Post #3: Visualization Project

For my visualization project, I wanted to talk about how Pythagorean Theorem relates to distance. I thought this would be a good subtopic because I feel like students often only think of using the Pythagorean Theorem when there's a triangle obviously in the problem and don't realize that you can use the theorem as a tool for other problems. I also wanted to create a visual that was accessible to students with ASD and auditory learners. To do this, I created a VoiceThread. I liked this website because it allowed me to put in pictures and add audio to them. I liked that the VoiceThread doesn't move onto the next slide automatically. This allows students to replay the audio and continue viewing the visual for as long as he/she needs to process the information. Then, when the student is ready, he/she can move onto the next slide. The students can also add comments if they have questions which makes this a great tool for not only in-person learning but also a virtual classroom setting. I realized later that the website also allows you to upload captions, which makes the content even more accessible.


When making this visualization content, I would say my focus was not on learning more about the math content itself but was instead on learning more about how to support my students with ASD or other nuero-diversities through different teaching styles, strategies, and tools. While creating all the images for this project, I discovered how helpful it would be to make neat, organized images that demonstrated the mathematical steps I am teaching my students. By having images and audio that explain the content, I hoped to support my students with ASD. The content isn't bogged down by tons of text that could hinder their understanding of the math content. I also made sure that my images were color-coded. On each image, I made the newest step or information red, and the old information was black. I discovered that these simple ways of color-coding made the visuals much more clear and user friendly and helps the students understand where to look and what they're seeing. I also think that having visuals that represent every small step of the process helps out those students who might miss a step if you go too fast or assume a small step is just understood. That especially supports students with ASD who often need explicit directions and explanations because they might not make the inferences themselves.

I think that making content accessible to special education students seems very daunting. Through this project I realized that making accessible content really only requires small changes to the pre-existing content you would use for regular education students. It's also as simple as realizing ways to be even clearer about the content you are explaining so that all students are able to understand it. It's truly very plausible for every teacher to actively try to create content that is accessible to ALL of the students. I encourage my peers to always be thinking of new ways to make content that is more accessible. Even small changes can make a big difference.

I'll include the link to VoiceThread's website in case anyone is interested in exploring it and possibly using it in the future- especially since it seems that education will continue to have virtual aspects in the near future.
https://voicethread.com/