Event Information
Welcome & Context (5 minutes)
Scenario: A multilingual learner struggles to access grade-level text.
Engagement: Quick poll on barriers participants see in their classrooms.
Framing: Set purpose — AI + UDL as a way to accelerate equity and agency in secondary literacy.
Framing the Vision: AI + UDL (10 minutes)
Mini-lesson: Introduce UDL principles (representation, engagement, expression).
Demo: Transform the same passage four different ways with free tools:
ChatGPT: Adaptive literacy pathways with leveled text + dynamic questions.
Canva for Education: Multimodal design with AI visuals and vocabulary support.
Microsoft Immersive Reader: AI-enhanced accessibility with read-aloud, translation, and scaffolds.
Book Creator: Student-authored multimodal portfolios that amplify voice.
Connection: Highlight how these approaches anticipate future literacies.
Future-Ready AI Playground Stations (25 minutes)
Participants rotate through three device-based stations; the fourth tool is modeled in debrief.
Station 1 – ChatGPT: Create adaptive reading pathways and guided prompts.
Station 2 – Canva for Education: Design multimodal literacy artifacts that combine text, visuals, and audio.
Station 3 – Immersive Reader: Explore access features and envision predictive supports for learner variability.
Engagement: Small-group collaboration with task cards; peer-to-peer coaching.
Co-Design Challenge (15 minutes)
Task: In small groups, design a future-ready literacy activity using one tool + UDL principles.
Requirement: Each design must identify which learners it supports and how it builds agency.
Engagement: Groups share products in a digital gallery walk (Padlet or Slides).
Gallery Walk & Reflection (5 minutes)
Showcase group products; highlight innovative approaches to equity and agency.
Closing prompt: “What’s one way you will use AI to expand access for all learners this semester?”
Provide digital toolkit with prompts, templates, and tutorials.
Apply UDL principles to secondary literacy using four free AI tools.
Design an inclusive, classroom-ready literacy activity with multimodal scaffolds.
Evaluate AI outputs for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness to guide responsible use.
Collaborate with peers to co-create strategies that expand access and student agency.
Wexler, Natalie (2019). The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—and How to Fix It. – Influential book connecting literacy, equity, and instruction.
CAST (Universal Design for Learning Guidelines) – CAST.org is the recognized leader in UDL.
https://udlguidelines.cast.org
Vaughn, Sharon, & Fletcher, Jack. (2021). Science of Reading Comprehension Instruction. Guilford Press. – Evidence-based practices for comprehension instruction across grade levels.
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) – “AI in Education: Leading with Practicality and Pedagogy” (2023).
https://iste.org/areas-of-focus/AI-in-education
Edutopia – “How AI Can Support Struggling Readers” (2023) – Classroom-focused strategies for using AI to make texts more accessible.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-ai-can-support-struggling-readers