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Throughout the readings this week about disabilities and looking at assistive technology, I kept coming back to the concept of tactile picture books. While there are some very helpful ideas for educators to create tactile books for early literacy, I was fascinated by the Build a Better Book project at the University of Colorado Boulder. This project focuses on providing students with the materials needed to build tactile picture books out of a variety of tools like 3D printers, cardboard cutouts, and conductive boards. These books could be used as learning tools for students with or without disabilities by providing multi-modal ways to experience quality books.
The applications of this are truly endless, but I especially see many benefits for visually-impaired students. This would be an important way to help students who are visually impaired by providing them with ways to both hear and feel books. After teaching visually impaired students I have realized how difficult it can be to get access to braille books (although the SC State Library has some great programs to help with this), and audiobooks are not every student’s preferred option.
This could also be applicable for students with other visual disabilities like color blindness, which hits close to home for me because my dad is severely color blind and I’ve only recently begun to understand how much that affected his reading as a kid. It is hard for him to tell what is happening in many pictures, so picture books for him were never enjoyable. Even early literacy games were not accessible for him. When he plays Candy Land with my kids, for example, he relies on my 4 year old to tell him where his color block is. I wonder how different his reading journey could have been with a tactile option like this.
Probably my favorite part of this project, though, is that students are involved in both the creation and the use of these tactile books. “Like other makerspace initiatives, Build a Better Book offers youth an opportunity to engage in critical STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) practices, such as design, fabrication, iteration, and collaboration” (Forsyth, 2020, para. 5). Talk about real world experience! Students grow their own literacy skills to create new materials. I am amazed that this idea is simple yet provides significant room for growth and creativity.
References:
Forsyth, S., Penzkover, K., Dalton, B., & Yang, G. (2020). Build a better book. Connected Science Learning. Retrieved from https://www.nsta.org/connected-science-learning/connected-science-learning-july-september-2020/build-better-book.
Project Overview. Build a better book. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.colorado.edu/project/bbb/.
The applications of this are truly endless, but I especially see many benefits for visually-impaired students. This would be an important way to help students who are visually impaired by providing them with ways to both hear and feel books. After teaching visually impaired students I have realized how difficult it can be to get access to braille books (although the SC State Library has some great programs to help with this), and audiobooks are not every student’s preferred option.
This could also be applicable for students with other visual disabilities like color blindness, which hits close to home for me because my dad is severely color blind and I’ve only recently begun to understand how much that affected his reading as a kid. It is hard for him to tell what is happening in many pictures, so picture books for him were never enjoyable. Even early literacy games were not accessible for him. When he plays Candy Land with my kids, for example, he relies on my 4 year old to tell him where his color block is. I wonder how different his reading journey could have been with a tactile option like this.
Probably my favorite part of this project, though, is that students are involved in both the creation and the use of these tactile books. “Like other makerspace initiatives, Build a Better Book offers youth an opportunity to engage in critical STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) practices, such as design, fabrication, iteration, and collaboration” (Forsyth, 2020, para. 5). Talk about real world experience! Students grow their own literacy skills to create new materials. I am amazed that this idea is simple yet provides significant room for growth and creativity.
References:
Forsyth, S., Penzkover, K., Dalton, B., & Yang, G. (2020). Build a better book. Connected Science Learning. Retrieved from https://www.nsta.org/connected-science-learning/connected-science-learning-july-september-2020/build-better-book.
Project Overview. Build a better book. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.colorado.edu/project/bbb/.
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteThis is very cool. While watching the video I thought, "What an awesome way to involve older students in a meaningful project while they learn more about technology!" And, of course, you mention that further down in your post as well. Your personal experience with your dad is also fascinating. I have never had an awareness of any of my students or family members being color blind so I have not put much thought into how the condition would effect learning. It makes so much sense that picture books would not be enjoyable for color blind children but, I am ashamed to say, it took you pointing that out before it ever occurred to me. Thanks for sharing your valuable insight and expanding my awareness!
-DeAnna
Hi, again, Tiffany! I noticed my reply is tagged "Unknown" so I adjusted a setting and am testing to see if I was successful in changing that. :)
ReplyDelete-DeAnna Owens
I very much enjoyed your blog post. As I was reading, I could just imagine a classroom full of kids creating these tactile books and sharing them with all of their friends. Your favorite part was also my favorite part! Having kids create these books can teach endless lessons from science and math, as mentioned, to inclusion and compassion. What an incredible idea!
ReplyDelete- Crystal Smoak
This is great Tiffany. Thanks for introducing me to the Build A Better Book program. What a great way to combine accessibility, STEAM, making, community collaboration, service learning, and disability activism. Thanks also for sharing you experience with your father. Hearing about people's experiences is essential to building and supporting inclusive and accessible classrooms and programming. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteTiffany,
ReplyDeleteI love that you shared the Build a Better Book Project. I have not heard of this before. I know that my students would love to create something like this. It reminds me of the video from this module on the 3-D paintings. I get so emotional thinking about people with visual impairments being able to experience art and books. I will definitely be thinking about a way to add this to my school year.
Kristinia Driggers