EDUC 5313: Week 5 Blog Assignment

Week 5 Blog Assignment

Part 1: Select one article from those linked below regarding Universal Design for Learning and provide a summary of the article and discuss connections to the lesson you are developing.

Rao, K., Torres, C., & Smith, S. (2021). Digital tools and UDL-based instructional strategies to support students with disabilities online. Journal of Special Education Technology, 36(2), 105-112. 

During the Covid 19 pandemic, schools had to make a quick change to digital learning in order to provide instruction for their students. Teachers were most affected by this and had to quickly learn new digital tools in order to cope including learning management systems, new apps, browser extensions, and most especially programs like Zoom so they could communicate with their students daily. Of course, this led to professional development from the developers of this new technology and districts trying to give their teachers the tools they needed to adapt to online learning. The article stresses that the emphasis often focused on the digital tools rather than instructional strategies which meant that some students were left behind. The emphasis should be on the meaningful and intentional use of digital tools to support kids that need extra attention such as students with disabilities. Digital tools include hardware like chromebooks, software like apps, and online environments like websites and LMS’s. These tools improve engagement and increase learning but they might also include assistive technology such as text-to-speech and screen readers which would help all kids, but especially our students with disabilities. 

The framework of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an important method for educators to use for designing lessons. UDL is based on three core principles which include representation, action and expression, and engagement. These principles assist teachers when lesson planning to provide additional ways of accessing information and demonstrate their knowledge while keeping students motivation and engagement high. Students with diverse needs need teachers to reduce barriers such as literacy skills, planning, organization, motivation, and self-regulation in their learning environments and use digital tools alongside instructional strategies to help kids face these learning challenges. The article points out that teachers must provide clear, step-by-step instructions with visual aids and give students content into manageable chunks to help with  comprehension. Teachers should offer lots of different opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding through multimodal formats, such as digital presentations or creative projects. My lesson plan allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of Pathos and Logos by creating their own Canva presentation about a controversial topic of their choosing. The article also states that scaffolding assignments and receiving feedback throughout the process is important. I plan to lead into the lesson with several activities to gain an understanding of rhetorical devices, and I will have a self-assessment checklist and check in on their projects by having them share them with me, so they can receive feedback. In fostering engagement, it is essential to promote choice and collaboration. Digital tools can help students manage learning tasks effectively and encourage interactions through discussion forums like the one in Canvas. As digital tools continue to be developed and changed, teachers must assess them through the lens of UDL to ensure they meet all three of their guiding principles. After the pandemic it is obvious that integrating digital tools is essential so teachers can foster an inclusive learning environment that empowers all students to succeed.

Part 2: Visit the CAST Universal Design for Learning website and use resources there to identify strategies that you could integrate into the lesson you are developing.  Discuss at least two strategies that you could meaningfully integrate into the lesson you are developing.

Consideration 7.1: Optimize choice and autonomy:

• Embed choices that align with the learning goal, such as:

• The content to explore

• The design or graphics of layouts, etc.

• Use a collaborative approach among learners and educators to co-design learning goals, activities, and tasks.

In my lesson, I plan to give my students a choice in what topic they want to research to enhance engagement. I allowed the students to choose 5 choices from a list of approved controversial topics and then put them into groups based on ability and the choice they made. While in groups, they will make a Canva presentation which demonstrates their knowledge of rhetorical devices, their controversial issue, and MLA citation. While the content of the slides has been determined by me, the style of the presentation is entirely theirs. 

Consideration 3.1: Connect Prior Knowledge to New Learning:

• Pre-teach critical prerequisite concepts through demonstration or models.

• Make explicit cross-curricular connections (e.g., teaching literacy strategies in the social studies classroom).

In my lesson, I will use my own Canva presentations to introduce the concepts of rhetorical devices, then I will model on the Smart TV how to identify the rhetorical devices in Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention, then I will have them practice with their seat partners the same concept with Abigail Adams’s “Letter to John Adams” and then correct these together as a class. I will also give a formative assessment, a mini-quiz on rhetorical devices, and include a review video in their modules. Before students look at any of these texts, I will include a quick review in both a Canva presentation and a video of the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers even though they are in an ELA class because it supports the understanding and comprehension of the historical documents they are studying. Using Canva presentations several times is important because their summative assessment is a Canva presentation on their own controversial issue. 

Part 3: Reflect upon the guidance provided in the 2024 NETP regarding the integration of UDL strategies to address the Digital Use Divide (week 2 reading assignment).

NEPT gives teachers a set of frameworks helping them to integrate active technology use in their classrooms. The digital use divide is explained by NEPT as a gap in access and familiarity with digital technology especially with disadvantaged students. This emphasis on building lessons that acknowledge and address accessibility is a shared focus with Universal Design for Learning. They both encourage teachers to develop equitable, accessible, and inclusive learning environments so all students can learn. Also, they both stress the importance of personalized learning by focusing on a student's individual strengths and needs which can be made easier through the use of digital tools. Both NEPT and UDL advocate for the use of digital tools that can be used to differentiate instruction where teachers offer several ways for students to access information and ways to demonstrate their knowledge. UDL’s purpose is to support students with disabilities and ELL’s and using technology in an active way rather than passive can improve the learning outcomes and offering assistive tools like screen readers, speech-to-text, and personalizing learning systems like Canvas can help students who need additional services. Lastly, both UDL and the NETP promote the use of collaboration by providing lessons that make communication a key component, allow for co-creation of end products, and emphasize shared resources to encourage learning content and practice soft skills.

References:

About Universal Design for Learning - CAST. (2024, October 7). CAST. 

https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl#.XGn5889Kho4

National Educational Technology Plan - Office of Educational Technology. (2024, January 

24). Office of Educational Technology. https://tech.ed.gov/netp/

Rao, K., Torres, C., & Smith, S. (2021). Digital tools and UDL-based instructional

strategies to support students with disabilities online. Journal of Special Education Technology, 36(2), 105-112.