Learning+Log+1

Learning Log #1 2/3/09
This is the first of several reflections on readings and discussions. Today's module was totally mind blowing. I walked in feeling like I was relatively tech savvy, but was shown otherwise. I can't believe how much I feel like I have learned; just today!! I know how to create a wiki, add to it and link it to another wiki. Whoa. What fun!

So our primary textbook __Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age__ has been a major resource for me for a number of years. I was introduced to it by our technology facilitator, who had always seemed flaky and not terribly focused on the VSC and the curriculum. What I came to realize is that we could take traditional lessons (particularly assessments of knowledge) and present them in a variety of ways to accommodate the varied abilities of our students. It started out as simple as open ended questions for some students and multiple choice questions for others. I later found the "Forms" feature of Word and that provided a host of fun quiz-making sessions for a number of months.

With Marc's help, I discovered that students could show their understanding of a concept or material in a number of ways. Many did not mind traditional multi-paragraph essays. Or reading from the literature anthology or from a novel. Others, who were often the kids who became "behavior issues" when we got around to writing, did a bang up job using PowerPoint. This let to forays into other programs, like Windows Media Maker, Scratch, KerPoof.

It has not been an easy road for me. First, it requires lots of extra time to design this variety of presentation and response modes. My time is limited to begin with at school. It was hard to fathom finding even more time to design lessons in a variety of forms. Also, I was always a kid who did well in the traditional school stuff. I enjoyed reading and writing. I never felt I was terribly creative. It was hard for me to understand kids/people who did not learn the same way I did. After all, it was the traditional way of doing school.

This has been a fun journey up to this point and I am really looking forward to a structured and dedicated time to further explore UDL and technology.