalReader (Windows only) A free downloadable program from Microsoft offering advanced TTS support.
  • Magnifying Glass Pro (Windows only) A screen magnification tool with several advanced features for additional visual support.

 Organizations and services supporting accessible media
ResourceDescription
  • Described and Captioned Media Program This organization specializes in providing accessible media to hearing and visually impaired people.
  • Bookshare A collection of accessible books and periodicals for readers with print disabilities. This resource is free to qualified students.
  • National Center for Accessible Educational Materials A site managed by CAST to provide resources to make learning materials more accessible.Activity 3: Explore Tools to Support Learning SkillsStudents need many skills to be successful learners. These include reading skills, writing skills, research skills, organization skills, and critical thinking skills to name a few. Look over the resources in the table below that support these skills and pick a few tools to explore in more depth. Think about how these tools might be incorporated into your curriculum as you make it more universally-designed.
Writing Support: These support tools help students refine their ideas and writing with features that allow for annotation, playback, and more.Reading Support: These tools provide “just-in-time” vocabulary support by allowing users to look up words as they encounter them in an online setting. Often they have audio support as well.Research Support: Research support tools include tools that organize citations and sources, allow for note-taking, and guide students through picking out the useful information from websites.Organization Support: Online graphic organizers offer learners a way to organize, reorganize, and present information visually. 
Creativity on the Brink 
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