Elizabeth+Dubish

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 * Voki**
 * Response to Standards**


 * Virtual Fieldtrips**

 Having just completed my first “virtual fieldtrip”, I must say that I am both enthusiastic and motivated to explore more of them and to create them for use in my instruction. I found it to be more engaging and hands-on than visiting an actual museum, plus I internalized and retained more of the information because I read all of it, and was able to choose how I navigated it.

 With today’s economy, I think that virtual fieldtrips are a necessity in the classroom. They can be utilized in any grade and in any setting. With younger children, the virtual fieldtrip can take place using a SMART board in a whole group setting, allowing the children to dictate the speed and direction that the trip takes. With older children, virtual fieldtrips can be explored in a small group or individualized setting, where specific directions and sequence are given alongside specific tasks, either utilizing a SMART board or personal computer.

Roald Dahl is my favorite author of all time. He's well-known for his children's novels and his made-up words. I particularly love his poetry because it is perfect for expressive read alouds.

//**Television**// by Roald Dahl

The most important thing we've learned, So far as children are concerned, Is never, NEVER, NEVER let Them near your television set -- Or better still, just don't install The idiotic thing at all. In almost every house we've been, We've watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about, And stare until their eyes pop out. (Last week in someone's place we saw A dozen eyeballs on the floor.) They sit and stare and stare and sit Until they're hypnotised by it, Until they're absolutely drunk With all that shocking ghastly junk. Oh yes, we know it keeps them still, They don't climb out the window sill, They never fight or kick or punch, They leave you free to cook the lunch And wash the dishes in the sink -- But did you ever stop to think, To wonder just exactly what This does to your beloved tot? IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD! IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND! IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND! HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE! HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE! HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES! 'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say, 'But if we take the set away, What shall we do to entertain Our darling children? Please explain!' We'll answer this by asking you, 'What used the darling ones to do? 'How used they keep themselves contented Before this monster was invented?' Have you forgotten? Don't you know? We'll say it very loud and slow: THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ, AND READ and READ, and then proceed To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks! One half their lives was reading books! The nursery shelves held books galore! Books cluttered up the nursery floor! And in the bedroom, by the bed, More books were waiting to be read! Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales And treasure isles, and distant shores Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars, And pirates wearing purple pants, And sailing ships and elephants, And cannibals crouching 'round the pot, Stirring away at something hot. (It smells so good, what can it be? Good gracious, it's Penelope.) The younger ones had Beatrix Potter With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter, And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and- Just How The Camel Got His Hump, And How the Monkey Lost His Rump, And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul, There's Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole- Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books, Ignoring all the dirty looks, The screams and yells, the bites and kicks, And children hitting you with sticks- Fear not, because we promise you That, in about a week or two Of having nothing else to do, They'll now begin to feel the need Of having something to read. And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy! You watch the slowly growing joy That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen They'll wonder what they'd ever seen In that ridiculous machine, That nauseating, foul, unclean, Repulsive television screen! And later, each and every kid Will love you more for what you did.

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 * Reflection to Prensky Articles**

1. The first characteristic of the younger generation that sets them apart from their parents/teachers/elders is that they've spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading. I think this is horrific and extremely accurate. The younger generation doesn't spend time reading the newspaper, or even text books. Novels and books aren't read for fun or entertainment, they are only read for assignments. I think that the older generation still reads the newspaper a couple times a week, and reads books for entertainment. The second characteristic of the younger generation that sets them apart is that they communicate primarily through email, text messaging, and instant messaging. Although they have a phone in their pocket, it's used more for web browsing, music, and entertainment than for talking. I think the older generation doesn't spend nearly as much time communicating through those means as the younger. In fact, I would assume that the older generation uses its land-line phone for communication much more frequently than their cell phone and doesn't utilize their cell phone in the same ways as the younger generations. The things that I've noticed most about the younger generation's use of technology is that it is started almost from birth, it's used throughout the day in a variety of settings and for a variety of reasons, and that it's mostly more favorably used in comparison to it's traditional counterpart (if there is one). In fact, it is so seamlessly integrated throughout the day, that social graces and manners have changed.

2. Prensky stated that children who are raised with the computer develop "hypertext minds" and that they "leap around" thus developing parallel cognitive structures. Their minds no longer respond as favorably to linear thought processes. I think that for teachers/instructors/trainers this means that their lessons need to focus on multiple tasks and ideas so that everything is related and comparable. This way, they are engaging more of the learners natural modality of learning, instead of forcing them to learn in a way that is not conducive to their brains.

3. One of the skills that I learned growing up that I think is completely unnecessary for today's learners is the ability to write in cursive. Nobody writes in cursive anymore. Everything is typed. What isn't, is actually not enough to require the ability to write in cursive. Teaching children to print is absolutely necessary. Everyone must learn the ability to write. That doesn't mean they need to do so in cursive. In order for teachers/employers to become more effective instructors and prepared for life in the 21st century, I think that they need to be focused on embracing change. So many people think change is bad and that their current way of doing things is fine or good enough as is. But it's not if today's tools aren't being utilized. By embracing change, teachers and employers will be able to recognize the things they need to change in themselves (skills, education, views, etc.) and do something about it. Doing so will make them more prepared as digital immigrant instructors.

4. There are a few benefits I definitely see coming from the use of technology in student learning. There is the most obvious and green aspect: less paper usage. Which decreases the time spent on making copies or dittos, copying notes, grading papers, etc. Then there is the benefit of making learning highly interactive and fun for students. Prensky stated in his articles that digital natives are not engaged in traditional styles of teaching. Technology tools will engage them and require their attention.

5. Two observations that I've made of the new generation that concern me are instant gratification and perseverance. Today's children expect their needs/wants to be provided to them as soon as they are made known, thus preventing them from learning how to practice waiting and patience. As a result, these children lack perseverance in a task. If they aren't immediately rewarded or provided feedback every step of the way, they oftentimes abandon the task completely. I think this is in direct correlation to their use of technology. Because technology is so fast, and it can provide those desired instant results or feedback, it's simultaneously reinforcing the children's desire for instant gratification, thus beginning this cycle again.


 * Glog** Abraham Maslow

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Creating a glog was a new and different experience for me. I found this Web 2.0 tool to be both easy to use and fun. It allowed for tons of creativity no matter the experience and comfort level with technology. The website was well organized and the information was presented in a simple and logical manner. Overall, I think this is a fantastic resource for presenting information in a way that's new, a little different, and still highly interactive.

**Responses/Reflection to Learning Styles and CAST Website Resources**

1. In completing the learning styles survey, did you learn anything new about your personal learning style, or did the information confirm what you have already determined about how you learn best? Were there any suggestions offered for improving your study skills that you had not considered before? After completing the learning styles survey, I learned that I am both a Visual/Nonverbal learner and Visual/Verbal learner making me a “balanced learner” which was basically just confirmation of my personal opinion on how I learn best. I tend to utilize most of the suggested strategies for both types of learners already, except for the use of flashcards. For some reason, I’ve always avoided using them in my post-secondary education. Maybe it’s time for me to revisit them as a possible learning strategy. One issue that I had with the descriptions of both types of learners is that it describes the preference for studying in a quiet room. As a music lover, I tend to always have music playing. I never really considered that it may be affecting my learning. I will turn it off next time and see what happens.

2. What was your overall impression of the CAST website? As someone who is quite familiar with the Universal Design for Learning, I absolutely love the CAST website. I think it’s a fantastic resource for all teachers, not just those who work with special education students, or those uncomfortable with differentiation, but anyone looking to collaborate. Since everyone learns differently, teachers can look to this website for strategies that will enable them to incorporate differentiation into their lessons, allowing for opportunities for everyone to be successful at learning. I especially love the learning tools that are provided and I use them regularly, specifically the UDL Lesson Builder.

3. Did you find any interesting information in the electronic version of **//Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age//**? Describe how you might incorporate that information in your teaching. For me, the most interesting information in **//Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age//** was that which is located in //Chapter 8: Making Universal Design for Learning a Reality//. In this chapter, the Concord Model was described in detail and provided both the necessary components for UDL implementation (Technology Infrastructure and Support, Administrative Support, Teacher Training and Support, Redefined Roles for Special and Regular Education Teachers, Collaborative Curriculum Planning, Parent and Community Involvement, Creative Funding) and video examples as well as online resources. This information seemed to be the most insightful in terms of actually incorporating the UDL into teaching and the future of technology in education. In terms of incorporating the information into my teaching, I would use it for increasing parent awareness and involvement opportunities.

4. Differentiation of instruction is a topic that is stressed in public schools today. Did any of the resources provided at the CAST website give you some new tools in helping you plan lessons for all learners? The only new tool that I am interested in utilizing for planning lessons is UDL Editions, which is specifically for literacy and really the only tool that I haven’t explored yet. As a pre-kindergarten teacher, I have not had the need so far, but am interested in applying the age-appropriate concepts to my lessons.

5. What was your reaction to the 2 activities in which you participated? Did you gain any new insight into your strengths and talents through these exercises? This experience has been very informative for me. Although I have prior experience and knowledge of CAST and UDL, I typically don’t spend much time on the underlying concepts or foundations anymore. It was good for me to revisit and review the information, especially that which is located in the electronic copy of the book, //**Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning**// as I rarely reference it, and instead utilize the website and online tools more often. Having done so, I feel more comfortable in my ability to plan effective differentiated lessons. I also found out, through the learning style survey, what learning characteristics I embody, as well as those I might share with some of students. I found this helpful because it will enable me to specially try out other teaching strategies that I may not be as comfortable with but will allow me to reach those students who have a different learning style than me. Overall, this experience has been extremely positive and one that I think would really benefit the rest of my colleagues.

6. Many of my graduate students who are teachers have expressed concern that they don’t feel equipped to sufficiently plan differentiated lessons for their students, but they have responded quite positively to the materials at CAST. Is this a resource that you may put to use in your teaching or share with colleagues at your school? This is a resource that is fundamental at my school and is utilized by every teacher in the building. When working with special education students, differentiated lesson plans are crucial and the materials and resources available at CAST are imperative to creating successful lesson plans. Although my colleagues are familiar with CAST and UDL, some may not be utilizing the resource effectively. I would like to share with my colleagues how I use the resources and tools in my lessons for lesson planning and differentiation, in hopes of inspiring them to collaborate, and create successful differentiated lessons.

7. What would you like to know/explore more at CAST? <span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I would really like to spend more time exploring the various projects that were the result of collaborations between CAST and various schools, universities, publishers, and other partners when applying the Universal Design for Learning to the challenges faced by education. I am also interested in learning more about the new literacy tool, UDL Editions, and its practical application in the classroom.


 * UDL Lesson Plan**

This is the lesson that I designed using the principles of the Universal Design for Learning.