Five Helpful Resources

http://www.CAST.org

The Cast website is visually appealing. Although there is a lot of information found on the webpage, it is organized sufficiently. I was extremely pleased with the website’s Professional Learning Tab. Professional Learning on the Cast website provides resources to professional trainings on UDL, ranging from group workshops to online courses.

 http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/

Teaching every student is a great resource. I gravitated towards this website because of its interactive activities based on the knowledge provided on the web page. I also enjoyed the modeled lesson plans, based on UDL, that were offered for visual learners. Although this website was not as visually appealing compared to others, the content was extremely helpful.

http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines

The use of UDL guidelines was one of my favorite resources throughout my research. Providing guidelines in multiple languages, the website was able to provide graphs, examples and resources. I enjoyed how the author of the webpage color formatted the graphs for a visual understanding.

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/tk_introduction.cfm?tk_id=21

The toolkit was a phenomenal source. The main focus of this particular site was to plan for all types of learners, also referred to as Planning for All Leaners (PAL). Stating strategies and ways of practicing UDL was a great component to have within the website.

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/classprofiletutorial.cfm

The interactive activities when applying knew concepts, is a fantastic strategy. From reflecting upon my learning style, I have noticed that follow up activities when retaining unfamiliar material is how I learn best. I have absorbed the most material through this resource because of its hands on learning opportunities. 

Reflection

 Amongst my research based upon UDL, I believe it is a concept that will only benefit an educational environment. Many resources are provided which support the use of Universal Design for Learning, allowing fluency when learning how to implement theories. One resource that has helped me grow as a professional was the goal setter tool. In my previous post, I had discussed an authentic experience with goal setting based upon the provided guidelines. My biggest challenge when developing a greater sense of UDL and incorporating technology, is remembering that an unlimited amount of resources are available. Resources are provided to enhance the understanding of content knowledge, or allow educational growth. When there is a weakness that needs to be met, it is important to remember that technology is a beneficial resource. 

Curriculum Barriers

Working in an Autistic support environment, I am constantly creating adaptations and modifications throughout my classroom daily routines. However, applying alterations into non-subject area classes, such as music, gym, or art, is an extremely difficult task for me as a professional. For example, this year, the fifth grade class is expected to utilize a program called “Garage Band”. Garage Band is an application that is geared toward Macintosh computers, and is designed to instruct learners how to play instruments and read music through the use of technology. Although this is a fantastic concept, and a way for the school district to avoid purchasing a variety of musical instruments, it is not always the most effective resource for all scholars.

Several weeks ago, I was facing a complication involving one of my students and the use of Garage Band on a MacBook Pro laptop, owned by the school district. My student faced a barrier when carrying computer-based knowledge from home to school. At home, my student was able independently operate a PC computer, with the use of a standard mouse. However, at school, my student could not grasp the concept of a “touchpad” mouse, and was becoming extremely frustrated when exploring the musical technology based material.

Luckily, as I was faced with the challenge of the technology barrier, I was freshly introduced to the UDL goal setter checklist. I used the UDL goal setter to interpret and organize what the most important piece of information was to be acknowledged from the lesson. After observing the checklist, I was able to make adaptations that would benefit the student’s educational experience.  This adaptation included the use of Garage Band on an iPad, which allowed direct touch screen responses, rather than the use of a touchpad mouse.

Touchpad Mouse:

 

Standard computerized mouse:

  

UDL Guidelines 2.0 | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). UDL Guidelines 2.0 | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines

Setting Goals and UDL

There are a variety of provided resources for teachers to implement UDL in everyday classroom instruction, including procedures and examples. As a developing educator, UDL allows me to focus on the importance of teaching to the student’s needs, instead of teaching from a textbook. UDL forces educators to expand teaching approaches, while holding accountability to address all learning styles within the classroom. Carrying potential to involve assistive technology within a unit. However, one must first set a goal related to instruction. Universal Design for Learning provides a “goal setter” resource, which I plan to implement when organizing my future lesson plans. The goal setter assists the teacher how to outline specific goals that are to be accomplished within each lesson, while providing support in a multitude of ways. I am under the impression, from researching UDL, that it provides organization and differentiation. I am enthused to implement UDL in my future professional practices. 

UDL Guidelines 2.0 | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). UDL Guidelines 2.0 | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines

WELCOME TO TEACHING EVERY STUDENT. (n.d.). Teaching Every Student. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://cast.org/teachingeverystudent/

What is UDL?

Universal Design for Leaning, also known as UDL, is a system of guidelines that assists teachers in reciprocating knowledge to all learners. UDL is designed to give equal learning opportunities to all students. The system is focused upon three main components: what the student is learning, how the student is learning, and why the student is learning the specific information. These three areas can also be identified as: recognition networks, strategic networks, and affective networks. The purpose of UDL is to enhance the way mentors approach teachable moments, helping to form a flexible outlook when choosing the avenues of instruction. From my understanding through conducted research, I am an advocate of UDL practices. Techniques of UDL can be implemented when choosing specific assistive technology resources, helping to decide what will be useful and effective for each  learner.

CAST: Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). CAST: About UDL. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.cast.org/udl/

CAST: Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). CAST: About UDL. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html