Monthly Archives: February 2013

February 18, 2013 · 9:22 pm

Access Granted

A barricade in the Paris Commune, March 18, 1871.

Do you ever walk into a business and feel unwelcome? Like you don’t belong? Like the people behind the front door or service counter don’t even want to serve you? That is how persons with vision and hearing impairments feel all to often in online environments. Our institutions, as good and well-intentioned as they may be, oftentimes come laden with legacy barricades that would put the barricade shown above to shame. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to help provide accessibility to online resources. Read on to learn more.

Our EDTECH 502 class took on the daunting task of discussing accessibility on the Internet this past week. As an academic librarian whose main job is to provide assistance to online programs – and the students taking those classes – I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make the materials I provide more accessible to persons with vision and hearing assistance needs. By breaking down barricades to access, we can ensure that we are making our best effort to provide equitable access to web resources.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (see an accessibility checklist here) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (commonly referred to as WCAG) are two excellent resources on web accessibility. As accessibility can be achieved through a number of means.

I created the following web page to demonstrate that I understand the practices and principles behind accessible web design. I effectively used CSS, metadata, and color to provide a web page that meets approved industry standards. You may view the page here: http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/lancemcgrath/502/accessibility.html#readability

My completion of this activity demonstrates that I have competency in AECT Standard 3.6 – Diversity of Learners, in that I utilize practices in online materials design that are widely accessible to learners, and Standard 4.5- Ethics, in that I have demonstrated ethical treatment of learners with varying accessibility needs, thereby creating an environment that is intended to be inclusive rather than exclusive.

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February 11, 2013 · 10:08 pm

Minding your manners

File:Table Manners in the Nursery.jpg

Image title: “Table manners in the nursery” (circa 1916). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Table_Manners_in_the_Nursery.jpg

This week in EDTECH 502 we contemplated the nature of etiquette and protocol on the Internet. The common term applied to this intersection of humanity and technology is “netiquette.” Since I work primarily with college age students who have spent a great portion of their lives, presumably, on the Internet or connected to other humans via advanced networked technology, looked forward to working on this project. Generally, the students with whom I interact are decent human beings. But that does not mean that they are always on their best behavior or that they will not not likely encounter another person who is having a bad day and lashing out at others. I set out to devise a list that students could use to guide their interactions with each other in the online world, whether it be in a formal online class, email, or on social media. I considered the manners I was taught as a child, the lessons I learned in Sunday School and in Boy Scouts, and from a few netiquette resources for online courses. In the end, I generated a solid list of best practices for online interactions. Here is a link to the page I created as a resource for my students.

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/lancemcgrath/502/netiquette.html

Thanks for reading! And remember: Be good to each other. A little niceness goes a long way.

This activity meets AECT Standard 4.5: Professional Knowledge and Skills – Ethics. By completing this activity I have demonstrated competence in this content area.

Reference:

University of Florida (2012). Netiquette guide for online courses. Retrieved from http://teach.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/NetiquetteGuideforOnlineCourses.pdf

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