FREE!! All items in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store are FREE!!

Thursday, March 19, 2020 No comments

Hi all,
I know it has been a while since I posted last as I have been super busy as a Learning Experience Designer with LSU Online. I wanted to post to let you know that I have made my entire Teachers Pay Teachers store free. As an educator and mom, it is very important to me that I do what I can to make sure that parents and teachers have access to the materials they need to help their kids and their students. Should you have any questions at all, please reach out to me.

You can access the free site by clicking on the image below or clicking on the link in the above paragraph.

Best,
Kristen Hernandez

Best Practices for Video Creation

Monday, July 9, 2018 No comments

Are you thinking about recording videos for your students to view in your learning management system?

Congratulation as this is a great idea, but before you jump into it you want to think about best practices for video creation. It is very important to keep in mind that shorter is better. It is best practice to keep a video to three minutes or less. By changing the mindset of a full hour lecture video can take some initial planning, but in the long run it will truly benefit your students.

Some other best practices to keep in mind is to establish the learning outcomes that you want to your students to have. By keeping the outcomes short and sweet it will make the video creation much easier. If you include too many learning outcomes then you will want to make sure that you have different videos because including too much information in a single video could cause your students to zone out.

I also suggest creating a script to avoid messing up as you are recording. The script can be talking points that you want to include, but make sure not to read straight off the script as a little blooper here and there let's your students know you are human. Also don't be afraid to add a little humor and be yourself in your videos as students will appreciate that.

Another best practice is to make sure that all your videos are captioned as to meet the needs of all your learners and goes along with the idea of universal design. There are different services available that can caption your videos for you or you can upload to YouTube and let YouTube work its magic. Learn more about YouTube captioning.

Video is a great tool for learners and when done the right way can truly be a wonderful learning experience that will have an everlasting impact on your students.

If you have access to Lynda campus then I suggest this video on Best practices for online video. There are many resources online that can assist you through the process so carve out a little time to research.

Other Resources:

Creating Effective Instructional Videos for Online Courses

Learn how to make videos tools

How to make online videos

Online Video Best Practices

The Retrieval Effect - Technology Integration Idea

Wednesday, June 20, 2018 No comments

The Retrieval Effect is a great way to get students thinking about previous information discussed in class and also gives the teacher a chance to go over any misconceptions.

Want to add a technology component to the Retrieval Effect?

Try using AnswerGarden to ask students questions and then use their answers as a discussion piece.

The word cloud formed from their answers will allow for a really good discussion in class and provide guidance throughout the lesson.

You can even embed your AnswerGarden into your LMS course.

To learn more about using AnswerGaden - How to, reviews and integration ideas

Today is Global Accessibility Day!

Thursday, May 17, 2018 No comments

Global Accessibility Awareness Day - May 17, 2018

Hi everyone! I am not sure if you are aware, but today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

The purpose of this exciting day is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital inclusion and people with different talents and abilities. When we speak about accessibility we are speaking to everyone. It is very important to create learning environments that work for those impaired by situation, circumstance, body or mind. When you develop learning environments and experiences that are accessible you are allowing all learners to experience learning the best way possible.

Today let's make it about learning and becoming aware of the importance of accessibility in the online world. Together we can make learning more accessible and truly beneficial to all who experience online learning.

I hope you enjoy the wonderful resources below. Please feel free to comment if you have any resources you would like to share.

Accessibility Awareness Day is today May 17th.

Web Accessibility Toolkit
http://accessibility.arl.org/standards-best-practices/

WebAim
https://webaim.org/resources/

30 Web Accessibility Tips
https://www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/sites/default/files/30-Web-Accessibility-Tips.pdf

70 Web Accessibility Resources for Designing with Inclusivity

https://dynomapper.com/blog/27-accessibility-testing/453-70-accessibility-resources-that-help-people-with-disabilities-online

Tools and Resources
http://www.washington.edu/accessibility/web/tools-and-resources/

6 great accessibility resources for improving your online course offerings
https://blog.blackboard.com/6-great-accessibility-resources-for-improving-your-online-course-offerings/

Designing Accessible Online Courses

https://canvas.unl.edu/courses/27068

Online Accessibility Resource Documents

https://ccconlineed.instructure.com/courses/98

Online Courses for Professional Development - Accessibility
https://www.class-central.com/course/udacity-web-accessibility-6531
https://www.mooc-list.com/course/web-design-best-practices-inclusive-approach-edx

Celebrate GAAD Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Webinars/Videos available:

BlackBoard's GAAD Follow-the-Sun Webinar Series
Blackboard believes that accessibility is an imperative in education. We are participating in GAAD 2018 with our annual “follow-the-sun” series of webinars on accessibility and inclusive education. The webinar presenters are from across the globe and will cover all levels of education – K12, Higher Ed, and professional education. Please join us for one webinar or the entire series. Register here:
Learn more and register for their online session May 17

Academy For Teaching Excellence Webinar: Evaluating Your Course Materials for Accessibility
This live virtual meeting (May 17 at 2:00pm North America Central Time) via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra we will explore methods for checking the accessibility of course content/materials with Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 365 documents, presentations, and more. Participants may join the session 30 minutes early for testing their computer system and settings.

Participate in Evaluating Your Course Materials for Accessibility Webinar May 17 at 2:00pm North America Central Time
Digital Accessibility Webinar Series
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/professionaldevelopment/digital-accessibility-webinar-series-online-course
ADA Center
https://www.accessibilityonline.org/ada-tech/archives/

Creating Accessible Online Resources for People with Disabilities
https://www.techsoup.org/community/events-webinars/creating-accessible-online-resources-for-people-with-disabilities-2017-08-24

Accessibility Online Webinars
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx-VX3akOUViy4xIsOlWHK3Yetx3DTDqk

A short film on reimagining accessibility for today’s world by Microsoft
Discover practical ways to build a more inclusive environment and how accessible technologies such as Microsoft 365 enable everyone to create, communicate and collaborate. Whether you are looking to ensure productivity for your diverse workforce or to increase your organization’s reach and provide delightful services to customers with disabilities, the “Empower every person: reimagining accessibility” short film is for you.

Register today to watch, on May 17th, this free on-demand short film featuring leaders from Microsoft and our partners: US Business Leadership Network, Be. Accessible, TD Bank Group and Rochester Institute of Technology.

What the Legal Landscape Looks like for Schools in 2018 Finalsite Live WebinarWebsite accessibility was a big buzzword in 2017 — especially among public school districts and in higher ed. Along with the buzz came a lot of unanswered questions about the process and legislation. So, we're here to clear up the confusion!
Join Finalsite's Founder and CEO Jon Moser and AudioEye's Co-Founder and President Sean Bradley to sort out the different legislations behind website accessibility, how to determine if your school is a target, and what to do to prevent fines.

Learn more and register for Finalsite's live webinar May 17 @ 2:00 PM EDT

If you have access to Lynda.com you can check out these great videos:

Earth Day Resources for the Classroom

Tuesday, April 17, 2018 No comments

All About Earth Day

Did you know?Earth Day is celebrated in more than 175 countries 30% of the amount of food is lost or wasted before reaching consumers 1 action is all it takes to make a difference.