Final+Assessment

I am a technologist for my campus and I teach multimedia so I really thought that I was not going to learn too much with this course. I was basically hoping to find some new thing to take back to my classroom. At the most, I thought I was probably going to review some things I already knew about. And I did review some things but I also learned quite a bit. The most remarkable piece of information for me was that on brain research. Learning that the brain process is as individual as a fingerprint, really may an impact on me. Educational-wise that is paradigm-shifting information. We were taught to develop a lesson plan that covers the majority of your “normal average” students and then make a few adjustment for those special need student. Now I find that we are //all// special needs students! There is not such thing as one-size-fits-all curriculum.

The realization of having a daily classroom full of diverse learners, will impact my work at school. Instead, of special needs adjustments being the occasional task, adjusting for all students will be the ongoing daily task that I will be doing for all students in all aspects of my teaching.

In the book, //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age,// Rose & Mayer, write about how learning is distributed across three interconnected networks: the recognition network, the strategic network and the affective network. Students can have strengths and weaknesses on any of these networks.

Leaning about the Universal Design for Learning, my goal will be to become more flexible to meet those diverse students needs. I will create curriculum where information is represented in multiple formats and media, where students can have multiple avenues for action and expression, and where there are multiple ways of engaging student interest and motivation.

In taking this course, I did learned quite a bit, so I felt I did achieve my outcomes. But at the beginning, I wasn’t so sure how successful I was going to be with this coursework. I participated in a format that allows for a more different structure that I am used to as a learner. It has always been a brain-stretching activity for me to work in groups. I guess I am a very structured learner. I like to plan, organize, and attack my assignments. Working with others with different learning styles, requires a little patience on my part (and on theirs, I am sure) as I tend to get a little neurotic about the tasks that are needed to complete assignments. Yet working collaboratively has turned out to be a surprisedly, very enjoyful learning experience. I am going to attempt to interject more collaborative group work in my classes. I really think working in collaborative groups will turn out to have the most overall impact in my teaching career.

Ironically, the only thing during this coursework that discouraged me was the fact that I did not have my hands on every aspect of our project. I like to make a list and check it twice. When you work in a group, you have to relinquish some tasks to others and trust that they will accomplish what is needed. There are some things I would have done differently. It does not mean that my way is right and theirs is wrong, it just means that I like to sink or swim on my own efforts. It is harder to allow the freedom for others, to hold your academic life in their hands. And yet, that is life. You live trusting others will do what is needed at the time that it is needed. They may or may not. They might excel at their task or they might barely make it through. Still you go on to enjoy another day.

Working collaboratively has its challenges but in the end it makes you and and your product better for it. Sometimes being a leader means giving up the leadership role to allow others develop their leadership skills and/or to show that you may not always be the best leader for this particular project. I was very impressed with knowledge of 4th grade curriculum our new member brought to our project and it taught me that I may not always be the person for the job.

As for my attitude, I think I have changed my view on students. I no longer see students as mostly “normal, average” students and a few special needs students. All students are special and diverse and technology can help us improve how we set goals, individualize instruction, and assess student progress. I learned from this course that even though we know about technology, it is always changing and we need to look out for new technological experiences that will help our students be more successful. All in all, this course was a great learning experience that will benefit me, and my students.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning//. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology web site, http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/