Reflection Post for EDUC 6714

I have really enjoyed the last eight weeks of the class, Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology. At first, I was wondering if the class would be mostly about adaptive and assistive technologies, which I deal with every day in my classroom. While that was a part of the class, the main focus was on the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction. Ah, how I wish that this was a mandatory class for all teachers to take. Our students are becoming more and more diverse, and the once rare “inclusive” classroom is becoming the norm. Many teachers may feel unprepared to make sure that all students are learning the same material in such a diverse classroom. That is where technology integration and the principles of UDL/DI come into play.

One part of the course that will continue to help me now and in the future is the Differentiation Station social network assignments. My group decided to use Facebook to interact and post helpful resources, tools, and student websites that assist in integrating the principles of UDL/DI. I have already spent some time copying the resources into a file and loading them into a Delicious account to help organize them. I will be able to use these resources and tools to help minimize the time needed to develop the principles in my classroom. Running a classroom using these principles can be difficult to start, not because the difficulty of the principles, but because of the time needed. Tomlinson (1999) recommends starting small and growing (p. 97). Having these resources will assist me in doing just that. I will use them to assist me in making sure that I am meeting the needs of all learners in my classroom.

I have always used technology to some extent to customize my instruction to meet the needs of the students with special needs that I teach. I use technology to increase the size of materials I use with students with visual impairments. I use text to speech programs for students who are non-verbal and multimedia presentations to introduce themes to students who learn best visually. I have learned in this course however, that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what I can be doing. I do not have the newest and greatest technologies, but in the end it is not about what technology you have, but how you use what you have to meet the needs of all learners (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). I certainly have enough technology to assist starting implementation of some of the UDL/DI principles immediately. The resources gained from the Differentiation Station assignments will come in handy in this. Once again, with some creativity, I can begin to see how the technology I have in my room can transform the learning environment.

Shannon Eno

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program twenty-two: Reflection. [Motion picture]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). Differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Retrieved from the Walden Library ebrary.