FTT - Accessible Video

From the Header of www.dcmp.org

Free and Accessible Videos for the Classroom

@joe_edtech

A student of mine was recently preparing for a classroom debate on the topic of 1:1 computing and he asked me if I thought 1:1 was a good idea. It is possible that as the Director of Instructional Technology, I may be a little biased. There are a whole host of reasons why I am in favor of creating 1:1 learning environments, but I think the strongest reason is that mobile computing devices put in the hands of our students gives them access to a world of resources that might not otherwise have been open to them.

In my history classes, I would frequently supplement classroom discussions or textbook materials with video clips. Visualization is a powerful tool. But, what can you do for students who are hearing impaired and can't hear the audio of the video? Or who have visual impairments that make taking in the whole scene difficult? 

Funded by the Department of Education, the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is a free source for captioned videos which can be ordered in DVD format or streamed direct from the website using your laptop. (Everyone recognizes the need to provide "Captioned" videos to hearing impaired students, but not everyone knows that "Described" videos enhance the experience for visually impaired students by providing a narration of the visual scene.

You can choose "Described" or "Captioned" videos from
their streaming service, or order a DVD.

DCMP is also piloting an accessible television portal through a variety of content providers. This service is very young, but there are already some good titles on the list. On a whim I searched for and found "America: The Story of Us" from the History Channel, "Bill Nye the Science Guy," and several Spanish language programs.

You can search the DCMP website by subject or title. They have all school subjects, at various levels, as well as full-length films in English and Spanish. When you search, they give a short synopsis and appropriate audience levels for each film that matches your search. To show a video to your students, all you need to do is create an account with a password, email, and the address of your school. After you create your account, they will send you an email (usually within 24 hours) to let you know your account has been activated. The only thing they ask for is a response to the video, which they send through an email. It is around 5 yes/no questions. This ensures their funding through the Dept.of Education continues.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you would like to make your own uploaded YouTube videos accessible to hearing impaired students, YouTube has an automatic captioning capability using voice recognition software. Click here for more details.