EDLD+5364+FINAL+COURSE+REFLECTION

EDLD 5364 FINAL COURSE REFLECTION Raye Stacy ET 8021

As a general rule, I am a direction reader. When a new piece of software arrives, or a new piece of equipment is ready to be installed, I read and reread the directions. I received a copy of the syllabus for this course and only read as far as week one. At the beginning of each week, I looked to see what was coming next. Since I did not read the entire syllabus beforehand I was not as prepared as I should have been for weeks 4 and 5. I had a lot of work to do. Creating a wiki-based study group is not a difficult task, as I have done that for a previous class. One of the portions of the assignment was to create a lesson using the Universal Design for Learning, which was new to me. I know that some of the elements of the lesson builder were things I already do but had never put them in writing, such as the anticipatory set and formative/ongoing assessment. I already perform ongoing assessment on a daily basis but did not include it in lessons I created. Since the summative assessment is included on the lesson builder, that portion of a lesson must be planned ahead, and by keeping the end in sight at all times, the lesson will stay on track. Also, on the Lesson Builder is an area to write unit and lesson goals. Using the Lesson Builder will make a more coherent set of lessons and units, because having the unit goals on every written lesson will remind me of the “whole.”

When I was working on the UDL lesson assignment, I had the most trouble with what my lesson should be about, what should be the goal of the lesson, for which state standard did I want to create a lesson? Many objectives in Algebra do not lend themselves to the use of technology, so I tried to find one in the subject that could be done with no technology, some technology or all technology. I started by choosing the content I wanted the students to learn. “The instructional strategy of setting objectives focuses on establishing a direction for learning.”( Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007,p.16) I was not really happy with the way the lesson turned out but I did succeed in creating a lesson that could be used with no technology, some technology or all technology. The content of the ebook was a lot easier to decide upon. I thought about something in mathematics that would be visual and came up with a plan. I like how the ebook has the built-in area for the students to ask or answer questions, and the teacher to see the results. The ebook is designed in such a way that all types of learners will benefit from the multiple ways the data can be explained or represented because according to Rose & Meyer(2002) “we know that students do not have one kind of intelligence or one way of learning–they have many.”(Ch 6)

I enjoyed working with the rest of my team. The three of us collaborated together in a previous class and I think the three of us work really well together. We all had ideas, and all made compromises. I do not write well but I tried to hold up my end with the other team members. I feel like my best work was the creation of the examples for the team UDL lesson. I created a video, the script for the video(with a little help from a colleague), a Photostory, a diorama, and a professional development wiki. Working with a team like this showed me that I can collaborate with teachers of other subjects and we will be able to produce cross-curricular lessons. I think I will also be able to provide ideas and examples of multiple ways to engage the students.

Of all the videos, books, and articles that I read during this class I learned the most from the CAST website. I did not know about the three neural networks of the brain. It was very interesting to learn about them and how I can change teaching strategies to accommodate students’ differences. “All students can learn.” We hear this over and over, yet if you have been in a classroom you know there is more to it than that. They learn in different ways, at different speeds, and they function at different levels with different experiences before we get them. The beauty of the Universal Design for Learning is the needs of all those students will be addressed. As Rose and Meyer (2002) put it, “While pursuing a common goal, each student in the classroom can follow his or her own path and obtain a level of performance that represents personal progress.”(ch. 6) This allows a student to be what they are and still achieve success.

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

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning// (chapter 6). Retrieved from []

Team Google Site: []