Equal Access to the Digital World!

Providing equal access to the digital world should be a standard for all learners.  The National Center on Universal Design for Learning (NCUDL) was established based on the ideas that Universal Design for Learning helps break down the "unintentional barriers" that are created by "inflexible, "one-size-fits-all" curricula" (NCUDL, 2012, p. 1).  According to NCUDL (2012), "average [students] may not have their learning needs met due to poor curricular design" (p. 1). Additionally, in 2004 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was revised and the requirement that every child must be "considered" for assistive technology" was added (Mittler, 2007, p. 82).  

The use of technology to provide individualized, effective instruction provides the opportunity for teachers and students to meet the 21st century learning standards that are part of the Common Core Standards (CCCS) and the International Society for Technology in Education standards (ISTE) (Levin & Schrum, 2009).  
When schools and teachers strive to meet the principles of Universal Design for Learning all learners benefit.  It is a difficult approach that does require time and dedication from all members of a school community.  Above all it is necessary for teachers to have access to technology.  Additionally, it is essential for teachers to have training on ways to integrate technology.

There are ways parents can support the initiative to promote the principles of Universal Design for Learning in the classroom.  Reach out to the school board and superintendent and let them know if you feel your child has access to the digital world.  Raise awareness to other parents about the needs for technology in the classroom through PTA meetings.  Write grants for the school to receive donated technology.

References:

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2014). Retrieved on April 12, 2014, from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/

International Society for Technology in Education. (2010). Retrieved on April 12, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf

Levin, B. B. & Schrum, L. (2009). Leading 21^st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Mittler, J. (2007). Assistive technology and IDEA. In C. Warger (Ed.), Technology integration: 

Providing access to the curriculum for students with disabilities. Arlington, VA: Technology and Media Division (TAM).

National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2013). Universal Design for       Learning Retrieved on April 12, 2014, from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl/conceptofudl

Edmodo

Edmodo Group 

I am excited to announce that I have created an Edmodo account. According to Tech Talk (1999), “Edmodo is a social learning network that gives teachers and students an easy way to connect and collaborate in real time” (p. 15). Teachers, as well as parents can use Edmodo to search for information on all educational topics from book suggestions to solving math problems. Teachers can use it to post links to websites, articles, and videos or post lessons and projects. It is helpful to think of Edmodo as Facebook for the classroom. There is a wall that is set up by the teacher, which can have different groups. Anyone can post to the wall, but just like Facebook, it is monitored by the creator or the teacher. Having students share their ideas and work on Edmodo provides them with the opportunity to experience a real world application in a safe and secure setting. Additionally, this learning environment provides teachers and parents the opportunity to discuss netiquette. Netiquette is the proper behavior that should be used when sending emails and using the Internet (Levin & Schrum, 2009). Students can also save their work on Edmodo, which is great since it can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection. Since I am new to Edmodo, I want to share with you some ways Jan Wells, a fourth grade teacher from Kansas uses Edmodo to enhance her instruction.

Jan's class had a guest speaker via Skype and while the speaker was presenting the students were using Edmodo to “carry an online conversation about the spoken remarks” with another class (Dobler, 2012, p. 12). She also uses Edmodo to introduce new topics by posting links to videos, images, and sites on the same topic. In her class, students post their independent or group work to Edmodo, so their classmates can see what they working on during the day. Lastly, she uses Edmodo to encourage conversations and connections. For example the students might discuss school events or holidays.

As you can see the possibilities and uses of Edmodo are endless. I am looking forward to jumping into this new adventure with you. Please feel free to post to our board often.

Dobler, E. (2012). Flattening classroom walls: Edmodo takes teaching and learning across the globe. Reading Today, 29(4), 12-13. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/926994460?accountid=3783

Levin, B. B. & Schrum, L. (2009). Leading 21^st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Tech talk: Edmodo. (2011). Instructor (1999), 120(6), 15. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/865333109?accountid=3783

WebQuest Update

WebQuest is an online lesson that can be created for any subject and for students of all learning abilities.  Students use the internet to gather information by visiting sites that are preselected by the teacher.  A WebQuest typically contains an introduction, task, process, evaluation, and conclusion.  The evaluation or assessment at the end of the lesson provides students a way to demonstrate their understanding.  There will be a rubric in this section of the WebQuest, so students are aware of the expectations for this lesson.  For more information you can visit this site:  http://webquest.org/

The WebQuest I will be creating is on phonological awareness.  There will be both videos and games to introduce and reinforce the concepts of rhyming, blending and segmenting.  The students will create and upload a video to demonstrate their understanding.  I will post a link to the WebQuest once it is created.  I welcome any feedback you may have and I hope you enjoy working on the WebQuest with your child. 

Educational Value of VoiceThread)

Phonological Awareness VoiceThread

Check out my new VoiceThread on phonological awareness!  VoiceThread is an amazing cloud application that allows users to upload almost any project onto their site.  The project can be viewed online.  Viewers can comment via telephone, web-cam video, audio recording or by typing a comment.  Multiple people can view a project at the same time and make comments simultaneously.  My project is an introduction to phonological awareness and it is meant to be viewed by parents and teachers.  This technological tool can be used numerous ways.  It is a great way to share student work with parents.  It can also be used to share projects between classmates and allow them to critique each others' work.  What projects would you like to see me add to VoiceThread?    

Educational Value of Wordle

Wordle is a fun educational technology tool that both teachers and students of all ages can utilize.  Wordle creates 'word clouds', see my trials below, from the words that are added in the text box.  Words that are repeated more frequently appear larger in the Wordle.  My Wordle is on phonological awareness, an early skill that focuses on manipulating the sounds in spoken words.  The uses of Wordle are infinite.  Teachers can create Wordles to introduce a new book, theme, or topic of study by including vocabulary, dates, names, genre, and skills and strategies that will be taught.  Students can create Wordles in place of character and vocabulary webs, highlight key events in story or period in time, and as a way to summarize their learning of a text or topic.  Worlde allows the author to personalize their writing visually by changing the font,  the way the text is displayed , and which colors are used.  What are some ways you can use Wordle?  I would love to hear your ideas!

Check out my experiments with Wordle...my only advice is to save your list of words or text in another application such as Word or Libre Office because once you create your Wordle you can't go back and edit the words and have fun.  :)
 

3rd and favorite

2nd and improving

1st time using Wordle!