Tag Archives: accessible educational materials

Auto Creation of Video Content

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NotebookLM from Google allows educators to design dynamic video experiences from self-selected content. Educators choose materials, load them to NotebookLM, and then create a video overview. The resulting video is similar to a slide deck with a human-like narrator. Here’s a sample video created by the Assistive Technology Specialist specific to accessible educational materials titled Unlocking Learning: AIM in VA. Once a video is created, educators can download the file to edit in a video editor (such as WeVideo) or share directly with learners if no edits are necessary.

Screenshot of the NotebookLM interface titled “AIM VA Navigator.” The screen is divided into three panels. On the left is the “Sources” panel listing seven selected documents, including AIM Considerations, Accessibility to Digital Texts and Beyond in LCPS, Digital Rights Manager, Eligibility Requirements, Home, IEP Documentation, and LCPS AIM VA Guidance Document. The center “Chat” panel displays a summary explaining Accessible Instructional Materials in Virginia, outlining eligibility requirements, roles of school personnel, and technologies for providing AIM. At the bottom of this panel are buttons for saving notes, adding notes, generating an audio overview, and creating a mind map. On the right is the “Studio” panel showing a video overview titled “Unlocking Learning AIM in VA” with a still image slide. The slide has a blue box with the title “Accessible Materials AIM” and the text “Print based educational materials converted into specialized formats to meet student needs,” alongside a magnifying glass graphic. A video playback bar at the bottom indicates the video is 5 minutes long with 1 minute and 12 seconds played.

NotebookLM Video Overview in the Studio Panel

Creating Human-like Audio Conversations with NotebookLM

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NotebookLM from Google allows educators to design dynamic audio experiences from self-selected content. Educators choose materials, load them to NotebookLM, and then create an audio overview. The resulting audio sounds like two human podcast hosts discussing the content. Here’s a sample of the podcast hosts discussing the accomplishments of the Specialized Instructional Facilitators – Assistive Technology and the Assistive Technology Specialist during the 2024 – 2025 school year and a transcript of the podcast. Once created, educators can download the audio file to share with learners.

Screenshot of Google’s NotebookLM interface showing a project titled “Inclusive Design and Assistive Technology Accomplishments: 2024–2025.” The screen is divided into three main panels. On the left is a “Sources” panel with one document selected. In the center is a “Chat” panel displaying a summary of the document with headings, emojis, and descriptive text. At the bottom of this panel are buttons for saving notes, adding notes, generating an audio overview, and creating a mind map. On the right is a “Studio” panel with tiles labeled Audio Overview, Video Overview, Mind Map, and Reports, along with a section for an interactive audio file. At the bottom right is a playback bar showing an audio recording titled “Unlocking Potential: How LCPS…” with play and note options. The top navigation bar contains controls for Analytics, Share, and Settings.

NotebookLM – Audio Overview is available in the Studio panel on the right.

3451 Khan Academy Resources on #GoOpenVA

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#GoOpenVA is a resource from the Commonwealth of Virginia. It provides open source materials that can be used by any educator. One of the providers of resources is Khan Academy, which provides over 3450 pre-made lessons and accessible materials on a wide variety of topics.

Khan Academy screenshot of a lesson on coordinate planes

A Screenshot of a Khan Academy lesson made in conjunction with Pixar Studios on Coordinate Planes.

Transcribing Audio to Provide Translatable Text in Microsoft Word Online

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Sometimes educators share content through audio. Text can be created from the audio file and then copy and pasted into a translation tool as a way to represent the content to those who have not yet learned the language of the words spoken in the audio file. Educators can use the Transcribe feature in Microsoft Word Online to convert the words in an audio file into text. They can then use Microsoft Translator or Google Translate to convert the text into various languages.

Screenshot of the Transcribe feature in Word Online

The Transcribe Feature in Word Online

The Difference Between Click-Accessible and Hover-Accessible Content

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When navigating the Web, some content is displayed when you click on it, often taking the user to a new browser tab. This is known as click-accessible content. Sometimes content is displayed by hovering the cursor over it. This is known as hover-accessible content. Hovering over content provides information without having to click. Sometimes hover-accessible content can present problems for screen magnification users. If a person is magnifying a portion of the screen and a pop-up is displayed outside of the magnified portion, the user might never know the content was even there.

Experience the video titled Click vs. Hover to learn more about how to consider content thinking about the needs of someone who uses screen magnification.

Accessibility checkers to learn how to design materials for everyone

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Most educators do not have a background in designing and creating educational materials with accessibility in mind. An accessibility checker will catch design mistakes and guide educators through a process of how to fix them. Consistent use of an accessibility checker consistently helps people learn how to design the next material with less errors. Educators will learn from their mistakes and begin to anticipate what is needed to mitigate errors. The following video explains how to use Grackle Docs to check files created using Google Suite for accessibility errors.

Questions To Ask When Considering Educational Materials

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The most efficient way to provide accessible educational materials to students is to find materials that are already created that way! Why create them yourself when someone has already done the work for you? LCPS works to ensure curricular materials that are provided as resources to educators are already accessible. When reviewing materials, educators can ask themselves a series of design questions to determine if the materials are accessible. These questions can include the following:

  • If there is text, can it be read aloud by a text to speech application?
  • Can items be magnified or enlarged?
  • Can the background colors be changed to provide varied contrast?
  • When audio plays, is there a corresponding text representation of that sound (ie, captions)?
  • When video plays, is there a corresponding optional audio track that can be played, describing the action in the video (ie, video descriptions)?
  • When images are presented, do they have corresponding text describing the image and, if so, can this text be presented in audio format (ie, ALT-Tags)?
  • Does the user interface have multiple input options to allow for access by someone who uses a switch?
  • Is it portable, moveable, adjustable, or mountable to allow for access by someone in a wheelchair?