Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The Wonders of Wonderopolis: Great Tool for Universal Design


Have to share about a great tool I just learned about via Twitter and #spedchat. Someone mentioned Wonderopolis. The name intrigued me so I checked out the website and loved what I discovered. Wonderopolis - "Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease, a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages." What was so exciting? Have you ever wondered:

Why Castles have moats?
Why does it rain?
What is static electricity?
How does a suspension bridge work?
Do frogs freeze?
How is yogurt made?
Why is grass green?
Can chocolate be good for you?

Lots to wonder about and find answers. Students can add their questions to the "Wonder Bank" and vote for their top wonder questions. 

But, what is especially wonderful is the built-in multimedia features and audio supports. There is customizable text to speech added to every article using RealSpeaker, text to speech. There are videos and a word bank with definitions for every article. It is created with universal design features which can benefit all students.

Take a look and share with your families. It's a great site to explore. 

1 comment:

Jennifer Dino said...

This is great! After just a few minutes exploring, I already have plans to use this with several students in class!