EDLD5364+Week+Three

Universal design for learning makes so much sense, but to my traditionally educated mind, it also seems like so much work to make the transition to it. As I read this week, it was so good for me to see that there are little things that can be tweaked here and there in order to move books and lessons that we are already teaching more toward the UDL model. Things as simple as providing many examples, highlighting critical features, allowing multiple formats, providing multiple media, and supporting background knowledge are helpful changes that give better access to the curriculum for more students. Doing these things also has the added benefit that a lot of times, it is fun for students. They love "playing" with technology, even if they learn in the process! When we are able to find ways to incorporate such things into the standing curriculum, we open doors that would otherwise remain closed for some students. This can help students who are struggling to catch up, but it can also enrich things and serve to challenge students who would otherwise be apathetic because they are bored.

There were lots of great resources that I either learned about for the first time this week, or that I saw in a new way. Tracking changes in Microsoft Word is something I saw in a new way. I would have never thought to use that for peer editing in my writing classes, but I love the idea. There were other things that I learned new ways to utilize in the classroom this week. I also learned about new resources entirely, such as some of the CAST UDL tools. The Book Builder site and the Lesson Buider are both tools that are things that will be valuable to me in the future now that I know about them. I have used eInstruction's Classroom Performance Systems (CPS units) in a previous district, and the readings this week have inspired me to write a grant for them in my new school. These practices and tools are out there, and we just need to be flexible enough and go after them so that we can use them to the benefit of our students.