UDL and Technology

I thoroughly enjoy the concept of UDL and integrating it into everyday curriculum. I feel that some assignments are easier to deliver in a UDL manner than others. I also feel that by integrating technology into the everyday curriculum is the easiest, most appropriate way to do this. I think that starting with technology and UDL in the back of a teachers mind, they can cut down their work load and make the information easier to access for the student. Along with the delivery of the lesson I feel that performance can be evaluated better through a UDL and technology minded assessment. I have been specifically looking for these opportunities to use both on the observation class I’ve been attending through Cornerstone. Specifically in several of the ‘alternative education buildings’.

I have been highly displeased with the format of ‘alternative education’ in some of the schools I’ve visited. These particular students have failed to adjust or perform at an acceptable level in traditional education and thus have been moved into a school where alternative forms of instruction and assessment are available. To me it looked like these students were doing the same things that I did in high school and middle school, with just a different setting. I agree that a setting can affect a students ability to learn and concentrate. But these students need varied instruction. They needed a UDL platform to be able to learn. Technology could provide this.

An example I’d throw out there is giving a lesson via prezi, a pencast, and video taping the whole thing. The teacher could then upload it onto her class wiki. The prezi would provide the outline and the majority of the information and the teacher would click through as the information was covered. The teacher would be lecturing, drawing diagrams, playing videos on the topic that was shown, all the while recording via screen cast and video which would be uploaded after class. This would accomplish a lot. On one hand, the teacher would be publishing everything that was covered and set up tools that the student could go back to and review at any time. Also allow parents to relearn the material they’ve forgotten and allow them help the student at home, instead of trying to decipher the chicken scratch notes. The teacher would be utilizing several learning styles: a structured point by point breakdown, A visual diagram from the pencast – with voice over to explain the drawings, also video reinforcements for the audio and visual individuals. Assessment could be done digitally, allowing the students to break out of a creative mold. They could read an article and do a paper, they could make a video, make a prezi, use any of the programs out their for games. When I grew up many students made matching games on a big poster-board. These could all be uploaded to a voice wiki and then a further assignment would be to comment on other students published material. Again, the teacher would be multitasking for the parent conferences. All this would make a class more interesting and allow for the students to utilize the best methods for themselves.