The scorecards contain information from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards, as well as language from the (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT™). The WCAG standards are a series of guidelines for improving web accessibility and are produced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C is the main international standards organization for the Internet. A (VPAT™) is a document that explains how information and communication technology (ICT) products such as software, hardware, electronic content, and support documentation conform to the regulations and standards under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for I.T. accessibility.
For today’s tech snack entry, I wanted to revisit how the popular EdTech tool Nearpod fared for accessibility. When I tested them out in 2017, their own representative admitted that they are “were not 100% compliant, but that you could make an accessible Nearpod presentation with their product”. That was the case in 2017 and remains the case in 2019.
To see how Nearpod fared on the scorecards please check out the links below:
- Accessibility Score for Nearpod( instructor point of view)
- Accessibility Score for Nearpod( student point of view)
- Accessibility Score for the Nearpod app
When I tested the product, I tested it from the instructor's point of view, and as a student viewing a self-paced Nearpod presentation. I added every activity type that Nearpod offered including interactive content like 3D visuals, VR content and game features. All three tests yielded similar results. Nearpod has some great features but needs a lot of work with screen reader and keyboard accessibility-which were very poor. This means any student/teacher who has any type of visual impairment, processing disorder or dexterity limitation may have difficulty using Nearpod and getting all the content in a presentation.
So does that mean I shouldn’t use Nearpod?Here’s the thing, most Web 2.0 tools that I have tested do not get all the points on the checklists. It is important to know the pros and cons of any product you use with your students because at the end of the day it isn’t about the tool, it is about the content. These are the questions you need to ask yourself when you use an interactive tool with students:
- Are students able to get the content they need?
- Does the tool provide different ways to get the content?
- Does the tool meet the needs of your audience?
Lucy Greco- a Web accessibility advocate for Berkley University said it best when she said, “We don’t teach to teach the privileged and the few, we teach to teach all, and if we don’t become accessible, we are not teaching everyone.”
It is, therefore, critical to know the accessibility strengths and flaws that exist within Nearpod’s interface. It is important because it lets you know how you can use the tool with your audience. As Nearpod’s representative said, “You can make a Nearpod presentation that is accessible.” You just have to know what to look for. This means you may not be able to use all the bells and whistles that the product offers, but you can use it to share information with your students which is much more important.
Until next time at the café…..