EDUC+5364+Week+3+Reflection

Reflection: I am not sure what I should write as I wrote a very long entry in my blog. This has been an interesting week. I have learned about UDL lesson plans, which really are just good lesson planning - you plan for all students, but now you incorporate technology into them.

I found the Book Builder site interesting. I can see how I could use that to help some of my students. I also think they would have fun creating a book on line. This is something that I will need to explore more.

One point from the lecture that I took note of was the statement "...you might want to ask yourself these questions, "What are multiple ways students can practice a new skill? Are there Web sites where the students can access from home that will help? Are there simulations available? How could students create analogies or generate and test hypotheses about the topic?" (Mason, 2009, Week 3, Lectures slide 6). These are good questions to apply. I don't think I had thought about websites that students can access from home. I am starting to do that, but more with my GT students. Really it is something that I should share with all students. One idea I had was to create a share board; a place where students could recommend helpful websites. I know that I will need to check what they put up, but if their name is with the referred site, that does make them more accountable. I would like to know more about available simulations. I'm not sure what is out there. Maybe I'm thinking "Second Life" and I know I won't be recommending that to students, until I can see a way to protect them from the inappropriateness I found. There is so much available online that I keep discovering. I only wish I had time to spend looking for things, as I am sure that I would find lots of materials that are useful.

I particularly like our textbook //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works//. I think one of the things I like about this book is that it give practical examples. Their suggestion about using the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale (p. 43) to encourage students to improve their writing is something I never thought of. What an easy way to have students challenge themselves. I know that the running word count on the bottom of the page encourages some students to write more, as they can see how just an additional sentence adds so much more. The authors also talk about Classroom Response Systems (p. 45). I had an introduction to this technology, but it was reserved for our History Department. I can see a practical way to use this. It is non threatening, and yet as teacher I can get a lot of data to use in planning for tutorials and class instruction. I was also struck this week by the number of items I read related to feedback. It was timely, as I am behind in my grading, and I know that when I am behind the students nag at me. Unfortunately, sometimes by the time it gets back the teachable moment is gone.

One final comment is a personal reflection on how far I have come since the program began. In going back and looking at the Solomon and Schrum textbook, I recalled how so much of what I read was new and now it was "I know that", "I'm comfortable with using ". It was a nice way to see how far I have come when it comes to being aware of the technologies that are available to me.