Using+Web+2.0+with+Students+with+Learning+Disabilites

Web 2.0 technologies have certainly made for a more interactive and collaborative learning environment for teachers and students. But for some students, particularly those with learning disabilities, the web can be downright overwhelming, especially when performing research. What if there were some simple tools and techniques that could assist those students in being more effective? This article will discuss how to “focus on removing the clutter and distractions often found online and helping direct student attention toward relevant content” (Brunvand & Abadeh, 2010, p. 304).

1) Google Custom Search ([]). In order to have students still practice performing keyword searches but avoid having to wade through the millions of websites, you can create a custom Google Custom Search. Here you input the URLs of the websites you want the students to be able to search. A single, unique web address will be created that the students will access. Here the students will be able to search only the sites that you have preselected. There are no ads appearing in your search engine which could be distracting, especially for students with learning disabilities.

2) ShareTabs ([|http://sharetabs.com/]) ShareTabs opens your preselected websites in tabs, similar to the tab feature found in many browsers. An example can be found at []. This would be helpful so that students don’t have to spend their time typing in complicated URLs. They will, however, need access to your unique URL for your ShareTabs.

3) TrackStar ([]) TrackStar allows you to share specific websites, but it also enables you to scaffold sites in a certain order to support learning while providing a numbered list of sites that open in a frame. Frames allow students to easily go from one site to another without having use the back button, new windows, or tabs. See an example by searching for Track Number 388947. Separate tracks can be made on the same subject to differentiate for students with learning disabilities.

This article also discusses an organizational tool such as Awesome Highlighter ([]) which allows a student to use a highlighter pen and stickynotes on a website, as well as the tools Readability ([]) or TidyRead ([|http://www.tidyread.com]) which removes everything //except// the page’s content.

Brunvand, S., & Abadeh, H. (2010). Making Online Learning Accessible: Using Technology to Declutter the Web. //Intervention in School and Clinic//, 45(5), 304-311. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.