EDLD+5364+WEEKLY+REVIEW

Week One of EDLD 5364: This has been one wild week. We are in the midst of preparing our third graders for TAKs, dealing with stress and frazzled staff members, and planning our own Spring Break plans. To some it is only Monday, the beginning of the work week; but for me, it is a day to reflect on last week’s learning. While I had to pencil in class readings with what minimal time I had for my own growth, I still was fortunate to assimilate new knowledge. I have taken courses based on VyGotsky’s theory so he was not “new territory.’ Nor, did I have that same feeling towards connectivism. As a modern 21st century educator, one has to be “up” on their cognitive theories. One book that taught me something that I can connect to was entitled, __How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition__. I thoroughly enjoyed Box 9.1 which was an example of the benefit of using technology due to the fact that these tools can bring real-world problems into our classrooms. Allowing students to utilize the tools they will be using once they leave our nurturing yet stifling grasp will better prepare our youth. They can build schema to refer back to, and they can also gain knowledge that a textbook alone cannot give. Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L.& Cocking, R. R. (2009). //How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School,// Ch. 9, pp194-218. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Retrieved on February 28, 2011, from []

Week 2 Reflection I can say that after a treacherous week one, I feel a bit better about how week 2 has gone. After we almost didn’t get credit for our GoogleDoc, I was a bit nervous. Cooperatively learning via the internet and across Texas can be a daunting task when you are working with, dare I say, strangers. My comments aren’t made out of anger or mistrust but out of fear of the unknown. When you aren’t familiar with something, then it can seem like a scary or overwhelming thing. The same can be said for children or teachers when approaching curriculum infused with technology. The introduction to the text, __Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works__, enlightened me on some of the tools that I am already using within the classroom. I never thought that taking notes and simple strategies were also being taught through the incorporation of technology tools. Breaking down Bloom’s taxonomy of higher order thinking refreshed my mode of thinking. I remember taking courses and differentiating instruction based on student needs, but I never thought that technology used in its most simpliest and most applicable forms could be so beneficial. Breaking down Instructional Strategies into nine categories makes organizing content and curriculum seem like a much less daunting task. Successful teachers are already using these strategies. They are the following: · Identifying similarities and differences · Summarizing and notetaking · Reinforcing effort and providing recognition · Homework and practice · Nonlinguistic representation · Cooperative Learning · Setting objectives and providing feedback · Generating and testing hypothesis · Cues, questions, and advance organizers · I cannot wait to share technology infused topics with my coworkers. =Works Cited= Howard Pitler, E. H. (2007). //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.// Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Week 3 Reflection Things must be reaching a climatic point. I have had a week full to the brim. Although it should have been a nice and quiet week preparing for Spring Break, I had to stay at work each and every night for one thing or another. TAKs tutoring, meetings, and literacy night had my week flying past me at an alarming rate of speed. I guess I had to make up for having an actual week away from work.

All of that time spent away from home, limited my time left for reading and lectures and videos. I did try my best to make time for everything. I did read up on a very useful tool, a UDL. It makes planning a lesson that much easier. It takes all the guesswork out of what you want to accomplish. If you are a educator, you must read up on UDLs.

Meyter, D. H. (2002). //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning.// ASCD. = = =**Week 4 Reflection**= It seems as though each week there is some new reason as to why it takes me that much longer to accomplish the tasks prescribed to me. I know that there will always be some challenge, but I am glad that I know that there is no challenge to big no feat to large. I can achieve my goals and complete my assignments. This past week was Spring Break. I had to juggle getting the students ready for break, my classwork, and spend quality time with my family. Family and God always come first so we decided to spend a week away from the city and work of any kind. The only downfall was that there was extremely limited internet access. I had to work between outings and share a small computer room with many other guests. If I can do that, then I am sure I can do anything.

I can't get enough of the information presented in the Meyer book. I emailed my principal just this morning to inform her of the link and all the neat tricks and freebies that this link can allow us to use during this time of economic strife. I hope that others at my campus will feel the same way as I do.

Meyer, D. H. (2002). //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning.// ASCD.

**Week 5 Reflection**
It is the end of the course, and everything is coming around full circle. I am starting to fully grasp the reasoning behind our team projects. At first, I wasn't understanding why we needed to focus on different learners. I thought that just because technology itself is so general and attainable that it didn't matter what you used; just that you used some sort of technology in your classroom. I never thought about the visually impaired student or the physically handicapped student. I do interact with learners of these natures on a daily basis (I teach a few in my classroom), but I wasn't aware of the magnitude of available tools and such that I could use to individualize and differeiniate curriculum and instruction. In the process of working through this week's assignment, I ran across quite a few websites to find more data and reasons why technology is so important for those with learning disabilities. One website sent my straight to the CAST site and spoke highly about UDLs. I really see a great benefit to using the format to create lessons for all learners.

Meyer, D. H. (2002). //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning.// ASCD.