Final Project 12/14/2011
 
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_During the last few months our class has completed individual projects related to the following principles and concepts:

1.    Gradual Release of Responsibility
2.    Technology Integration Matrix
3.    21st Century Classroom/Characteristics of Effective Instruction from the Iowa Core Curriculum
4.    Cyber citizenry using Common Sense Media materials
5.    Universal Design for Learning

You can read about each of these projects in my previous blog posts.

Now that the semester is nearing the end, it's time to pull it all together.  I chose to design a workshop for college faculty on how to use Twitter, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to incorporate relatively seamlessly the elements listed above.  A detailed description of the "Twitter Training for Faculty" is available here.

This project was a valuable learning experience and one that will have a strong influence on how I design future workshops. 
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This past week’s material focused on  Universal Design for Learning, a set of principles for curriculum development  designed to give all individuals equal opportunities to learn, rather than using  a one-size-fits-all approach.

 This short video from CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) gives an  excellent overview of what UDL is, as does this video from the Bartholomew Consolidated School’s UDL website.  The CAST website itself is a wealth of information, as is the National Center on Universal Design for Learning.

 Of particular interest to me was this article entitled “Universal Design for Learning in Postsecondary  Education: Reflections on principles and their application” since it addresses
the application of UDL principles in the context of a university course.  The authors describe how they used  multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. 
See this diagram to  understand how those means are related to how our brains work and, therefore,  how we learn.  This interactive UDL wheel  can help  educators apply the UDL principles when designing new lessons as well as  evaluating existing ones.

Applying one of the UDL principles himself,  Dr. Z gave us three options for expressing what we have learned.  I chose to think about how a college  instructor might create a UDL-enhanced learning environment through the use of  tablet applications (i.e. iPad apps). 
I’ve compiled a list of suggested apps along with their related UDL  guidelines and checkpoints.

 For those who wonder why educators should be  concerned with UDL, check out The 10 Habits of Highly Ineffective and Effective Teachers.  They are insightful and inspiring, and several of them apply directly to  UDL.

Cartoon source: https://assistivetechnologytidbits.wikispaces.com/About+UDL
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Grade level:  Kindergarten
Professional group:  Kindergarten teachers in  local elementary school
Topic area from Common Sense Media curriculum:  Safety

Why I selected this topic:  According to Common Sense Media’s Zero to Eight Report, half of all American children have access to a smartphone, iPod or tablet at home,  and the average age of first use is 3 ½.  My oldest grandchild will soon be four years old. To her, iPads and computers are fun and harmless; she has no concept of any potential danger.  When she goes to kindergarten, it would be desirable if she and her classmates were taught in a positive way how to stay safe online.  The Common Sense Media materials portray Internet safety in such a way as to raise children’s awareness without discouraging their enthusiasm by making them fearful.  

Teaching approach, including links to resources and lesson plans
Because the children are so young, the materials are very basic and straightforward.  They will learn three basic rules about online safety that mimic the common rules their parents have probably taught them about personal physical safety:
    Rule #1: Ask your parents first
    Rule #2: Only talk to people you know
    Rule #3: Stick to places that are just right for you.

Specific Common Sense Media resources:  I recommend using the lesson entitled “Going Places Safely” geared for the K-1 audience within the Safety unit.

Additional resources:  Google’s Family Safety Center, a YouTube video, selected resources at onguardonline.gov and Common Sense Media's Facebook page.

Go to schedule for teachers, parents, and students
Go to lessons, outcomes, and assessments
Go to parent website

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What's the difference between a 20th century and a 21st century school?  What does a student-centered classroom look like?  Our readings and watchings for the latest module in the Selection and Integration class shed some light on those questions.

In true 21st century fashion, Dr. Z asked us to apply what we learned by examining a class and looking for certain characteristics.  To do so, we used a form designed by an Iowa principal named Shawn Holloway based on the Characteristics of Effective instruction outlined by the Iowa Core.

I chose to examine a junior-level class in the Education Department of the college where I work. My evaluation explains what I observed and contains recommendations to the professor on how to take the technology infusion up a notch.

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As an assignment for the Selection and Integration of Technology course, Dr. Z asked us to identify five instances of technology integration in our fields of interest.  We were then to evaluate each instance and:
  1. Identify the cell on the technology integration matrices from Florida and Arizona into which each instance would be classified
  2. Explain why we classified it into that cell and what attributes caused it to fit there
  3. Explain how this would fit into our own teaching and learning environments.
I occasionally teach workshops on specific technology skills, so some of my examples are based on those. The remaining examples are from workshops I've attended at my place of employment or have helped with in some way.   Click here to open my completed assignment.

Ever since I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that mentioned weebly.com as an exceptionally easy website and blogging platform, I've been curious about it. So when Dr. Z asked us to post our assignments to a blog, I decided to try it out.  It's true--it was a really simple point-and-click process to create this site. In fact, it's taken me longer to write these few paragraphs than it did to set up the site in the first place. 

This would be an excellent tool to use for a class website, since the education version allows you to set up pages for your students and to password-protect them.  And it's so easy to use that any student old enough to read should be able to maintain his or her page.
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