UDL & DI Course Reflection

Through out my course I have learned a lot about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI) that can and has been applied to my classroom immediately. Though they are two different strategies and require different approaches towards classroom application, they both encourage diversity in student learning and consider all needs that students may have and can be tied directly together. By using various technological tools that many young students are familiar with, and by getting away from traditional pencil, paper and text book instruction, students are better able to reach their potential in the classroom.
UDL is simply different “strategies that can be employed to overcome the barriers inherent in most existing curricula” (National Center for on Universal Design for Learning, 2010). This is done by the teacher who carefully assesses each one of his or her students in order to engage the individual into the curriculum and specific lesson.
With DI, instruction allows the teachers to customize their lessons to their students specific individual needs and to teach “students of differing abilities in the same class” all of the same content (Strangman & Meyer, 2003, p.1). This takes the knowledge of the individual student and their learning and applies it to a customized lesson for that student. Tools such as online graphic organizers, interactive study tools, interactive concept maps, and various multi media tools for creating presentations are among many different options that students can have access to. These various strategies can potentially attract much more student attention and involvement.
Each year teachers are presented with a new challenge to teach the diverse needs of each one of their students. Since “no teacher has been handed a class that has been a match set”, teachers need to adjust their lessons to their various students in order to maximize success of the entire student body. (Laureate Education, 2009). Through a combination of the use of UDL and DI, teachers will be able to ensure that their students have the best opportunity to learn.
Immediate changes that have been made in my classroom have been using tools such as http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com/2007/06/free-technology-toolkit-for-udl-in-all.html. This site has a text-to-speech application that benefits one of my IEP students in a lower level class. I combine that with http://udl.spps.org/Social_Studies.html which has access to the text used in my class. These have allowed them to keep up with the rest of the class by simply modifying the reading for him. Through the use of http://prezi.com/, I had my students do a visual presentation of a virtual tour that they went on of a European country of their choice.
My next lesson upon returning from break, I will introduce my students to http://www.xtranormal.com/. This site allows them to create and edit movies. The lesson will consist of them getting in groups and reenacting the life of Americans from the end of WWI up through the Great Depression. I will have to spend some time in the computer lab with them to make sure that they are familiar with the website, but I believe that they will have fun and learn so much with it.
My biggest struggle that I have encountered using these various sites has been the time factor. I have had to spend valuable instruction time explaining and sometimes re-explaining how to use some of the interactive sites. At times it has been my fault because I did a bad job at explaining how to use the site. That is partially due to some of technology is also new to me and I am learning with them. Other times, it has been because some of my students are not accustomed to using the computer in their other classes, and a lot of this is a new concept to them.

GAME Plan Reflection

My game plan has been moving along up until recently when slowed down a little bit due to testing. I have been trying to get collaborate with the computer app's teacher in hopes of using the same programs in both of our classes. We have discussed programs that would be beneficial to the both of us and have talked about putting them into motions very soon. Because of quarterly assessments, I have had to prepare my students, test them, review it with them, and then give them another opportunity to retake the exam. Next week I will be able to get back and try to implement some new strategies for my students. Though I am still collaborating with the computer app's teacher, the application of the software for learning has been temporarily put on hold.
I have learned that anytime you try something new involving the teaching and learning process, that is has many steps and road blocks that are hard to account for. Sometimes things unexpectedly pop up and you have to roll with the punches. The team building with coworkers has been a great experience. Though collaborating with other teachers requires more initial effort and more use of my free time, it has made my job a little easier. My students are able to have faster recall of information and use of technology because they are using it other classes as well. I have underestimated the usefulness of teacher collaboration, but I now see how truly beneficial it is.
I am hoping to get my students in the computer lab in the next couple of weeks. This way they will be able to practice with some of the programs that the computer app's teacher has taught. Working together to sync our curriculum has been somewhat difficult, but once we are on the same page, it will make things easier in the long run. I have already decided that next year I am going to start the year off with collaborating with the other teachers. I think that it will benefit my students so much more and they will have the opportunity to do so right from the gates.

Using the GAME plan process

From the beginning of a new idea in teaching/creating a lesson, it can be a long process. Often times the process is meet with bumps along the road that can slow down your plans in creating a new lesson for your students. As I have been trying to come up with new and exciting ways to have them practice test taking, I have come across many road blocks. Even trying to get computer lab time can be difficult. Then when I can get my classes in, I have tried a couple of new learning methods but have come to find out that even though most of my students are heavily involved in this digital age, they have very little to no background in classroom programs. Most of my students are so unfamiliar with programs like Microsoft 2.0 that I have spent almost as much time trying to teach them as it would have to actually teach the lesson. Since there has been little reinforcement from other teachers, they often forget how to use it as they do not get enough practice with it.
Trying to use the technology my students have grown up with and become so accustomed to has been more of a challenge than I thought it would have been. Knowing that not all of the other teachers use computer technology for their lessons and that the computer app's classes are just starting to teach Microsoft basics, I have been put in a tough position with my classes.
An idea I recently came up with to help my students prepare better for their multiple choice state exams, was to have them use an online programs and create an exam themselves. If Ido this once every unit or every other unit, I can constantly reinforce the new programs so they don forget how to use it. This allows them to have dirrect imput into what they have learned and may help them stay more actively involved. Also, with in that plan lies the possibly of allowing them to chose a partner to create a test that other classmates would have to take on the computer program. This will allow for cross curricular teaching and help get them up to and maintain proficiency level standards outlined in the NETS-S.

Evaluating and Revising my GAME Plan

So far through this whole process I've learned that everytime I think I am making significant progress, another problem seems to pop up. Sometimes it is a minor issue, but other times it seems to make me reevaluate the whole process. A classmate recently introduced me quia.com which allows me to create multiple choice exams. Though I have not had a chance to research it, I am hoping that it can add as a supplement of my other exams and help better prepare my students for their state exams.
Creating a wider range of questions that will help me reproduce similar questions that they will see on their state exams. Being able to do their test online in a computer lab should provide them form the monotony of the pencil and paper test.

Evaluating My Game Plan

As I evaluate my GAME plan I am finding that simply typing out issues that I face help me come to terms with what I am dealing with. I have never been one to write (or type) thoughts. I would always simply just think about what I needed to do in my head, and go forth and do it.
One thing that I have done was talked to the Computer. App's teacher in my school and asked him about their curriculum. We discussed some ideas that could help us both out in the form of coming up with cross curricular ideas. One of which was using and becoming familiar with Microsoft web 2.0 tools. He did in form me that his classes are still going through the basics of the computers, as the 9th graders are a little behind, however, he did assure me that they would be getting into it soon. I reassured him that I will reinforce it through group projects and presentations that will require the usage of their new found knowledge.
I still am faced with the issue of having to give them multiple choice questions. We do not have the computer lab time or the time in the class to give them online multiple choice tests. Even if we did, I do not know of any program that aligns with the state curriculum that has such a program for my subject.
I am not sure how I will address this problem as of yet. It seems so simple, yet I can not come up with a solution that would get my students excited about taking a multiple choice exam that they will inevitably have to take.

Progress in my GAME Plan

I am finding some progress in carrying out my GAME plan. this is largely due to some of my coworkers that I share ideas with. We have worked together as a team to brainstorm ideas and come up wiht common assessments for our students. This assures that all of the students who are enrolled in the same course but have different teachers will go over the same information. This will better prepare them and us as teachers for their state exams. The only modification that I may need is to meet wiht them more often. It is hard though to find more time in our already hectic schedule. I have leaned that through constant communication, our students seem to be on line to be the most prepared that they can be for their upcoming exam.
One obstacle I have hit is finding ways of implementing technology into preparation for the state exams. Because the test in the recent past has always been forced choice assessments (in the form of multiple choice), it has been difficult to find ways to use technology that can prepare them better than actually giving them a paper and pencil multiple choice test. I always like to give them a live example of what type of exam they are going to see. I believe that there is no better way to practice.
However, now with the exams moving towards a combination of forced choice responses and open ended responses (short answers and essay), I can try to implement new ways of teaching the skills. I was contemplating starting a chat thread that my students could all part take in. I could give assignments or extra credit and have them create or add to discussions. One issue that I face is that not everyone has internet access. I have several students who do not have a computer or email address. SO now I am faced with this new issue of how to implement such an activity when not all of my students have an equal opportunity to access the information.

Carrying out my GAME plan

In this weeks assignment, we are reviewing a previous lesson plan that we needed to make adaptations to in order to meet all of the needs of our students. The lesson I chose was presentation that I had my 11th grade history classes do. In one of my classes, I had 5 students who were on a 2nd-5th grade reading and comprehension level. Part of the assignment was having them read the material, go to the computer lab and the library and present it in any fashion as with my approval.
One of my major obstacles was the reading for those 5 students. I arranged that the teacher assistant in their study hall set up the kurzweil reader and allow them to set the pace as to how it was read to them. I then followed up with them assuring that they understood what was read to them.
Once they got through the reading material, I allotted them computer lab and library time in order to do any additional research and get their presentations in order. Since these students over time have become visual and auditory learners, I gave them several websites to use including discoverychannel.com. This site had several videos that they used in their presentation and it aligned perfectly with our curriculum.
This lesson was a successful collaborative effort between the teaching assistant in the study hall, the students, the computer ab and library supervisor, and myself.

GAME Plan

One of my professional goals has been to learn how to improve on my GAME plan.
As each year goes on, I try to improve on each one of my lessons from the year before. I will take the time to update and modify each one in hopes that it will enhance my students learnign experience. One thing that I have done this year is to model digital-age work and learning. Last year when I tried a new lesson, I did not know the ins and outs of the site that I was using. This made communication between my students and myself very difficult. Though I was able to teach on all the indicators, the lesson itself was very choppy and difficult at times for the students to comprehend. Reflecting back, I should have had a better understanding of the site so that I could navigate through the lesson more smoothly. This year for the lesson, I will review the site and make sure to clean up the loose ends from the old lesson.
Another way I plan on improving my GAME plan is to engage in professional growth and leadership. I will do this through communication with other teachers in the form of professional learning communities and through professional development opportunities. Our school system usually allows us time to partake in professional development opportunities which then in turn we can share with our colleagues. Our school system usually allows us to partake in workshops that will teach us what is new in technology and provide us with ways to integrate it into our lessons.

Reflection

After learning about the new literacy skills, I have found that teaching is becoming more technical. Teaching today is a lot different than teaching just 15-20 years ago. It is a process that is so new that as educators we are learning right along side with our students with the main goal of bettering ourselves.
The experienced that I gained from my most recent course will help me evaluate and monitor what my students are researching more carefully. I will be more aware of what they are referencing and how I will teach them to filter out good information from bad information. Also, now I can go back and reevaluate how I teach them to narrow their search right from the beginning. With the seemingly endless amount of information that is out there, it can be overwhelming sometimes for our students.
By the end of this school year I hope to have taught all of my students how to use appropriate websites that will provide them with accurate information, how to properly reference authors, and to use integrity as not to plagiarize their material. By spending class time and going over all of these steps I hope that they will come out as being better researchers. I also, plan on collaborating with other teachers in my building in hopes of teaching this in other courses. This will help reinforce the skills.

Reflection

Reflecting back on my instructional theories I have recently made a couple of changes. One of my goals was to create activities that would allow my students to get directly involved in using my smartboard. I was hesitant to do so for fear of them breaking it and not having the money in our budget for repairs. However, I spent class time carefully going over rules for its use. I have since created two activities where my students have used it and for both activities they ere very careful and hook heed to my instructions concerning its usage. My students have explored virtual field trips and web diagrams that they use to present material to teach lessons to their classmates.
I would like to eventually be able to integrate the majority of my lessons geared towards having my students actively engaged with the interactive smartboard. The course work that I have done has helped me find valuable websites and ways in which to apply them to teaching. I would like to find more websites and expand the database that is available for my students to use. This will allow them to have more creativity when they create and present lessons to the class. This will be achieved through research and enrolling in more technology geared coursework.

Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/share/1041532/

The idea of the constructivism learning theory puts the students in an active position in their own learning. It requires them to actively engage in what that particular lesson is. The theory is that the more active that they are, the easier it is for them to process, understand, and apply what they have learned. In my classroom, this theory holds true for most of my students. Using this concept, my students can build their knowledge and understanding together under my watchful eye. They are engaged with a hands on approach and this allows them to relate it to something that they may already know and store it as new knowledge.
This theory however does not work for all students. Some of my students shut down completely when they are forced to be engaged. I have one class in particular that would rather sit there all day and take notes. This means that they do not have to do work. Some of them may not learn that way, but that is not their concern at the moment. Their concern is to stay under the radar. I have a few students who have been diagnosed with autism. One of which refuses to work with other students. He will do anything that you ask of him individually, but will not actively engage in learning with other students. He is able to use other methods of learning and apply them, just not cooperative learning.
Overall, most of my students tend to gain more from working hands on with their peers rather than working by themselves or by direct instruction. As the teacher , it is our job to find the middle ground where all of our students become successful in our classroom.

The theory of getting our students to generate and test their hypotheses in the classroom is an important aspect in their education. It develops a skills set in which they rely on their self effort, past experiences, and apply that to their new knowledge. This forces them to think on their own and helps guide them through the self learning process. This becomes the building blocks for their mechanisms of learning.
Applications like web resources can be extremely helpful in the classroom by allowing the students to apply the constructionist theory to their learning. By using interactive maps in my classroom in either the computer lab so they can physically work through the assignment individually or on my smartboard so the entire class can observe what is going on, my students are able to use prior knowledge and apply new knowledge to the application. This creates a first hand learning experience that is unique to them and is based on their past experience. By using this method, they are able to see the new topic that was learned and right there in front of them.

Cognitive Learning Theory in the Classroom

Reading about cognitive theories and the different ways in which the human brain retains information has made me more aware of the way that I teach. I have always incorporated various visuals into my lessons, but after learning about the sensory input of information, I think am going to add more to in each lesson. Allowing my students to see more of what they are learning will help them with the retention and recall of the information.
One method I recently learned about was a virtual field trip. The concept is so easy to understand and yet so effective. I have never used one before this weeks assignment, but I am definitely going to incorporate them into some lessons. It is a cheap and effective way to take your students out of the classroom and away from their standard text books and put them into the lesson that is being taught. All while never leaving the classroom. Using a graphic organizer to summarize what they have learned would follow each virtual field trip.
Using online graphic organizers is a great way to help my students organize a large amount of information into smaller pieces. The biggest obstacle that I face though is having access to enough computers to allow my students to do that. I could always use the standard graphic organizer using a pencil and paper, but it may not hold their attention. Though I have used graphic organizers in the past, I have found that my students do not get excited to do them. By them using online programs, they use technology that they are familiar with and probably use almost on a daily basis. Also, many online programs offer pictures and video that align with the material.
After reading "Summarizing and Note Taking" in my course text, I found some online templates that are great for brainstorming information. Summarizing is a concept, that as a high school teacher, I see students struggle with. Many of these programs push the students into summarizing, but in a way that they are already familiar with. By using the online note taking, the students can see what is expected of them and examples of what they need to do. This will allow them to sharpen their note taking skills which can carry over to every academic subject that they are enrolled in.

Behaviorist Learning Theory

Today's students tend to be more of visual learners than auditory learners. It has become unacceptable as a teacher to spend every class period of everyday lecturing students and giving notes. The students of today need to be visually stimulated by technology that they know and are comfortable with (computer, tv, etc.). Today's technology needs to be used in the classroom in order to reach the students on the level and understanding of which they know best. This can assure them that they can be successful. Once they get that though into their head, teaching the content becomes easier.
Once we can implement the proper learning tools for out students, we have to reinforce the importance of the effort that they are putting into their work. Since research "tells us that not all students realize the importance of effort", I will make sure that I consistently reinforce their effort through positive reinforcement (in the form of praise and compliments) combined with consistent feedback. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). At times I will pull up data from a chart that shows the exam that they may have just taken and which questions were most commonly missed. This allows us as a class to go back and re answer those questions and gain a better understanding of the material. They also get the opportunity to see which ones that they may have missed that others did not. This allows them reflection time and the opportunity to get the correct answer. It also provides a form of review in which that the students tend to remember longer for the simple fact of it being presented to them on the smartboard. If my students do fail a test or an assignment, I will reinforce the fact that they need to put in more effort and will take class time to physically show them what they can do to improve. I will spend more time trying to correct the negative behavior than sitting there reinforcing what they already know, that they failed. This is a confidence booster for them because they know that I have not given up on them and it helps them realize that they should not give up either.