UDL, DI, and Social Networking Reflection

There has been so much information for me to take in during this class. It is funny how a concept that I have heard of and even tried to implement in the classroom can be so new in many ways. I have attended conference after conference on UDL's and DI's with nothing to take back to the classroom but questions. I constantly tried new things that I thought would work and failed. I think this is just part of teaching, but this course has left me with something that I can actually bring back to the classroom and use.

As for UDL's and DI's I see how it is not as hard as I previously made it to implement into the classroom. It seems like so much work, but with the help of technology it really is not that bad to put into use in the classroom. I use to think that these concepts were a way of dumbing down curriculum so that everyone could understand it, and then hold each student to a different level of comprehension. This course has taught me that my previous thought were ridiculous. All these concepts are trying to do is present material in different ways so that all students can be most successful. Does that mean doing some things at different levels? Sure, sometimes that is the proper way, but most of the time it is about providing visuals, hands-on, and literal explanations of concepts. All students are still responsible for reacting the standards and goals, but each may take a different path to get there.

The social networking that was done helped provide with so many resources for me to implement next year that I can't possibly name them all. It was wonderful to see the views and resources that other teachers from around the country have and use on a daily basis. There is no way to replace the experiences of others in the classroom. No book or speaker can possibly give the knowledge that other teachers can provide. I hope to continue using the network even after this class to communicate with other teachers. I would also like to implement a type of network for my students to become a part of so that they can always use each other to help them succeed in the classroom.

Last, I have a couple of things I want to change as soon as next year starts. I really want to provide different learning stations whenever possible. I have done them sparingly in the past, but I would like this to be come something I do for every section because each student learns differently and deserves the opportunity to learn in their own way. I also want to see if it is possible to keep about 8-10 laptops in my classroom at all times. We have a math laptop cart with about 30 laptops in it, but it does not seem to get used all the time. So, I want to see if I can get some computers in my room at all times to help integrate technology into my lessons on a daily basis. I really think this will allow certain students to really thrive in the classroom when they would not previously have.

Overall, I have learned many things from this class, and I cannot wait to implement them into my classroom next year. With so much stress being put on the math department to meet state standards it would be wonderful to touch more students and get more students to reach the standards. If I can get to even 5 more students a year by doing this it will be a huge success for the school and the students. Thank you to everyone for making this class so worth while.

Paul