EDLD+5364+Course+Embedded+Hours+Log+Reflection

__Self Assessment __ Teaching with Technology opened my eyes to new concepts regarding educating students using existing, free technology. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Work offered tools to creating effective lesson plans using the KWHL chart (p. 19)1. The book also made recommendations regarding cooperative learning that I knew, but just had not verbalized, such as using a variety of criteria to group students, using informal, formal and base groups, keeping group sizes manageable and combining cooperative learning with other classroom structures (p. 140)2

Week three introduced me to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The concept of UDL incorporates into the education field strategies that have been applied for years in other fields such as architecture or engineering. “It seemed ironic to us that legislators and architects were working very hard to ensure that educational //buildings// were universally accessible, but no such movement pursued universal accessibility for the curriculum methods and materials used inside the buildings.”3 When dealing with structures and public places, the idea of equal access to all individuals has been a requirement for many years. In fact, lawsuits have been filed on grounds that those with disabilities were not afforded equal access and ease of maneuverability to structures and events. Why, then, should we be surprised that academia realized that those same principles should apply to education as well? UDL incorporates varied presentation of content and a differentiation in presentation for students who require non-traditional means to learn.

But assuming that having access to information equates to learning is erroneous. The information must be accessible and comprehensible in a manner that accommodates all learning styles and differences.

I enjoyed the videos in week four because they forced me to think outside the confines of a traditional classroom and traditional methods of teaching. Linda Darling-Hammond poses the concept that teachers must be both emotionally and socially intelligent.4 Students today come to the classroom with an unprecedented amount of social and emotional variances, and it is our job as educators to meet the students where they are **and** educate them as well.

Seymor Pappert suggests getting rid of curriculum altogether, because on no one certain day should a student be expected to learn any one particular fact. Lesson plans should be replaced with “You learn this when you need it.”5 This philosophy is in direct conflict with what most teachers are taught, but it makes perfect sense. As long as the entire unit is covered, does order really matter?

1, 2 Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007) //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works//. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

3 Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002) //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 4. Retrieved on March 1, 2011, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter4_2.cfm

4 The Collaborative Classroom: An Interview with Linda Darling-Hammond Edutopia.org (December 10, 2007. //The Collaborative Classroom: An Interview with Linda Darling-Hammond//. Filmed at the CASEL forum in New York City. Retrieved on March 15, 2011 from []

5 Edutopia.org (nd). //Project Learning: An Overview.// Retrieved on March 12, 2011 from []

__Learn as a Learner __ I have met three phenomenal educators who live across the state of Texas. Julie Barber, Jill O’Farrell and Ashley Dietz are all amazing group members. The four of us have our strengths and I definitely have my weaknesses, but we worked together very well to complete this class’s requirements. Some of us were “early in the week” folks, and others were “last minute on Sunday” folks, but never did any of our learning styles conflict with others or cause anyone to score lower than if we had been completing the assignment individually. Our group Google site turned out quite nice. We all brought different abilities to the site, and were able to agree and mesh four very different styles into one site. Most of our communication was via email. The four of us literally put the site together with absolutely no conflict or deletion / overwriting of one person’s version of something in favor of another. All contact was very professional, and I am proud to call these ladies “friends” now.

Dr. Mason did a good job of conducting the web conferences. Because I also teach continuing education classes in the evening, I was not available to attend any of the conferences for this class, but very MUCH appreciate the links to the conferences. Often, there was only a thirty second segment that I needed to hear, but that thirty seconds of the web conference got me back on track with the assignments. I would recommend alternate times for conferences, and perhaps some on Sunday afternoon / evenings for those of us with more than one job.

EDLD 5364 discussion board was a bit more difficult to find information from the readings that I could expound on. I felt that both text sources were quite thorough in their explanation and presentation of information, so when asked to comment on the very content of the passage, I had difficulty adding to what had already been presented in the passage.

Ebooks are a valuable tool to target most learning styles. Ebooks can be auditory as well as visual, and are capable of being revised by the author as new information is received.

__Lifelong Learning Skills __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I have learned to embrace technology and to realize that I cannot break it! As a “digital immigrant,” as I learned from a previous class, I have been a bit hesitant at times to either attempt new software (ebooks, for example) and websites. No longer will this be the case. My desire, after completing my master’s degree, is to learn basic programming so I can offer a class in programming at the high school level, a course which is not currently available. I am a bit concerned regarding the “digital footprint,” if you will, that I am leaving on the Internet as a result of many of these courses. At the beginning of every school year, I have the students “Google” themselves to see what, if any, information is available to the public about themselves. I have seen my “hits” increase dramatically with these classes.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My only challenge is a lack of time to finish this program and become proficient in programming prior to the release of the course offering booklet for my campus. I would also like to have the time to research other Web 2.0 tools that are available for my students and to figure out how to convince the administrative side of my district not to block many sites that are currently unavailable to students. For example, if all students could log into Atomic Learning, then they could view the tutorials at their own pace, and not have to have me guide them through the tutorials.