Options in the media for communication

Examples:  writing, speech, multimedia, models, manipulatives

CAST explanation

PicLits.com gives a student the option of dragging themed words, organized by parts of speech, onto a picture to create a story or typing in their own words.

Comiqs is just one of many multimedia and digital storytelling sites on the web.  Writing in comic format is very engaging for many students.

VoiceThread presents a picture, slideshow, or movie as the centre attraction.  Then students can comment in their format of choice including text, voice, pictures, video or even doodling.  In our UDL project, one team had students create bullying videos and then use VoiceThread to comment on these videos telling what kind of bullying it was and how they would handle it.

Options in the tools for composition and problem solving

Examples:  spellcheckers, word prediction, calculators, sentence starters, mind-mapping tools

CAST explanation

Webspiration is an online, collaborative version of the popular Kidspiration/Inspiration software.  This allows users to create idea webs which can be annotated and/or converted to outline form.  Users can also add images or links to other information.

Ghotit is a free online spellcheck that is designed for individuals with dyslexia.

Loosestitch is a free tool that is useful for creating outlines, recipes, speaker notes and more.  It is also available on the iPhone.

Capzles and Dipity are just two of many online timeline programs.  These can be used for a variety of educational activities including history projects and plot sequencing.

Options in the scaffolds for practice and performance

Examples:  multiple scaffolds, gradual release, differentiated mentors, models, feedback

CAST explanation