Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology Reflection

Over the last eight weeks, this course has provided me with useful information that I can incorporate into my classroom instruction and share with my colleagues. One of the areas that I needed to improve upon was the differentiation piece. As a professional, I think that this course has opened my eyes to the many different ways I can differentiate and how I currently do with realizing that I am doing in it the classroom. Even more apparent now, is how the use of technology can make the differentiation piece easier for me and more motivating for students. There are a plethora of resources that teachers can use on the internet that can aide them during this process. The thought of one size does not fit all in the classroom is now less intimidating because I have access to the ways I can find a shoe size for each student. In addition to the differentiated instruction, universal design for learning is no longer jargon that teachers use in the building that I was clueless about. This course has opened my eyes to the fact that each student is truly a unique individual and the way the material is presented in the classroom should reflect that. Adjusting the material for one or students in the classroom now has a new meaning because the techniques that being used benefit more than that student(s).
Universal Design for Learning is simply providing access to benefit all students. This is no longer scary jargon talk, but a reality that I can provide in my student's instruction.
During this course, I had the opportunity to be a member of a social networking site too. What is really nice about a networking group is the collocation that occurs. I find it extremely useful to see how people think on different levels and interpret materials differently. The end product from that is having a variety of resources, tools, and ideas that I can take and use in the future. Where I would normally not have the opportunity to discuss and meet with people across the nation, this social networking site is not providing that access. It amazes me how powerful of a tool this can be in the classroom too!

GAME Plan Reflection

Overall, I think it extremely important to instill the value of goal setting and having a GAME plan to meet those goals. What is nice about this GAME plan format is how straight forward it is. I think it is very important for students to set goals when they arrive to school on the first day. I really think that this class was useful in the fact that it made me sit down think about what my goals where.

It is one thing to set goals, but a completely different thing to follow through on them. That is why I really like the action part of this plan. This is the meat and I think the most important part. I think this is the part that most students would struggle with. For educators, I feel this part of the GAME plan should be modeled and stressed so students know the importance of having an action plan.

For the monitor part of the plan, I think this is a way to be creative with the students. This is part that the students can collaborate with one another and really discuss how their action plan is working out. They can provide each other with insight and suggestions. It also leads into the evaluation part and how did I do.

When I set my goals, I did not realize how much I self-directed my learning. As a result, I have tons of information on how to meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. Through this experience, I can now walk away with strategies and techniques to use in the future. I have begun to develop a network of resources that I can use in the future. This GAME plan has encouraged me to search for ways to be a more effective teachers.

GAME Plan Progress

Instructional Practices

What is really nice about taking courses together in a semester is how well they blend together. In each class we are learning about Universal Design for Learning, which I feel really coincides with differentiated instruction. I am learning a variety of ways to use technology to incorporate these practices into the classroom. What is really nice about technology is the fact that most students can play with technology and get it. What I need to do is make the content have the same accessibility. I am learning throughout this course and my other course ways to do that.

New Learning Goals

My new goals is convince my school technology department to unlock the protection against some of our social networking sites so that students can have access to a diverse learning community.

Learning Approaches

At this point in the semester the only approach I would do differently is to complete my work a week ahead of time.

GAME Plan Progress

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

• I have had opportunity to use a really great website with the students called xtranormal
• They are creating skits on math concepts that will then be turned into animated video
• This use of technology has really created a great social interaction in my classroom
• It has also sparked a lot of motivation

What have you learned so far that you can apply to your instructional practice

• The importance of multiple means of representation
• It is crucial to present the material in ways that meet all learning styles
• It is clearly just good teaching practices

What do you still need to learn?

• Strategies to use to
  
• Specific ways to make students goal setters

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

• Overall, I would like to continue on the path of my original GAME plan so I can see it out and then revise or create a new one
  

GAME Plan revisited

Overall, I have found some very interesting websites that are loaded with information on the universal design for learning. From these resources, I am trying to get the bigger picture on how to plan and implement the three principles of UDL in the classroom. I have found a few websites that give an overview of what a lesson plan should look like. I am a template person, so I will either need to continue my search for a template that fits my own personal needs and the needs of my district. If I can't find one, I will be creating one shortly that I hope will inspire other teachers in my district to enage in the use of UDL in the classroom.


I feel that I my plan is still very clear in the goals I have set and do not wish to make any plans on it for now. I did find it interesting that some of my own colleagues have no idea what UDL is or stands for. One thing I might want to add is spark the interest of my colleagues to get the ball rolling in our building. From this class and another class I am taking, I have learn a good deal of information about UDL. I think the most useful so far are the different strategies that can be used to present the information in various ways for your learner.

The only question I have about UDL is how are we going to make this work without teachers feeling the constraints of state testing to implement it into the classroom?

Carrying out Game Plan

Resources needed:

• the use of the internet sources to find articles to promote digital tools in the classroom
• technology personnel to discuss what is available at the school beyond what I already know
• colleagues willing to co-plan and implement the materials in the classroom
• trainings

Additional Information Needed

• the willingness of the other teachers in the building to incoporate technology
• what types of permissions I need to download different types of technology

Steps taken so far

• finding resources on how to make materials more accessible for all students

GAME plan:

Goals to strengthen confidence

• In the area of promoting and modeling citizenship and responsibility I would like strengthen my skills in meeting the needs of all learners in the classroom. More specifically, I would like to increase my confidence in providing students with equal opportunities to use digital tools and resources.
  
• The second area I would like to strengthen my skills in the classroom deals with collaborating with parents, peers, and students to use the digital tools and resources to support student thinking and learning.

Actions to achieve those goals

1. Locate a variety of resources: examples include articles, conferences, search engines, information technology resources in the building.
2. Ask parents to help and become educated on the resources available
3. Provide students with opportunities to share resources they have found.
4. Ask other teachers for help.
5. Search, search, search

Monitoring Progress

• Keep a journal of the resources found whether through searches, colleagues, parents, or students
• Ask for student and parent input

Evaluate and Extend your learning

• Reflections of the technologies used and how effective they were
• Parent and student input
• Attend workshops that introduce and teach about new resources
• Stay connected with teachers that use technology and share resources