Assistive Technologies that support Universally Designed Lessons are abundant.  In fact, when searching for resources, it is easy to get lost on the World Wide Web. There are many lessons that are already set up and just need to be tweaked to a specific class.  I have learned about many Internet based resources by reading others' lessons.  Here are a few:

The Wiki Site: http://edltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com is just one of those amazing sites that offer the labyrinth experience of wandering among great to even better resources

It is so important for all students to keep learning while they are learning to read; therefore, I am always eager to find high interest, low readability materials for older students.  The Multimedia and Storytelling resources seem to be the ideal way to promote learning and interaction with written material.  Apps like Triptico allow for teachers to create specialized and interactive lessons that teach through pictures, concept sorts, some words, and visuals.  For students with reading and writing challenges it is difficult to stay engaged in reading since the decoding of the words is so laborious and time consuming - they can't attend to the concepts and may forget previously read sentences because our working memories only hold so much information at a time.  Universally Designed Lessons, provide these struggling students with experiences they learn from, not struggle through.

Triptico:

 http://www.triptico.co.uk/

Written response can also be challenging for students with reading challenges; Videolicious, Animoto and Voicethread can provide the solution.  These programs all facilitate student response, reflection and sharing  in ways that engage more than one of the senses.  Students can use more or less visuals and reflect on others' and their own work in a variety of different ways.  What a liberating experience from the traditional paper and pencil method.  Cyber Schools are schools of choice for many students who shy away from face to face interactions, but thrive in the virtual world.  There programs allow these marginalized students to interact with material that they would otherwise be too reserved to discuss.

Videolicious:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boeyc6oscU8&noredirect=1

  

https://assistivetechnologytidbits.wikispaces.com/About+UDL

The purpose of this blog is to explore the ideal ways to teach and learn. We all need special accommodations and modifications to make our lives easier ie. my children wear Velcro laced shoes because they are too young to tie shoe laces.  Is it a big deal for someone who can tie their shoes to wear Velcro laces?  No, of course not.  That is Universal Design - support that incidentally creates an even playing field.  If we think about the students and people who need a little extra support, it doesn't negatively impact the rest of us. It just levels the playing field; it gives equal opportunity.  In our house, we can get out the door faster if the children get equal opportunity to get ready at the same time as we do.......at least in theory.

What exactly is UDL? 
It "is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn" (cast.org). According to the Center for Applied Special Technology, UDL "minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students".  The point is that everyone "need(s) knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for learning but every student is unique and one size does not fit all".

For UDL to be effective, teachers must have clear goals for what they would like their students to learn.  Furthermore, there are three areas that must be addressed for the barriers to learning to become "flexible pathways" (cast.org).

1. Representation: Use various ways to represent information: visual, auditory, and engage the senses.
2. Action and Expression: Students should be able to represent information in various ways.
3. Engagement: Choice matters.

http://einstructionaldesign.wikispaces.com/file/view/UDL--3.png/358512369/UDL--3.png

A visual explanation of UDL - how appropriate!

 

All teachers have their students' best interests at heart.  With all of the demands to include so much in the lessons it is easy to lose sight of the students' needs.  As much as I try, I know that when the testing windows near, we review, review review.  It is always important to learn and grow as a teacher. Keeping UDL at the forefront of my planning, is something I can do better.

 This blog has been created as an assignment for a class about Assistive Technology. Its purpose is to chronicle my journey as a learner.  I am excited about this journey.  Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living". Personally, I think that an unexamined world presents so many wasted opportunities. The more I learn, the more I want to learn - the more I know, the more I learn that I need to know. As a teacher, I try to instill curiosity and inquiry in my students and own children. Nine years ago, as a classroom teacher, I was assigned a fifth grade student who was reading on a pre-primer level. Six of the thirty-two students in my class had gifted IEPs and I was successfully providing differentiated instruction that met the goals and learning needs of all of these students. As a reflective practitioner, I knew that I had to learn new techniques in order to reach this particular student and others like her in the future. This experience helped me decide to earn a Masters Degree in Reading. Now, I feel that a Certificate in Special Education would be an asset, therefore, I am taking a class on Assistive Technology as part of the requirements. This Blog has been created to display my journey through the class.