UDL at CMSCE, Rutgers University

We have to acknowledge that we don’t always have all the technology at our fingertips that we’d like to have. We know much of it is on the way, or listed on a purchase order somewhere, but until it is in our classrooms and installed correctly, how are we going to begin using all the methods that we’ve learned to use with our students?

Today we’re going to talk about a typical classroom with three computers and how to utilize those few computers and still attain the goal of multiple methods of representation from our students. We’re also going to work on improving a lesson that uses many UDL strategies in a direct instruction format. By working together to embed more of the elements of the UDL Framework, we can reach more of our students through our successful lessons.

Here are some of the resources we’ll be using today:

http://math247.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

http://thinkingblocks.com/

We are going to spend some time today talking about how to manage your UDL classroom with all the choices you are making available and the technology you now have to maintain. Two questions to keep in mind as you peruse the resources are: Which techniques have worked for you in the past? and 2. Which techniques have backfired?

Here is a list of resources that we are going to review to help us establish some guidelines that we will use as a group.

Learners with Laptops
http://learnerswithlaptops.wikispaces.com/Technology+and+Classroom+Management

Classroom Management in Irving Independent School District
http://www.irvingisd.net/one2one/classroom_management.htm

Classroom Management: Strategies That Work
http://www.theteachersguide.com/ClassManagement.htm

PowerPoint Reform – If you haven’t already seen this wiki full of amazing ways to use PowerPoint and ways NOT to use it, then take some time to click through the links and bookmark what you want to revisit when you have a block of time.

Today we’re going to look at a presentation that needs some work. We’ll talk about ways to improve it, make it more accessible to you (and in turn your students) and what tools you might want to use to accomplish these tasks

Take a look back at the comments from your peers after we met last month. If I were to try to find a common theme, it were to be interactivity. What theme would you find from these comments?

To make sure that we are on the same page moving forward with embedding Universal Design for Learning in our classrooms, we need to make some decisions about our students.

Take a look at this keynote delivered by a young man from Dallas, Dalton Sherman. Listening and watching Dalton speak in front of thousands of educators made me think about the students and educators I work with and I’m hoping that it will open a discussion I’d like to have today about differentiation, engagement and accessibility.
(Thanks goes to Kevin Jarrett for originally blogging about the video last August.)
Dalton Sherman on YouTube

We will all spend some time today exploring the UDL Toolkit Wiki created and maintained by Karen Janowski and Joyce Valenza paying special attention to the page on math tools.

We’ve spent a lot of time working on our Toolkit today. You’ve reviewed a handful of tools that you may or may not want to use in your classroom. Please, before you leave, do one of the following:

1. Leave a comment here discussing which tool was your favorite, why and how specifically you see using it with your class.

2. Visit Ira Socol’s blog and read his post from April 9 called Not Getting to Universal Design. Please leave Ira a comment on his blog.

3. Visit my Delicious links and choose another tool tagged “UDL”. Leave a comment here letting us know which tool you selected. Be prepared to demonstrate the tool the next time we meet as a group.

We hope the theories behind Universal Design for Learning are all coming together for you and that you are excited to implement the strategies in your classrooms.

Where do we go from here? What skills are you working on with your students? We should always determine the skills before we determine which tool will help us remove barriers and provide flexibility in the classroom.

Comment on what your goal for yourself is for the next month. What skill are you working on?

We spoke a lot today about breaking down the barriers in the classroom. We also discussed the reasons why we evaluate students and the value of Universal Design for Learning in assessment. Please read Paul Hamilton’s post entitled Ira Socol’s Toolbelt Theory and My Blog and comment on his blog or here as to what type of tools you are looking for to increase assessment accuracy and accessibility.

Today’s presentation can be found online at SlideShare.net.

I hope the theories behind Universal Design for Learning are all coming together for you and that you are excited to implement the strategies in your classrooms.

We’ve spent a lot of time working on our Toolkit today – specifically tools for math. Before you spend the afternoon working on using our UDL Lesson Plan Template from Cast read the blog post listed below.

On April 9, 2008, Ira Socol’s posted Not Getting to Universal Design on his blog. Please read his post and leave your comment (reflections) either on his blog or here today.