UDL

Critique of Existing Technology Assignment

EDIS 7010
Cathleen Topness


Ive evaluated the Raz Kids website (https://www.kidsa-z.com/), as a student (using the student
view). Raz Kids is designed as a means for students to progress through leveled books and earn
points as they do so. The site allows kids to read books or have them read (with audio and visiual
cues) to them.


Needs
Criteria Unacceptable Meets Criteria
Improvement

Technology aligns with UDL guidelines of

representation:

Meets Criteria: The Raz Kids website supports zooming
(text and graphics scale and remain visible/usable). The
sites graphics have suitable contrast (I asked my
colorblind husband). The site offers students a choice of
how to identify themselves when logging in, by name or by
Perception a combination of color + symbol. Similarly, the students
choose a symbol for a password. Using Apples VoiceOver
accessibility feature, I found that the buttons all had text
equivalents and I was able to navigate the site with voice
cues.

Needs Improvement: The site uses the standard A-Z
scale for leveled books, but also overlays a graduated color
scale, so that those that may have trouble with the
alphabet can still see the difficulty progression. The
buttons animate to demonstrate that theyre clickable. Raz
Kids offers content in an alternate language (Spanish), but
the bulk of the user interface remains in English. It could
Language, expression and symbols
be improved by offering a fully translated Spanish
interface. The usernames are not alphabetized, which
makes navigation by screenreader (VoiceOver) difficult,
each one needs to be read in order to find the right one.
The password icons have no alternate text which makes
logging in impossible with a screenreader.

Meets Criteria: The site uses a rocket ship metaphor
throughout (e.g. students navigate using a rocket control
panel on the screen, the progress dashboard is a rocket
moving from your current reading level to your next).
Comprehension
The site progressively releases information, by unlocking
the next difficulty in leveled books. Raz Kids is more of a
repository or virtual library, so KWL charts, etc. are not
necessarily relevant. However, the site could generate a

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 vocabulary chart that grows as the student moves through
more and more books.



Technology aligns with UDL guidelines of

action and expression:

Meets Criteria: The site doesnt have a pause button when
it is reading a book to the student. There are controls on
the screen in the space ship that are decorative only, these
could be well utilized as a rate control. When logging in
using the password symbol, the site uses a two-step
Physical action process (select symbol, click Go). This helps mitigate any
issues with a student that has motion control issues and
could mistakenly click (or tap, it supports tablets too) the
wrong password icon. As an alternative to mouse, Raz
Kids can be navigated using the arrow and enter keys.

Needs Improvement: Raz Kids has text to speech built in
for books (its a core feature) but not for other navigation.
It could benefit from other navigation assistance (or
videos) for new users. One feature (teacher message
board) appeared in a bank of buttons, but didnt
Expression and communication
functionit didnt give any indication why it wasnt
functioning. The iPad version does allow students to
record themselves reading and hear it back, adding
another level of expression.

Meets Criteria: The site shows progress monitoring along
the leveled A-Z book scale. Students also collect stars
which they can use to buy prizes (online games &
interactions). The stars are visible on all screens, to help
the student stay motivated. Adding to all screens the
Executive function progress to the next leveled reading level could also
benefit those that want a smaller chunk of progress. The
site doesnt enforce any sort of self-monitoring or stop-
and-think after each book (i.e. review your progress with
this book before moving on).


Website aligns with UDL guidelines of

engagement:

Meets Criteria: Raz Kids provides a variety of books
categorized based on topics such as cultural (e.g. I am
from India), type (e.g. graphic), etc. and allows the
Recruiting interest student to choose. It also allows the student to go back to
earlier levels in case they need encouragement or to feel
successful. The site provides some choice of rewards
(earn stars to spend on interactive activities, such as Raz

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 Rocket). The star balance shows overall completed
activity and the site also shows (using a rocket ship) the
students progress from one level to the next.


Meets Criteria: Raz Kids breaks the overall goal down into
the leveled book levels, but also the accumulation of stars.
The goal is simply to churn through books though, not to
accomplish a greater, overarching goal. The site could
sequence some topics across levels so the reader can
Sustaining effort and persistence
progressively develop mastery on a single topic. While the
site is designed for individual work, it does have a category
of books for shared reading which allows some interactive
participation.

Needs Improvement: Raz Kids does allow some degree of
self-regulation by allowing students to regress back to
earlier reading levels if needed. While it isnt designed to
monitor or provide guidance on behavior-based
improvement, it does provide graphical representation of
Self-regulation
reading progress. It doesnt have a facility for setting
person goals on progress, but has some implicit goals
built-in (e.g. earning enough stars to buy the next
ineractive reward).





The following rubric will be used to evaluate your critique (that is, how you will be graded):
Needs Meets
Unacceptable
Criteria Improvement Expectations
(0pts)
(.5pts) (1pt)
Critique rates how the technology does

or does not align with UDL guidelines
Critique provides clear explanations for

each rating
Critique provides examples for how
technologies could be better aligned
with UDL principles



I pledge that I have neither given nor received help on this examination (quiz, assignment, etc.)

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