Week 5 Post

     The journal article, "Universal Design for Learning: Scanning for Alignment in K–12 Blended and Fully Online Learning Materials," published in the Journal of Special Education Technology is a focused examination of the variety of online learning opportunities and in what ways they do and do not align with the Universal Design for Learning framework.  Specifically the researches developed a tool by which different blended and online materials could be measure for their alignment to this framework.  This measurement system is designed to aid educators as blended and online learning continues to grow in use around the nation.

    The article notes that, in general, digital learning material that has been created since 2014 is generally well adapted to meeting the needs of students who may have sensory or other physical challenges.  Built in text to speech tools would be an example of the type of accommodations already common within most digital learning material. Where many digital tools fall short, however, is in addressing the needs of students with specific disabilities, as well as students who struggle with reading, processing, memory, and similar cognitive demands associated with learning. 

    Using the tool designed by the researchers will allow educators to better assess whether the digital learning options being implemented at their locations will successfully address the diverse needs of their specific student population.  The checkpoints provided by the UDL tool allow for the alignment of the Lesson Plan design for this class with the UDL standards.  The checkpoints in Table 1 identify several areas (alternatives for auditory/visual information, multiple media formats, collaboration opportunities, etc.) that can be implemented or reinforced with the lesson plan design.

     The UDL website provided by CAST describes several strategies that could be implemented into a lesson plan to ensure that the lesson plan meets the criteria of the UDL framework.  One of those guidelines (7.1) aims to ensure a greater level of autonomy for students.  Within the lesson plan design, student autonomy could be encouraged in several ways.  Students could be given freedom to choose the specific individual they would like to design their website about, giving them a greater sense of ownership over the project.  Students can also be given the freedom to design the layout and general feel of their site, as long as certain basic standards are met.

    Another guideline with the UDL framework (3.1) focuses on the use and activation within the mind of background knowledge already learned within the class.  This could be achieved several ways within the lesson plan design.  A required element within the website could be the inclusion of a timeline of the Civil Rights movement, with the death of the students activist located on that timeline.  This will allow the students to activate and make use of previously used information, contextualizing the death within the events they are already familiar with.

  



Comments

  1. Cheyenne Marski- Introduction to Learning Technologies BlogFebruary 10, 2023 at 12:18 PM

    Hi Jeremy!
    I generally agree that most technology is being built with generalized adaptations but not specific adaptations. Student autonomy is my favorite part about UDL because it allows students to work according to their specific needs, but it allows students to also work on skills that they're passionate about. I like the idea of a timeline to activate background knowledge while also creating a different way to think about the historical figures life. This will be a great element for peer review because it would allow peers to see student expression in different ways. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maria Calvillo de MarshallFebruary 11, 2023 at 9:45 PM

    Jeremy,
    I share your point of view on allowing students to have their autonomy by having certain freedom to select who their would like to designed their website. I as well offered option in my lesson plan about topic and delivery product. This could address the different needs of our students. Thank you for your Blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. mcbridesorianoFebruary 12, 2023 at 11:03 AM

    Jeremy,

    You make a very compelling point regarding student autonomy. Having the opportunity to select a topic, or specific person, to do an assignment on also piques students' interest. This may lead students to actively participating more in class, as well as encouraging students to become more involved in their own learning. Great post, very insightful!

    - Megan McBride

    ReplyDelete
  4. LourdesFebruary 12, 2023 at 11:52 AM

    Hi Jeremy,

    Giving students the opportunity to select their own individual seems like a promising idea that could increase student engagement and learning retention. By allowing them to take ownership of their work, I think you are on the right path to help them create connections to the material they may have otherwise overlooked. Additionally, the creation of their own website only adds to this autonomy and expression of creativity that actively engages their authentic selves.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jennifer BartmanFebruary 12, 2023 at 12:03 PM

    Hi Jeremy,
    I am slowly becoming more accustomed to allowing my students more choice for some of their final projects. I still feel like I need to assign at least one formal, academic paper in the course, but I have allowed more autonomy for other assignments. Essentially they are still providing textual evidence and analyzing with every assignment, but when it isn't a "paper", some of the students tend to do better with it. I have noticed that some of my students either with IEPs, 504s, or an MTSS tier plan, tend to do better when they have choice over how the final product looks.

    ReplyDelete

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