During this course I had the opportunity to compile several resources on Universal Design for Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and using technology as assistive and supportive tools for my students. As I stated in earlier posts during the course, two heads are better than one and five heads are better than two! I had reaped the benefits of the research skills of my whole social networking team. I will spend my summer organizing these resources on my Delicious social bookmarking page to share with my colleagues. In addition, I plan to take time to examine all the various tools and websites more thoroughly to determine which I will implement with my students. I will decide which surveys and learning profile inventories will serve me best to get to know my students and use them at the beginning of the next school year.
I have learned how to effectively implement UDL and DI principles to give my students various avenues to reach the same learning goals and provide them the opportunity have a choice and a voice in addressing their learning goals. Through my Ning network I have learned about many tools that are available to infuse my lesson planning with flexibility at every part of the learning process. Students will be able to receive information in a manner that suits their learning style. They will have a choice in how they interact with content to achieve mastery and they will can choose different methods to convey that mastery to me using digital tools, quizzes, or any number of tools available.
In the immediate future I plan to implement UDL and DI strategies by offering students the opportunity to choose from a few different methods in receiving content. They will be able to access webquests and online videos as well as their text book and notes/lecture. In lieu of traditional tests and quizzes, they will choose from multimedia tools to demonstrate their mastery and create a product to present. I am planning to implement this will an upcoming unit on the effects of plate tectonics. It is my intention to further build in flexibility to all coursework I offer to students thus changing the "face" of instruction in my classes completely... A very exciting prospect!
