811 UDL Principles

When considering the UDL Principles and framework, I do believe that traditional curriculum can often be rigid and make for a more challenging learning experience for many students because traditional curriculum is more content-driven and focuses on developing content knowledge versus skill-based knowledge (or procedural knowledge). For instance, limiting assignments (and therefore assessments) to one option does not encourage students to explore the material based on their own talents and interests (i.e. writing a paper versus creating a web page) and places the focus on "knowing the material" over building specific skills. However, I do also think it's important to note that the world does not always provide personalized opportunities and students need to develop coping skills in which they can deal with real-world situations that may be more "disabling" than what they've experienced in educational settings.

The benefits of analyzing the curriculum for strengths and weaknesses rather than focusing on the student's strengths and weaknesses places the focus on the lesson (and standards) at hand and not on any one student. This helps teachers to address the needs of all students in the classroom instead of only a select few. Though analyzing curriculum in this way can be challenging because it's more time-consuming and various points must be considered in the process, utilizing UDL principles encourages educators to create more authentic learning experiences through analyzing assessments under the UDL umbrella. 

Here is the link to the Google Doc of my lesson modifications and my UDL Checklist. 

812 Part A: Description of Need or Opportunity

Part A: Description of Need or Opportunity

This fall I will be teaching a new course entitled “Applied Mathematics” which is intended for high school students who demonstrate a need to reduce the Algebra II requirement in the Michigan Merit Curriculum due to academic difficulty in Algebra I and/or Geometry. Understanding the daily applications of math in real world settings is a challenge for many students, and unfortunately, many high school students feel a disconnect between their math courses and their real lives due to a lack of real world examples and activities in the classroom. The opportunity presented in this situation is to engage my students by making concrete connections through a pre-assessment/personal inventory activity to encourage more positive attitudes toward learning mathematics.

I plan to address this educational issue with technology by creating a WebQuest in which students explore the role mathematics plays in various professions (This link is a valuable resource for the WebQuest). Students will then select one profession of interest to them (jobs not included in the WebQuest must be approved by the teacher) and complete short 1-2 minute video blogs that share one or two mathematical concepts that are important for that particular job/profession and one or two interesting points they learned about the selected job/profession from their research.

In order to promote authentic student engagement, students need to feel motivated and connected to the course material. The previous WebQuest activity and video blog aim to engage students by encouraging them to take a personal interest in the course. Throughout the course of the year, I plan to cater to the unique interests of my students (in homework sets, project proposals, etc.) in the hopes that I can help them make real-world connections to their future ambitions. For example, I may have a student who does not believe he/she will attend college, but will focus on working in construction instead. Knowing this as the teacher, I can utilize examples that are pertinent to a specific profession/interest.

The WebQuest/video blogs will span the first two weeks of school (approximately five, 90-minute class periods) with all assignments and research done in class.  At least one class period will be dedicated to showing students how to create and edit videos. Class laptops are available as well as school computer labs to complete all components of the project. Students will be responsible for completing their own WebQuests and video blogs.

The “Applied Mathematics” course will focus on project-based learning in lieu of chapter tests to help students make more concrete connections to real-world applications. According to the CT4Me.net Computing Technology for Math Excellence website, “One of the greatest benefits of project-based learning is gains in students' critical-thinking skills.  However, as Bryan Goodwin (2010) found in reviewing the literature, a major shortcoming in many student projects is that educators tend to assign projects just for the sake of doing them.  ‘Educators can avoid this phenomenon and realize the potential of projects to promote students' critical-thinking by framing projects around a driving question’ (p. 81)… In every good project, students also need to perceive the work as meaningful to them.  A clear connection to an entry event adding this meaning might be via almost anything: ‘a video, a lively discussion, a guest speaker, a field trip, or a piece of mock correspondence that sets up a scenario’ (p. 35).  Students need a voice and choice in fulfilling project requirements, keeping in mind that limited choices be considered and that ‘teachers should design projects with the extent of student choice that fits their own style and students’ (p. 36).  Projects should give students opportunities to build 21st century skills and to use technology that will be useful to them in life and the workplace.  Projects should enable learners to conduct real inquiry, as with ‘real inquiry comes innovation--a new answer to a driving question, a new product, or an individually generated solution to a problem’ (p. 37).  Learners should receive feedback to use in revision, thus learning that real-world work often involves revision.  Finally, students should publicly present their work, as they will be more motivated to produce a quality product when knowing a real audience will view it.” All points aforementioned have been considered when creating the rationale for this particular project with the driving question, “Why does math matter?”

Due to limited resources for implementation, over the summer I will be able to create the WebQuest and test all links to ensure that students will be able to access all pages in the fall. Additionally, I will be working with another teacher for feedback regarding my curriculum planning over the summer and will solicit feedback in regards to this assignment. The actual implementation of the WebQuest activity with video blogs will be completed in the fall by students enrolled in the “Applied Mathematics” course. Indicators of a successful project will be 100% participation and completion of all components of the WebQuest and video blog activity.

Works Cited

Deubel, P. (year from last revised).  Math projects. July 15, 2011, from Computing
     Technology for Math Excellence
     Website: http://www.ct4me.net/math_projects.htm.

812 Introduction

Please click on the link to view my introduction. Thank you!

811 Evaluation of Learning Material in MERLOT

I evaluated the online Applied Finite Mathematics textbook, which was submitted by Judy Baker as a resource on MERLOT. Each chapter of the textbook is subdivided into notes and examples (downloadable as a Word document) and a homework set (also downloadable as a Word document). I had an opportunity to review the first two chapters (Linear Equations and Matrices), which included valid and educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for an advanced math course. I selected this resource on MERLOT because over the course of this summer, I will be preparing lessons for a new remedial math course that I will be teaching in the fall for students who need an alternative to Algebra II.

The lesson notes in the online textbook would be utilized at the beginning of a new chapter to introduce new objectives and mathematical concepts (explanation stage); however, due to the “textbook” nature of the notes, other then for examples, I don’t necessarily think this mode of sharing new information will benefit the students in the course. The students who are enrolled in my Applied Math class this fall have already shown a need for more hands-on, interactive learning due to their non-traditional learning styles. Although, I do see myself using simpler examples and possible homework sets in my class. For instance, the first chapter’s objectives state that after the lesson, students will be able to: graph a linear equation, find the slope of a line, determine an equation of a line, solve linear systems, and do application problems using linear equations. Though these ideas are introduced in Algebra I, the first weeks of the course will be focused on reviewing these and other concepts from previous math classes. The latter chapters of this online textbook seem to cover more complex concepts (Chapter 2 already introduces matrices!), which will be too advanced for my students; however, as mentioned before, I do see myself reviewing the notes and homework sets and pulling pertinent information that I can use for this class.

The format of the online textbook is easy to use with a menu bar on the left that has a link to each separate chapter. Additionally, the website provides several options for downloads (Word doc, pdf, etc.), which is beneficial to both teachers and students using the resource. I also like that there are practice exams and solutions to problem sets, which can be used as additional resources for those students who feel they could benefit from them. Overall, the notes seem straight to the point (though the topics themselves, as mentioned before, appear too advanced for the course I’m teaching). Additionally, there is a forum for feedback and questions which aids in direct communication for both teachers and students who use the website. I will definitely use this online textbook as a resource as I continue to plan for the new Applied Math course this fall. 

810 Personal Learning Reflection

CEP 810 has helped me consider the role technology plays (or can play) in education, and that it has now become the responsibility of the teacher to prepare students to be successful in the digital world. Though the premise of this course is educational technology, I also learned that even though technologies are innovative and cool, it does not necessarily mean they will genuinely benefit students. On the flip side though, when utilized for authentic purposes, technology does have the potential to change the way our students learn and even the way they think.

As I reflect on effective teaching strategies when integrating technology into the classroom, I realize that developing procedural knowledge is an essential task that all teachers must prioritize. Integrating new technologies, like VoiceThread or Prezis, into the classroom are useless if students are unable to 1) easily use them and 2) are unable to make a connection with why they are using a particular mode for a particular purpose. It returns to the idea of form = audience + purpose, but if students are unable to make meaningful connections with technology as an educational tool, the rationale for learning how to use it is virtually pointless. Integrating technology into the classroom and addressing digital literacies is by no means an easy task, and as teachers continue to adapt and grow as our society transforms, it is imperative that objectives and teaching methods change with it. I’ve realized that if I expect my students to critically employ new technologies, as a teacher, I too must have an extensive technological knowledge base that students can tap into as they develop in their digital lives. CEP 810 has laid this digital foundation for my own future teaching practices.

The assignment I felt best exemplified good teaching with technology is our SIG group presentation. Specifically, our group focused on using social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) in the classroom to assist learning. I believe the premise of our group exemplified good teaching because we chose to address a topic that is constantly present in our high school classrooms (i.e. students always using their phones to access these and other social networking sites). We acknowledged this shift in our classroom and chose to explore how it could be beneficial in a learning environment. Through creating our presentation, our group also explored more intricate applications in Google Docs, which we agreed would be the most (immediately) useful technology in our classroom. Additionally, I believe that the very concept of group work exemplifies good teaching with technology because collaboration and communication are skills all students will need in order to be successful in the 21st century. Over the years, technology has made these skills even more vital to our lives.

In my Personal Growth Plan, I mentioned that I wanted to explore one or two new applications in greater depth, and I do feel that I gained a better understanding of Google Docs since I had the opportunity to use it in my SIG presentation and learned (first-hand) many of its operations. For instance, I figured out how to imbed videos, which greatly added to our presentation. However, I also realized that a course like CEP 810 introduces so many new technologies, that it is difficult to focus on just one or two. Therefore, over the course of this semester, I enriched my own background in technology by experimenting with a broad array of innovative online applications such as Storify and Google Lit Trips, which I may not have discovered if it wasn’t for this course. I have also taken information I have learned from this class (i.e. Google Lit Trips) and have collaborated with other educators in my department to promote a positive change toward utilizing technology in the classroom. There are even plans to have Google Earth (needed to use Google Lit Trips) installed on all of the computers in one of our computer labs at school. These changes compliment what I previously mentioned in my Personal Growth Plan about believing that it is my responsibility to help students adapt to the speed at which our world is changing and embrace new technologies in a positive way.

A specific goal I had for this course was to become a bigger advocate of online applications (specifically Moodle, as we use this district wide) by requiring students to turn in assignments online. Unfortunately, I did not utilize this tool as well as I had hoped, and while over the course of the semester I encouraged students to upload assignments to Moodle and to use Google Docs for group presentations, I did not make it a requirement. I did find it difficult to introduce new technological tools and requirements at the end of the school year, but already have the intentions of incorporating them into the framework of my courses in September.

As I plan for the fall, I intend to include blogging into my lessons, but I also acknowledge that including new technologies into the curriculum must be done in a thoughtful manner in order to be effective. For instance, if I ask students to post responses or questions about the day's lesson or literature group discussion, but then don’t integrate their responses/questions/comments into future classroom discussions, then they remain a detached learning experience that doesn't serve the purposes it was intended to serve. My long-term goal is to ensure that students know that what they are doing is meaningful and relevant to their education. As a result, another goal of mine is to determine how to best assess my students’ progress and growth from using these new technologies.

Finally, in regards to one of our more recent class topics, using mobile devices in the classroom, I have new plans to utilize cell phones during class time by January (end of the first semester) with the intent of using them as polling devices for short grammar and literature quizzes, vocabulary building, and feedback on the course. Instead of asking students to put their cell phones away during class, I believe that integrating these technologies into lessons (as well as teaching tech-etiquette) will encourage them to value technology for its educational purposes, and not just as a form of entertainment.

810 Learning Styles

My Edutopia Learning Styles results focused most on Naturalistic (92%), Intrapersonal (88%), Linguistic (83%) and Interpersonal (75%). After reading the details for each learning style, I can honestly say that I'm not surprised. I do tend to look toward scientific data to reinforce ideas (especially when it comes to my personal life and eating habits). It's also interesting, because "data" plays a significant role in the category, and this also coincides with my math teaching side. Also, I would agree that I have a very reflective personality, yet also work well (and do my best to understand) others. Additionally (and to no surprise to an English teacher), verbalizing my ideas and communicating openly with others greatly benefits my learning.

When I reflect on my college, high school, and even elementary school experiences, I see many of these same styles emerge; however, none were particularly distinctive. When I first mentioned that I wasn't surprised by my results, I do think that's in part due to the fact that as we grow older, we tend to gain a better understanding of who we are, which includes how we obtain and retain knowledge. As a student, I classified myself as a visual learner and did well when I could "see" what we were working on. Auditory tasks (especially in a foreign language) were challenging for me. Additionally, I did well working in groups, though often found myself in a leadership role. Lastly, the reflective aspect of my learning style was expressed through my writing. Writing provided an opportunity for me to "see" the thoughts that were going through my mind and helped me regain focus when I got off track (either professionally or personally).

When I consider what teaching styles were least effective for me, there isn't anything that stands out. I'm not sure if this is due to me being a type A personality (and the fact that I will do my best to succeed in most to all situations), or if it's because I had acquired valuable skills in adapting. What I do remember though is that I didn't always like doing "physical" activities that were outside of my interests. I enjoyed playing volleyball, soccer, and track, but wasn't always fond of other kinesthetic learning experiences.

After reflecting on my own learning styles, and after spending countless hours working with kids of varying levels, I acknowledge that it isn't feasible to focus on the learning styles of each individual student for each lesson. However, as educators it is our responsibility to help students first understand how they learn best and then learn how to adapt accordingly. With technology becoming increasingly more prominent in the classroom each and every day, teachers now have more opportunities than ever to help students become more independent learners. Granted, it's important for educators to diversify lessons to capitalize on all learning styles; however, I believe it's more important that teachers teach students how to find resources (especially online) that align with their own learning styles.

When I reflect on my own educational history, I realize that much of what I was taught was content driven. Not to say that content isn't important (who knows if I would have ever picked up Faulkner if it wasn't for my college professor), but it's more important to help students develop skills that will be useful to them as they progress in their educations (and personal lives). For instance, a student may struggle with reading, which obviously restricts many learning experiences across content areas. With that being said, it's more beneficial to help that student learn to cope with those difficulties (i.e. utilizing audio while following along) instead of being focused on them understanding a specific text for a specific class. Overall, our focus should remain on addressing students' needs (and their unique learning styles), but also helping them develop skills that will help them capitalize on those learning styles. Fortunately, we are living in a time where technology will play a significant role in that process.

810 Creative Commons Lab

I searched for the well-known image "Migrant Mother" from the Great Depression by using the Creative Commons search function in Firefox and Flickr.

Photo Attribution:
Image reprinted: "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange
http://www.flickr.com/photos/e-strategycom/1054179764/
By: David Erickson, http://www.flickr.com/people/e-strategycom/
Released under an Attribution License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

I selected this particular image because my American Literature class is currently reading The Grapes of Wrath; imagery, especially photography, from this time period helps students make more authentic connections to themes, motifs, and symbols in the text. Also, presenting this image to students prior to introducing the text provides an opportunity for students to reflect on what they do know, what they think they will learn, and what they want to know about the Great Depression throughout the unit. Additionally, this particular image has a unique story behind it in the fact that Dorothea Lange purposefully posed the woman (and her children) in order to "send a message." This is a wonderful opportunity for students to write (or discuss) why Lange would choose to make the positioning, lighting, etc. choices she did and whether or not they (the students) feel she was successful in sending that message (one that is present in the novel as well). Overall, images are great "conversation starters" in the classroom and also work well for visual learners.

Below is a photo I uploaded to my Flickr account of the lake where our family cottage is located; it was released with an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license through Creative Commons. Here is my link to this image on my Flickr account and the link to my photostream.

Works Cited

Lange, Dorothea. Migrant Mother. 1936. Photograph. National 

        Archives. Flickr. David Erickson, 08 Aug. 2007. Web. 01 June 2011.

        <http://www.flickr.com/photos/e-strategycom/1054179764/>.