Reflection for 12/20: The Final Reflection….

So, this is it. We’re (almost) all done. We’ve come a long way!

I thought I would reflect in list form and create a “top 5″ list of UD BIG Ideas. I have found in the past that making a list like this will help me to further implement material in future lessons.

#1: Universal Design is for all learners.

UD is a means to make content more accessible (and interesting) for every child in every classroom. Sometimes, individual accommodations made for one student do not benefit the general population. With individual accommodations, much of a teacher’s time can be spent on a small segment of the classroom population.

Instead, teaching-with-UD aims to make each learning experience more appropriate for every learner. Implementing UD is a win-win situation for teachers and learners. When teachers implement UD, they are considering the multiple paths that can be taken by learners to reach the same goal (end goal: student learning). UD aims to make each learning experience more appropriate for every learner.

#2: Blogs and Wikis can be useful classroom tools.

I had heard of blogs before taking this class. I had probably read a few blogs, too. However, I had not even begun the process of creating my own until I was compelled to do so by this course. At first, the task was slightly daunting. The blog sites use an entirely different vocabulary than I am accustomed to reading, writing or speaking. The good news about being marginally technologically-aware is that I was willing to try out the formatting options and different commands. In the end, I have learned a lot about blogs and their secret lingo. I have found blogging for this course to be a useful way to vent my anxiety, thoughts, and questions.

I think that Blogs would have a place in the classroom. I could see the usefulness of posing a question on a teacher-moderated blog and having students post comments in response. I could also see students showcasing their learning on a blog where teachers and other students could comment on the student’s insights.

I am still a little bit of a Wiki novice. I have set one up, but haven’t spent considerable time on the site. I do think that Wikis would have an application for student-directed group projects. I think Wikis will be my next frontier for collaborative online learning. (Thanks for setting up the Wiki, Cynthia. I will check it out tonight!)

#3: Podcasting: It’s not that hard to do!

I was excited to learn about Podcasting. I had heard of Podcasts, but never realized that I had the capability to make one myself or have my students create their own. It was fun to write and read aloud the reflection Janet and I created. I think that we learned while we were annotating our information, but by writing a script and performing the Podcast, we committed a lot of the information to memory. This would be a very useful way for students to digest new information and present their learning. Next step: I need to learn how to Podcast using the version of Garage Band that I have on my teacher laptop – and the student laptops we have in the classroom.

#4: Collaboration is Key.

Working with my unit team has been challenging (especially to schedule), enjoyable, and enlightening. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with each of my teammates in the past,  but our work has never been technology focused or even focused on our own learning. We’ve always put the kids first. We have had the opportunity to create a unit in a thoughtful and well-planned (or at least we hope it is) way.  It has been interesting to learn where each of us is coming from, write goals about where we are going, and get to where we need to be with this unit. I hope to further collaborate with my team this winter to write the learning experiences that will complete the layout of this unit.

#5: Implementing UD doesn’t have to be complicated.

I have learned many new ways to incorporate UD in my daily lesson plans. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking or earth-shattering. Baby steps seem to work best in UD implementation. I have already brought in a projector on multiple occasions to share PowerPoint presentations. I have also used the audio CD that accompanies our LA program. I plan to use the HOLT online website very soon to spice up my LA classes. The changes I have made for UD have nicely complimented my current work on teaching study and textbook skills. (Our kids are lacking in this area.)

Overall, I’ve learned a lot this fall. I hope to find new ways to implement UD. I am also excited to teach our unit in a few months. Perhaps I will try to maintain the blog while I am teaching the unit to help me plan my lesson and reflect.

Happy Holidays! Thanks for everything, Cynthia!