Reflections+EDLD5364


 * EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology **

I found this course to be very insightful in how teachers can collaborate to create lesson plans that will address student learning through differentiated instruction. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski state (2007), “Technology can transform teaching and learning.” The assignments in this course proved this point. The use of Google Sites as a means to collaborate helped us become a very efficient team that focused on creating different lesson plans that would help our 7th grade students in learning the different story elements as they pertain to a story. Google Site allowed us to organize our thoughts, lesson plans, and ideas. We guided our activities through a scenario that placed us as technology facilitators given a directive to create design, implement, and assess a technology integration/intervention program for a group of 30 students with unique needs. In order to differentiate these lessons so that all our students may be able to learn we incorporated several different multimedia lessons that would help ensure all students would learn regardless of their learning styles and reading abilities. Through all the activities in this course I learned several new strategies and different software we can incorporate to help students be motivated and engaged in the lessons. I learned to use Cast Lesson and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to help me create and implement differentiated instruction into the classroom with technology. The website offered a wealth of information and allowed me to see the importance of differentiated instruction and provide me with excellent examples of how to best utilize them in the classroom. Each member of the team created lesson plans that provided students with choices on how to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired, students could take a written exam, create a multimedia project, or create a poster that would demonstrate their understanding of the content taught. This created differentiated means of assessments that would address the individual needs of the students. I also learned to create an online audio book through UDL Book. Students may use this electronic book as a form of differentiated instruction that will allow them to learn a lesson through visual and auditory means. The experience of creating this type of book allowed me to see ways of helping ESL students and Special Education students learn the concepts taught in a format that addressed their needs.

The information I gained in this course provided useful information that I can use in my daily teaching, especially the many ways to differentiate the lessons to ensure all students are provide the opportunity to learn. Our team worked very well together we were able to discuss any differences or issues and come to a consensus on what was best for our integration program. We first brainstormed different ideas to decide the grade level and subject our program would address then we created an action plan to address the needs of our students and utilize differentiated instruction to ensure we meet students' needs. All the team participated in the different responsibilities throughout the project we each created a UDL lesson plan that included student-centered projects with differentiated instruction that addressed the learning styles of GT, Regular Education, and Special Education students. As a team, we created a complete and excellent web-based integrated program to meet the needs of all our students. This program provides students choices and multiple means of learning thus empowering students to want to learn. After the experience in this course, here are some of the questions I would want to research: How do you ensure we meet all the students’ needs with the differentiated instruction you have chosen? What other resources are available to help teachers create intervention programs to address the needs of all learners? How can districts provide more training in collaborative learning projects with the use of technology? All of these questions focus on how teachers can have more training and resources to assist them with the integration of technology as a tool to address students’ learning needs. The one thing that puzzled me was the teacher data analysis of this reflection I did not find any information regarding this throughout the course. The assignments and team project in this class provide me with excellent strategies and resources that I may use in the classroom. 

Reference: Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom// //instruction that works. // Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. p. 14.