Q2. Making it Your Own

Introduction

In Quest 1 you learned about your personality type so that you can choose technology tools that build on your strengths or help you overcome barriers to your learning.

In this Quest, you will learn how to enhance your digital lifestyle by choosing ways to customize your digital environment.

I Can Statements

• find the accessibility options menu on my digital device
• customize my settings, such as making my fonts easier to see, have the text read aloud to me, and use my voice for typing
• select and use a variety of digital resources and tools strategically

Key Vocabulary

Accessibility: Accessibility is making tasks or things easier to do or use, by people with special needs.

Options: Options are multiple ways of doing something.

Universal Design: Universal Design is designing something so that it can be accessed/done in multiple ways.

Disability: A disability is a physical or thinking difficulty that makes it hard for people to do things like schoolwork or taking care of themselves.

Play the Vocabulary Game below to practice the Key Vocabulary. 

STEPS

1. Copy or download and save this Accessibility Tools Research document to your folder, or use the File menu> Download option to print it out as a PDF.

Remember to name it and save it where you can find it again.

2. Add your name(s) and class information to the document. If you are working with a partner, add both your names and contact information (such as email or other means).

3. Your challenge is to find the answers to the questions in the Accessibility Tools Research document for your device through research. Resources are provided in the Play to Learn content block below (select the + symbol to expand the block).

4. Read through the Play-to-Learn scenarios in the table provided below. Which of these connect with your personal experience?

• Choose two or three scenarios and explore potential solutions by selecting them.
• Copy and past the ones you chose to the Quest 2 Accessibility Tools section in your Planning Document. Identify:
  • the scenario, what the setting is, and how it will be helpful to you, and possibly for your friends and family.
• Whenever possible, try-out the technology resources you selected.
• Reflect on how they will enhance your digital life. 

Play-to-Learn Scenarios to help you customize your computing environment:

I have trouble spelling, is there a spelling helper?	Sometimes I get graded down on my grammar.
Typing is really hard for me, is there a way I just speak to it?	The words are too hard, is there a way to have a dictionary handy?
The letters are too small for me to read, how do I make them larger on the screen?	I want to be able to zoom in on something on the screen.
My mouse cursor keeps disappearing, how do I make it bigger or a different size?	I can't see the whole page, it's cut off at the top or bottom.
The screen is too bright and hard to read.	The screen is too dark and I can't make out the text.
I want to see more than one window or document at one time.	I can't remember where my files are when I try to find them.
I'd like to have the text read out loud to me instead of having to read it.	Listening to the videos is hard, is there something that will make it show the text so I can read it?
All the ads and popups are distracting on web pages.	I have trouble reading English because my family and I speak Spanish. Is there a way to translate things?

5. Part of being a digital citizen is to share what you have learned with others. Can you think of a friend, family member or neighbor who might be experiencing one of these problems? How could you share what you’ve learned with them? Complete the section in your Planning Document provided.

6. Last Step

If you are doing all of the Thing 3 Quests, then add what you have discovered in this activity to your own 3.Q1-Q3 Planning Document that you copied in the section for Quest 2 Making It Your Own.

• Which settings do you feel will help make your work easier?
• Where is the setting found on your device?
• Explain why you are using them, or how they are helpful.

Completing this Quest

You have completed this Quest after reviewing the I Can Statements, completing the Q2 Making It Your Own Accessibility Tools section of the planning document, and added a new goal to your S.M.A.R.T. goal

 Check off this Quest on the 21t4s roadmap 

  I am ready to go on to Quest 3