Web 2.0 Applications and Accessibility

Back to Accessibility SIG Meeting 13th May 2009: Web 2.0 Applications and Accessibility.

This is the HTML version of the Web 2.0 Applications and Accessibility (PowerPoint format - 1.1Mb) given by [mailto:ead@ecs.soton.ac.uk E A Draffan], Learning Societies Lab, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton.

Web2Access
Web2Access.

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Overview
 This screenshot shows a word cloud created in Wordle. The text is taken from [http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf What is Web 2.0? Ideas, Technologies and Implications for Education]. The most highly used words are: common, consume, socially, blogs, videosharing, connected, people, applications/services, can contribute, much, networking, Web (most used word), concentrates, social, coverage, podcasting, Media.
 * Web 2.0 integrated with elearning.
 * Ease of use & accessibility - evaluation techniques.
 * Strategies developed by students.

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Web 2.0 Integrated with e-Learning

 * Integrating elements of Web 2.0 type applications within a Virtual Learning Environment.
 * Students collaborating – using applications not provided by the institution.
 * Categorising the features offered by Web 2.0 applications.
 * See the Web2Access Activity page.

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Personalisation?
 This cartoon shows a man holding a tee-shirt with the slogan "One size fits all". The man asks his three colleagues, "Will this do for you?". One colleague replies, "No - that won't fit ME". Another says, "We are ALL unique with individual needs and requirements".

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Evaluation for Ease of Use and Accessibility
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 * 14 checks based on WCAG 2.0 guidelines.
 * From login to use of rich text editors.
 * Plain text may not be best – YouTube allows for captions and accessible players are available.
 * Mind mapping and Timeline applications tend to do badly.

What Happens When You Have Several Models for Making Online Applications Easier to Use and Accessible?


There is only so much a brain can do! This cartoon shows a brain juggling whilst standing on a tightrope. The brain is saying, "There ARE limits to multitasking!".

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Description of 4 Models or Approaches to Web Access


This diagram of multiple approaches is courtesy of Gregg Vanderheiden PhD and Raising the Floor.

The picture is composed of three main objects with interconnecting lines and features.
 * The first object is a blue sphere in the upper right corner with the label "WWW." The sphere represents content available on the World Wide Web (or Web for short).
 * To the left and center is a large white cloud which represents "cloud" computing.  The cloud includes servers on the Web that provide accessibility services and features that would be run on servers out in the Web somewhere.
 * The third main component is a rectangle across the bottom of the page labeled "Local Computer/Device".  This represents the device that a person would have in front of them such as a desktop computer, a laptop or a small screen mobile device.  The computer could be a personal computer or just a computer that a person runs into someplace.


 * There is a line labeled  "1" that has an arrow on the end and runs from the Web content directly down to the user agent (browser with or without assistive technologies) in the Local Computer.  This represents Model 1, where a browser directly reads and processes Web content.
 * There is an arrow line labeled "2" that runs from the browser in the Local Computer up into the cloud, through a box labeled "Transcoding Services" and then back to the browser in the local computer.  This represents Model 2, where a browser, content in the browser or the user sends content to a transcoding service that changes the content in some way and then sends it back to the browser for display.
 * There is an arrow line labeled  "3" that runs from the Web content in the upper right to the box labeled "transcoding services" in the cloud and then to the browser in the local computer.  This represents Model 3 where all content is routed through  a transcoding service in a proxy server that changes the content in some way before the user's browser ever receives it.
 * The final arrow line labeled "4" runs directly from the Web content to a browser that is located mostly in the cloud, but partially in the local computer. This represents Model 4 where the user agent or browser with special access features built in is run as a service in the cloud.  Only the basic human interface parts (keyboard, mouse, display, sound) are run on the local computer.  The Local Computer aspect could be a special program on the computer, but would usually run as an app within a browser on the local computer.

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Digital Decisions

 * Some students mentioned simplicity, skills, suitability and cost as a deciding factors.
 * All students talked about their decisions being influenced by time considerations regarding use of assistive technologies, training and social networking applications. For example, one student said, "...when I got all my software in autumn last year, and they said: 'You need to have your training on this' - as you quite rightly have said - I did feel like I was doing 2 courses and that was, frankly, too much.  I had to stay with my old bad habits because I just didn’t feel I had the time to take out to learn something new to help me.  It was a viscous circle, really".

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Let's Keep the Tools in our Toolkit Simple and Easy to Use


This cartoon shows a woman holding a toolbox of carpentry tools marked "Assistive Technologies". From it, she has pulled a complicated tool and says, "I'm just going to knock this nail in". Her colleague holds up a hammer and says, "So why over complicate things? This would do the job perfectly well".

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Mind Map of Learning Choices and Digital Decisions


This mind map shows the factors that incluence learning choices and digital decisions. The two main areas discussed during the presentation were:


 * Choosing Not to Use:
 * No need to use;
 * Didn't get on with technology;
 * Got used to not having technology.

and


 * Influenced by Cost-Benefit Analysis:
 * Perception of risk;
 * Time;
 * Cost;
 * Catch 22.

Other factors include:


 * Personal Factors:
 * Desire to keep things simple;
 * Lack of DSA awareness;
 * Self-reliance;
 * IT skilss and literacy;
 * Reluctance to make a fuss.


 * Led by Desire.


 * Influenced by Affordances of Technology:
 * Relevance;
 * Efficiency;
 * Furthering prospects.


 * Influenced by Other People:
 * Lecturers;
 * Students.


 * Influenced by Circumstances.


 * Choices Influenced by Properties of Technologies:
 * Accessibility;
 * Aesthetics;
 * Superiority;
 * Reliability and validity;
 * Usability;
 * Associated solely with learning activities;
 * Associated solely with non-learning activities.


 * Expressing Preferences Through Adaptations:
 * Colour preference;
 * Desktop and toolbar preferences;
 * Font preferences.

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The Technology Hurdle

 * Where technologies require Students to adjust their usual study practices, they can become a barrier. Such technologies require careful introduction and clear communication about the benefits of use.
 * Quality academic digital content is regarded by Students as a significant benefit of FE/HE: they become significantly more adept at using it as they mature in their studies.

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My Technologies - 24/7 Access

 * Students really value 24/7 access to online learning materials which allows them to fit learning into their lives.
 * Students expect to be able to use personal technologies and services in institutional contexts.
 * Students are creating their own learning spaces, blending virtual with face-to-face, and formal with social networking.

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There May Be More Than One Direction Open To Us


This cartoon shows two people looking at signpost showing several directions: Strategies, Assistive Technologies, Guides, Applications. One student says, "But as long as we have information...". To which the other replies, "...we can make informed choices." All of this information is available from the LexDis website.

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