Reflections throughout the course

Reflections

We began this course learning about the Universal Design for Learning. Honestly, I had heard about UDL many times throughout my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience/Psychology and in Bachelor of Education but never truly understood it clearly. I thought of it as being somewhat similar to differentiation and certainly did not think it would be applicable all the time, only when necessary. This was a huge misconception that I am embarrassed to say I believed. It was evident that I really did not understand the purpose of the Universal Design of Learning. I found the discussion about the Universal Design for Learning to be one of the most useful parts of our course. It was interesting to me that many, if not most of us had heard the terminology before, yet we did not understand it clearly. I learned the clear difference between the Universal Design for Learning and differentiation and how to implement a more accessible teaching design that doesn’t simply differentiate, but provide opportunities for students to learn and show their thinking in a way that fits them as an individual. Differentiation is decided upon after the fact, once a student cannot participate in a homogenous class, whereas UDL is used from the start to allow for all learners to have access to participating and learning, improving engagement and interest. UDL challenges the curriculum. Ever since our first class, I started to be more mindful of my teaching practices. I often ask myself, “Am I giving students access to knowledge in a way that everyone can learn and be independent?”. 

We spent some time on AT during my Education degree and as a Resource teacher, I have had experience using AT with students; however, I learned a great deal about other devices that are available. Assistive technology is about enhancing performance of individuals with disabilities and providing independent access to a task. I always try my best to allow my students to have as much independence as possible and gaining knowledge about low tech devices and applications to best suit reluctant readers, writers and everyone in between has been the most useful. One thing I find that does not happen as frequently as maybe it should is re-assessing students for change in the appropriate assistive technology. I remember we in class, we talked about the many changes that occur as time passes and a students gets older. There are many physical changes, cognitive changes, emotional and social changes that take place and it’s important that the technology that these students have access to also changes with them to suit their needs. I know that in my experience as a Resource teacher I have seen a disconnect there at times when a student could become more independent with the change in their assistive technology. The beginning of October marked a change for me in my thinking when it comes to fitting students with the appropriate assistive technology. I began to challenge my idea of what assistive technology actually is and how it can be used, who can use it (everyone), who should use it, what it can be used for and how it can change so quickly. 

After seeing how PollEv works, I knew that it would be something my students would love and become even more engaged in. I love the immediate feedback you get as a teacher and the sharing of information in a way that students can remain fairly anonymous amongst their peers; however, I know each student’s thinking. I think this is a great way to share information, lead into discussions, check in with students to get a quick glance of their thinking and provide a visual representation of the class brainstorm/feedback as a whole class. 

Throughout the course, I had the chance to play with many new applications and test them out and determine the value and usefulness to particular students I work with. The following list include my favourite apps. 

Best Apps for UDL

1. Clicker sentences- early emergent writers for young students. Clicker docs- for older kids in elementary, subject specific and allows for word banks to choose from, not word prediction (NOT as good as Cowriter for story writing because no word predictor)
2. Cowriter for word prediction and iReadWrite 
3. Prologque for non-verbal students or students who need help communication such as students who are selectively mute. 
4. Garage band- audio recording, musically inclined students 
5. BookCreator (everyone!! This is by far my favourite app that I have ever used! It has changed one of my student’s lives)
6. imovie (everyone!! All of my students LOVE this)
7. Explain Everything- like youtube, explanation (with my voice) of an activity. Great for students who need extra repetition of the activity or concept and also could be used when you are not able to be with a student or a day where you are out. 
8. Pocket pond 
9. Readiris (all of my students)
10. Claropdf (all of my students)