Reflection - Reaching and engaging all learners through technology

Now that I am nearing the completion of the course Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology I can reflect on the strategies and tools I have learned to teach the diverse learners in my classroom. I have had the opportunity to learn about several resources from my classmates and I will certainly make several adjustments to my instructional practice as a result of taking this course.

One of the first resources I plan on using is my student information survey that I developed during week one of the course. This online survey I created will help me learn about my student’s various learning needs and styles. This information will help me to differentiate my instruction by interest and also provide a variety of ways for students to acquire information.

As I plan the curriculum for my classes I will refer to the three principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I must provide a variety of formats for students to learn information including using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modes, among others. I must also provide different engagement strategies to meet the different interest needs of students. Finally, I must provide a variety of ways that students can demonstrate that they have learned the concepts for the course.

After learning about my students and developing curriculum following the UDL principles I will need to use differentiation tools to provide for the different learning needs of the students. Although the learning objectives will remain constant, the method of achieving those goals and demonstrating mastery will vary according to the student. This may be a difficult transition for me to make since there will be multiple activities going on the in the classroom but I believe I can make the adjustments successfully.

We have just started our school year and I have several severe needs students in my classes. I plan on meeting with the teacher of these students to develop some learning goals for them, and we plan on using peer tutors to help them in the class. I plan on using some software programs to help these students such as Pixwriter, which is a program that allows students to create sentences using pictures, and Kurzweil that allows students to hear text being read to them. This will be an opportunity for me to put my new knowledge and skills to the test.

The beginning of the school year brings with it so many new ideas and responsibilities. I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all of the things I need to get done with limited time and resources. However, I do feel confident that I can successfully incorporate the learning tools and strategies I have learned in this course to provide a successful learning experience for all of my diverse students.