These are some scribbles I’m pulling together to make an updated version of the Screen reader testing workshop I ran recently. That one was mostly solo work: some pointers on how and what to test, then heads down and headphones on to do the testing. The next version is going to be more social, more group work.
Aside: I like taking notes. Two pages I’ve gone back to a lot are my Teaching and learning notes and my Writing, Workshops, and Talks notes.
Gathered notes
These are options and ideas, and have some overlap.
- Need instructions slides this time, since people will be off in corners of the room.
- All together group shout-outs: what are you hoping to get out of this session?
- While they’re testing, see if some of the stuff not covered can be added near the end, or at leat talked about briefly
- Opening act, show of hands
- who’s heard a screen reader before?
- nice! would anyone like to say how / where?
- who’s used a screen reader before?
- who hasn’t used a screen reader before?
- who doesn’t want to put their hand up? (trick question! maybe…)
- who’s heard a screen reader before?
- Pair share: Have you ever tested with a screen reader before? Tell me more! (Which one? How was it?)
- After first activity, a 1 minute review in your group
- How was that? Anything unexpected or interesting?
- Make preso bit interactive: ask the crowd before giving the answer
- Make name, role, value preso bit interactive
- A few examples of button, link, form field, maybe some ARIA stuff too
- Show just the UI, ask audience for name, role, value, (state?)
- And a tricky one: fieldset and legend, breadcrumbs (need HTML for that)
- Update headings activity
- How are the headings on the page? Do they represent the content well?
- What’s not a heading, but should be? (Often big, bold, text)
- What’s a heading, but shouldn’t be? (Often in the hero section)
- After headings and images activity
- Each group share back to everyone: one or two sentence review
- What you did or what you learned or where you got stuck (and how you got unstuck)
- Each group share back to everyone: one or two sentence review
- Closing, part one: back as one group
- What went well?
- What went weird?
- What did you learn?
- Closing, part two: now what?
- Write a sentence starting with “I will…”. Get as many of these in as you can. The more you get, the more likely you are to Do The Thing!
- What will you do?
- When will you do it?
- Where will you do it?
- Who will be involved?
- How will you do it?
- Why do this?
Raw notes
- Better > Worse
- Movement > Sitting
- Talking > Listening
- Images > Words
- Writing > Reading
- Shorter > Longer
- Different > Same
- Connections
- to each other
- to the topic
- to learning goals and outcomes
- Concepts
- Include 1 minute reviews
- Celebrations
- Learning is strong when it matters, is concrete, is personal.
- Knowledge
- Retrieving
- Predicting
- Interleaving
- Understanding
- Connecting
- Practising
- Self-explaining
- Social
- Use pair share / teach back activities, have accountability buddies.
- Physical
- Use activities like show of hands.
- Practical
- Show how to get started with small wins that stack up and lead to big ones.
- Do the work. Tell learners to bring their stuff.
- Provide a toolkit with clear, actionable, steps.
- Short
- Keep it simple and prioritise. What’s the key message or concept?
- Make small but meaningful milestones. Find the short-term reward linked to the long-term benefit.
- Do warm-ups, easier or softer, stuff before the difficult stuff.
- High energy
- Have a strong opening.
- Have a strong peak.
- Have a strong closing.
- Flexible
- Vary type and length of activities, senses used.