Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Holborow and welcome to Computing.

I'm so pleased you've decided to join me for the lesson today.

In today's lesson, you'll be creating a blog on digital inclusion.

But how can you make the blog itself inclusive?

And how do you know if it works for lots of different people?

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit, Schoolblog Digital Inclusion.

This lesson is called Building and Evaluating an Accessible Blog.

And by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to create an accessible blog using digital tools.

Shall we make a start?

We will be exploring these keywords throughout today's lesson.

Let's take a look at them together now.

Inclusive design.

Inclusive design.

Designing products so that as many people as possible can use them.

Evaluate.

Evaluate.

Reflect on what has been done well and what could be improved.

Look out for these keywords throughout today's lesson.

Today's lesson is broken down into two parts.

We'll start by implementing inclusive design features.

And then we'll move on to evaluator blog for accessibility.

Let's make a start with implementing inclusive design features.

Digital inclusion means ensuring a quality of access to digital tools.

Digital inclusion means ensuring that everyone has equal access to digital devices, such as computers, tablets, smartphones, et cetera.

Reliable internet connectivity.

And the skills needed to use technology.

You are going to create your own blog on digital inclusion.

The blog should contain information about digital inclusion that you have collected from research.

You should apply accessibility principles when creating your blog.

Here is a checklist you can use to ensure your blog meets the criteria.

So, contains data from valid sources.

Promotes digital inclusion.

Identifies the issue of the digital divide.

Has clear navigation and headings.

Uses good color contrast.

And uses simple language.

Digital accessibility means designing technology so it can be used by people with a variety of different needs.

Visual and hearing impairments, physical impairments, and neurodivergent conditions.

Digital accessibility is about ensuring equity of access in digital products.

Inclusive design means designing products so that as many people as possible can use them.

It considers different abilities, ages, languages, devices, and accessibility needs.

Inclusive design helps to reduce digital exclusion.

Okay.

Time to check your understanding.

I have a true or false statement for you.

Inclusive design means making lots of separate versions for different users.

Is this statement true or false?

Pause the video whilst you have a think.

Did you say false?

Well done.

Inclusive design aims to create products that work for as many people as possible, not separate products for each group.

Inclusive design for your blog should include clear navigation, so there are easy to use menus.

Responsive design.

So your blog will work well on all devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Accessibility.

Alt text is included for images.

Fonts are readable and good color contrast is used.

Consistent design.

The layout, fonts, and color scheme look the same across all pages.

Quality content, the information is relevant, useful, and interesting.

And there are minimal distractions, so there aren't too many adverts, animations, or flashy colors.

Okay.

Time to check your understanding.

Here is an example of a blog post.

Identify the features of this blog post that do not meet inclusive design principles.

Pause the video whilst you look carefully at the blog.

Did you manage to identify some features that do not meet inclusive design principles?

Well done.

Let's have a look at some together.

So, there is poor color contrast between the text and the background.

This dark red and the black font don't stand out very clearly, so it makes the text difficult to read.

There is also small and difficult to read fonts.

This scribe style font is very difficult to read.

There are distracting adverts.

And there is text in images, which would be difficult for a screen reader to read.

Okay.

We're moving on to task A of today's lesson, and you're doing a fantastic job so far, so well done.

I'd like you to implement inclusive design principles when creating your blog on digital inclusion.

Remember to use the checklist provided to ensure your blog meets the specified requirements.

Contains data from valid sources, promotes digital inclusion.

Identifies the issue of the digital divide.

Has clear navigation and headings.

Uses good color contrast and uses simplified language.

Pause the video here whilst you complete the task.

For the second part of task A, I'd like you to explain how your blog implements inclusive design features.

Pause the video whilst you answer the question.

How did you get on?

Did you manage to implement some inclusive design features into your blog?

And did you manage to explain how your blog implements these inclusive design features?

Well done.

Let's have a look at a sample answer from Jacob together.

The blog I have created incorporates lots of different inclusive design features.

I have used a light color background and dark font to ensure good color contrast.

I've also used a clear navigation system so users can find the information they want.

I have used images on my blog, but these images do not contain text, and I've included alt text in case someone is using a screen reader to access the blog.

Sounds like Jacob has incorporated lots of inclusive design features there.

Well done, Jacob.

Okay we're now moving on to the second part of today's lesson where we're going to evaluate a blog for accessibility.

Jun says, "I've created my blog and I think it will be great for everyone to use.

" Laura says, "Have you checked that with anyone else, Jun?

You may think your blog is accessible, but you should think carefully about evaluating your work and getting feedback from other users.

" That's a really good point from Laura.

Sometimes it's difficult to think or see how other people perceive your work.

Evaluation is the stage of a project where you reflect on what has been done well and what could be improved.

It's important to get feedback from others during your evaluation.

What should be checked when checking for accessibility?

Maybe pause the video here whilst you have a think.

Okay.

Let's go through some of the things we could check.

Text readability.

Is the font style easy to read?

High color contrast.

Is there good contrast between the background color and the text color, for example?

Images.

Do the images contain alt text?

And navigation.

Is the website or blog easy to navigate and move around?

Let's now have a look at each of these in a bit more detail.

Text readability.

Is the font clear and easy to read?

Is the text large enough?

Is spacing between lines and paragraphs enough?

And is the language simple and easy to understand?

High color contrast.

Is there a strong contrast between text and background colors?

Does it avoid relying only on color to show meaning?

Okay.

Time to check your understanding.

I have a question for you.

Which of the following should you check when reviewing text for accessibility?

A, text size.

B, line spacing.

Or C, spelling.

Pause the video whilst you have a think about your answer.

Did you spot them?

Well done.

You should check text size and line spacing when you're reviewing text for accessibility.

You should, of course, check spelling too, but that's not related to accessibility.

Okay.

Let's now have a look at images.

Do images contain alt text descriptions?

Would someone using a screen reader find the alt text useful for understanding what the image shows?

And is text within images avoided?

Navigation.

Is the layout clear and organized?

Are buttons clearly labeled?

And can you move through the pages easily?

Okay.

Time to check your understanding.

I have a question for you.

Why should you not use images that contain text in digital content?

Pause the video whilst you think about your answer.

Did you manage to answer the question?

Well done.

Let's have a look at a sample answer together.

Screen readers cannot read text in images.

People who use screen readers may not be able to access the text.

It's also harder to translate to different languages because automatic translation tools work on actual text, not words embedded in images.

The images may also have poor color contrast, as the text may be too similar to the background of the image, and this cannot be easily changed by the user.

Okay we're now moving on to our final task of today's lesson, and you've done a fantastic job, so well done.

For part one, I'd like you to use the checklist provided in the additional material for this lesson to evaluate your blog for accessibility.

For part two, if you can, ask another person for some feedback on your blog.

Can you improve your blog using this feedback?

Pause the video whilst you complete the task.

How did you get on?

Did you manage to evaluate your blog for accessibility?

Well done.

Let's have a look at Laura's evaluation.

So, Laura says, "I have used the checklist to review my blog.

" So Laura has said that for text and readability, the text size is large enough.

There is good spacing between lines and paragraphs, and the language is simple and easy to understand.

For color and contrast, Laura says text is not difficult to read because of color choices, and information is not shown using color alone.

Laura says, "The evaluation shows I need to alter the font so that it is clear and easy to read," so Laura can now go away and make some improvements to her blog.

Okay, we've come to the end of today's lesson, Building and Evaluating an Accessible Blog, and you've done a fantastic job, so well done.

Let's summarize what we've learned together.

An accessible blog includes readable text, alt text, good color contrast, and clear navigation.

Inclusive design means designing products so that as many people as possible can use them.

Digital products should be evaluated against clear success criteria.

Technology can either widen or reduce inequality depending on how it is designed.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson, and I hope you'll join me again soon.

Bye.