Universal Design for Learning

CAST represents the Center for Applied Special Technology and is an organization that works to create learning opportunities for everyone. UDL or Universal Design for Learning are a set of principles that all educators should be required to use to create lessons that are inclusive and beneficial for all learners.

Below, is an educator checklist of UDL principles that indicate barriers and features in the Lesson Plan, "The Geography of Europe" that I recently created.


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xZmShBFCcH4YLLS9NBe6ZPbZS9gO9Pjj7vCFAD_LaSE/edit?pli=1

MERLOT Learning Material Evaluation

The learning material from MERLOT that I chose to evaluate is called "Social Studies: Plan a Trip Across the World". The material may be found through MERLOT at the following web address: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=327055

Quality of Content:

In this learning material, the software appears to present itself with educationally significant concepts, models and skills for the history discipline.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

The lesson plan entitled "Social Studies: Plan a Trip Across the World" written by Christina Greening can be used in a middle or high school history class. The material could be used in all four stages of the learning cycle which consists of explanation, demonstration, practice, and applying. 

The learning objectives would appear to consist of:

·         Be able to acquire historical information

·         Be able to analyze historical information

·         Be able to use web 2.0 technologies to discover, create, and share information about places with historical interest

After successfully learning with the materials, students should be able to successfully use web 2.0 technologies to find information, and be able to provide someone with historical information of the student’s chosen areas.

The target learner must have been exposed to web 2.0 technologies in an earlier class session or be familiar with them prior to completing the lesson provided in the learning material.

The use of the software (Powerpoint, Windows Movie Maker) and web 2.0 technologies (tripadvisor.com, expedia.com, Google Earth, Photobucket, Pageflakes, and Wetpaint) can be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the social science field. Both software and web 2.0 applications can be used in many different ways to achieve teaching and learning goals of teachers and students.

I believe the goals for teaching and learning are easy to recognize in the material and that good assignments on how to use the software and web 2.0 applications can be easily written as long as the author has a strong background in the technology applications as well as incorporating technology into the field of education or training.

Ease of Use:

The learning material does not require much documentation. Since computer access is needed to complete the project in the learning material then technical support may be necessary for computer problems that an average user would not be able to troubleshoot without the assistance of a professional. Most students may need instruction in the use of web 2.0 applications.

The material presents information through the software and web applications which are attractive to students due to their desire to use technology in their learning process and growing familiarity of technology devices in the classroom.

Personal Learning Reflection

It is now time for me to reflect on my learning experiences while enrolled in CEP 810. One of things that I have learned is that technology can be used in several ways to help engage students in their own learning process. There are numerous technology applications that can provide educators with more effective teaching strategies. Several applications that I learned about during this course are Twitter, Adobe Presenter, Blogs, RSS, and MACUL Space. 

The internet has the potential to be an excellent tool in education. The internet has an unlimited amount of resources, and applications that can be extremely beneficial. During this course, I had to use several programs that are only available through the internet to complete my assignments. The programs I used to complete my assignments were Google Docs and Zoho Docs, RSS, and Blogs. My RSS page has helped me to stay informed with current events in my areas of interest such as geography, technology, and education. Google Docs and Zoho Docs are two programs that are available for free online with registration of a username and password. Both programs are essentially office suites available on the web for free. They allow users to collaborate on a project together, and share their work. Both suites are similar to programs provided by Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, & Publisher). By integrating the use of the internet in this course, I have realized just how beneficial the internet and other technology tools can be in the field of education for students, teachers, and parents.

There are several assignments that I completed during this eight week course. All of my assignments in their own capacity exemplify teaching with technology. However, the assignment that I feel that best exemplifies good teaching with technology is my "Lesson Addressing the NETS-S". In that assignment, I developed an assignment that could possibly be used in a classroom that incorporates the use of research, and collaboration with three classmates on a presentation or word document completed through Google Docs or Zoho.

In my personal growth plan, my goals consisted of expanding my knowledge in familiar software programs, learning about new software or web based programs, and the design and management of virtual classes. I have met some of my goals during this course by learning and acquiring skills in the various web-based applications previously mentioned in this post. My goals have not changed and I do not have any new goals. Upon completion of this course, I hope I will continue to achieve the goals I have set for myself in future courses in the educational technology masters degree program.

Learning Style

I have recently learned about multiple intelligences in adult literacy and education. There are eight intelligences that people possess. The eight intelligences are languages, spatial, logic/math, body movement, musical, social, self, and nature. I took an assessment that was offered for free online and discovered that my top three intelligences were social, spatial, and self. Of those three intelligences, the highest was social with a score of 3.29. With these intelligences it is easy to understand what my learning style is. My learning style consists of communication with others such as interviews, written notes, visualization, working alone, often use trial and error, and working on the computer. During my experience as a student, I learned best by listening, seeing charts/diagrams, and writing. Teachers should not worry about trying to focus each lesson for each learning style but should focus on delivering their curriculum in the best possible way to meet the needs of all their students.

Creative Commons Lab Post

The picture below portrays a classroom that is using computers and a projector screen which is displaying an individual's computer screen. There is also a Smartboard being used. In my college course I am doing a SIG project with three other classmates. The topic for my group's project is Digital Technology in Middle School Classrooms. Since this photograph depicts technology use in a classroom it may be useful in the presentation that will be completed later.

Photo Attribution: 

Original Image: "SMART Board Class"

By: Virtual Learning Center

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3430/3707169825_92f9ca58ed_m.jpg

Released under an Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

Below is a picture I took and could be used in my presentation as well.

Photo Attribution:
Original Image: "Computer"
By: Ashabadash1234
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6895197621_e0e5c54b81_m.jpg

Released under an Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

RSS Page Reflection

In order to stay current with the constantly changing fields of education, technology, and geography, one must devote time and energy. Using an RSS Reader page will make the process much easier. By having an RSS page, one is able to subscribe to numerous feeds and receive instant notification of any new information on their page. I chose to use Netvibes to create my page. There are nine feeds that were added to it. Below, is a screenshot or "screen dump" of my page.

Several RSS feeds added were given to me by my course instructor and others are those I found interesting to follow. After adding new RSS feeds that were of interest to me, I checked my feeds approximately every 2-3 days. The feeds that I found interesting and decided to add to my RSS feeder page were World Geography Blog, Technology Blogger, High Technology Blogger, and ISTE Connects.

After adding my feeds I checked my page on January 22, January 24, and January 27th. Between January 22nd and 24th, there were only seven new posts out of all of my feeds. Technology Blogger and High Technology Blogger each had four new posts, and ISTE Connects, Education, and TechLearning all had one new post. Then between January 24th and 27th, I noticed that there were only eight new posts from all of my feeds. Technology Blogger and High Technology Blogger each had three, Education had four, and ISTE Connects had one new post.  All of the other RSS feeds that I am following, except for the World Geography Blog have not posted anything in seven months to three years!

The World Geography Blogger that I am following had an interesting post that was titled "Big City Lights". The post discussed the need for improvements in the public transportation system. It said that while the area had a transit system, improvements were needed due to obvious business and population growth in a local area. In response to this post, I agreed that improvements in public transportation systems throughout the country were needed. Since improvements are needed, I suggested that citizens could suggest improvements and developers could analyze their suggestions with the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

When I checked my page on January 24th, I noticed a post under the High Technology Blogger that seemed very interesting. The title of the post was "How the Smartphone Evolved to What It Is Today". This post explained the history of technological advances such as the PDA, IPod, MP3, and Smartphone. I learned that majority of phones being used are Smartphones and that eventually the only type of phone that will be available is the Smartphone. By following the Technology Blogger, I have become much more knowledgeable about computers. The post found on this blog, "Most Crucial Aspects of Creating a PC". I learned what makes up the core components of a computer. It discussed the RAM, CPU, graphics card, and the importance of speed in computers. When I want to buy a computer I will know what things I need to look at before investing in a computer. By following ISTE Connects I have learned about elearning tools and e-books. Additionally, they had a post about anti-piracy laws which discussed how these laws will affect teachers, students, academic institutions and technologists. The Education feed has posted many events that have taken place across the country in the field of education.

By following all of these different feeds I have learned numerous things in the fields of education, technology, and geography. This knowledge will help me in a future career in the elearning field by providing me with vital information about technology and education. It will also help to stay current within the field of geography. Additionally, it has enabled me to keep up with the "current events" in education, technology, and geography.

           

PC Maintenance & Security

     Computer security and maintenance are vital to keep your computers in a good running condition. The first tutorial I chose to view was titled "Using msconfig to speed up your PC's startup". Msconfig represents Microsoft System Utility but is also known as Microsoft Configuration Utility. After watching this tutorial, I was surprised to learn there is a way to speed up the computer start-up. Until now, I never thought it was possible to even attempt to speed up one's computer start-up. I learned that when you first buy a computer, it defaults to a normal startup process. When you have the utility box open on your computer screen choose "selective startup" then the startup tab. You will see checked items. Anything that is checked will start automatically. You can manually remove things from the list by unchecking them. The startup will become faster, with fewer checked items. Any items pertaining to anti-virus or anti-spyware software must be checked to startup automatically. However, if you are unsure, you can search for "Startup Program and Executables Listing" in Google and you will be able to find out if a particular item is required for computer startup.

      The second tutorial I watched was titled "Downloading & Uninstalling Spybot Search and Destroy". I was surprised to find out there are anti-spyware programs available on the internet for free as a download. I also learned that anti-spyware software protects your internet browsers and that anti-spyware is just as important as anti-virus software.
      The third tutorial that I chose was called "Using System Restore". I was surprised that there is a program in Microsoft Windows called system restore that allows you to return to a previous state for your computer. I learned that system restore is a good feature to use to reverse minor problems that may occur with a computer. By using the system restore, you may be able to fix a minor technological problem very easily.