Final Blog Post on UDL and DI

Hey Everyone,

It has been a long time since the blog was furthered with another concise and yet informative post. But, I am always up to let everyone know how I am feeling about the class and how its going (or in this case, wrapping up).

First, I have to say that I am now a big fan of both UDL and DI. I have to say that the theory behind UDL aligns very well with my own philosophy. Why not set up a classroom so that everyone can learn? Especially when the set up makes it easier for everyone to learn? Who doesn't want that? DI also has its place in the classroom, and I know that they overlap quite a bit. This class has turned me on to both ideas.

The NING that my group has been using has been nothing but a wealth of tools for UDL and DI. I have found a some tools that I don't think that I could teach without now that I know they are there. This gave me a great idea though. I need to make sure that I have a place to both organize my tools and get my students access to those tools. Since I found them on this NING, why not list them and post them on a NING. This way I can empower my students by letting them choose the aides that they would like. So, if I had a student who likes text to speech software, he or she can jsut go to the class NING and start using the software. This is only one example, but the idea holds for all of the tools that I have found. If I am teaching my students a topic that fits in well with a certain tool such as visual aides or an online tools, I can mention it explicitly, but otherwise, I can let the students use the tools as they need them.

When it comes to how I think I will change my teaching immediately, I think that it is all about my mindset. I used to go and just assume that my lesson was going to be sufficient for all of my students. Now I know better. I have to stop and think about how my diverse students all receive my lesson. I cannot just assume that everyone will do just fine. I have to start looking for all of the issues that may occur. I have to anticipate how visual learners, ELL students, students on an IEP, and all of the other types of students in my class will react to my methods. As soon as I start planning for DI and UDL, my teaching will improve. I am sure of it.

This has been an eye-opening class. I am really glad to get an insight into these two teaching philosophies. I truly believe that I am a better teacher for it. I can't wait to see how my changes in my teaching approach affect my students learning. I hope it will work, but I am certain it can't hurt!

See you next time!

Tyler