Universal Design for Learning Concept Map

Here is my Inspiration concept map for the Universal Design for Learning reading. I tried to demonstrate UDL's origins and how its central premise can be applied in a school setting. I didn't mean for some of the circles to overlap but that's what happened when I made the font bigger. I would have made it bigger still but I didn't want to distort the image any further.

Photoshopped "Silky"

Here is a digital picture I manipulated using Photoshop. The original picture was in color, but I made mine look old and worn by "antiquing" it. I blurred it, used the gradient tool, changed the hue to make it look sepia and put another Gaussian blur layer over it. I also decreased the opacity and added a few "scratch" marks on top. It doesn't sound like much, but since I have never used Photoshop before, this took me quite a while to do.

I found the original picture on pics4learning.com, and I chose a chicken because I used to live on a farm with chickens who became like pets. I had two of the kind pictured here- appropriately called Silkies, since their feathers are so soft and "silky".

Response to Dexter's Article

In "eTips: Educational Technology Integration and Implementation Principles", Sara Dexter explains how educational technology can be successfully integrated into both individual classroom and school settings, as well as what conditions are necessary for that to happen. She points out that teachers must be clear on what they want students to learn and how technology will help them achieve their goal(s). Technology shouldn't be used just for its own sake, but rather as a means to an end; it should have a specific purpose or reason for being used. In addition, technical support must be provided, and every member of the school community should be involved in some way or at least have a say in the way technology is used.

Dexter's "eTips" seem very practical and relevant. It is true that technology can be a very useful tool to measure and increase learning in the classroom. At the school where I work as a teacher's assistant, our second-grade classrooms have four desktop computers which students use to do "CCC" (Computer Curriculum Corporation), a program - customized to each student's level- that helps student develop their reading and math skills and tracks their progress over the course of the school year. This program is used in every grade. In the older grades, students have laptops available in the classroom to work on their writing assignments in class. The fifth grade teachers have also set up a website for their classes where students can access homework assignments and post responses. We are also fortunate enough to have two full-time technology specialists who are able to help troubleshoot any issues teachers may be having. Occasional staff development meetings are held regarding technology, and presentations about using databases and PowerPoint have been made. All in all, my school has relatively ideal conditions for integrating technology into the classroom.