FINAL REFLECTION/THOUGHTS

Where to start?? I'm blown away by how much I have learned from this one course!! It's been AWESOME and SUPER ENGAGING!!!  I have to say I was very nervous going into this course but I'm so glad I was able to be apart of it because it has truly been the highlight of my journey in the Master's program thus far!! I feel blessed to be apart of this truly amazing learning experience as I know I have gained so much knowledge and can't wait to share it with my colleagues.

                                      REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE BARRIERS

First of all, I feel that "Presumed Competency" was one of the big highlights for me!! 
"Presuming competence is about giving someone a chance and helping them take that chance in any way you can."  Teachers need to stay positive and believe in the success of all students/children. Ted Talk by Todd Rose's "Myth of Average" was a big eyeopener for me. It discusses the importance of "One Size does not fit all" approach to learning/education. Each and every student is unique and has different needs and backgrounds. We really need to take a look at the child and know that "Average" does not exist. I loved the way Todd Rose compared the Cock Pit of an aircraft to the classroom and how the average seating did not work for everyone. This is also true for the classroom. Little things do make a difference and it could be as simple as changing the chair for the child, providing pencil grips, or allowing them extra time. This is important and could be the means of changing the lives and success for so many children in our Education System. 
The Universal Design for Learning is extremely important to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful and reach their full potential. I also found this video to be quite informative and useful!! Interesting to watch and learn to be more accomodating to our future students/children.s

Just to think about Tyler, Matthew, Jake, and Carly (Leslie Brouns Article) and other children we have read about throughout this course was truly inspirational and heart-wrenching. It was great to see how Universal Design for Learning supported these children and allowed each and every one of them to find success. Through Assistive technology, support, guidance, perseverance, and determination from caregivers, teachers, assistants and teachers, it is clear that it's important to be patient and consistent with children and it will certainly be rewarding for all. 

THIS IS ONE QUOTE THAT WILL ALWAYS BE ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!

ABUNDANCE OF VALUABLE RESOURCES:

Another major highlight was being introduced to so many amazing RESOURCES!!! These resources can be so beneficial as a teacher especially during such a challenging time like we are experiencing right now. It's great as teachers to be able to provide the necessary resources to ensure that all children can have the necessary tools, accessories and resources to be able to learn and grow.

Some of the Resources include:

1.  Book Creator: Students can get creative by designing their very own digital books. Teachers can also create their own teaching resources. I highly recommend Book Creator!! Very engaging and I absolutely loved our group project of creating a book as a valuable resource tool. I'm sure every student would love this too1! 

2. Read and Write for Google: this is a highly accessible google chrome extension. This allows students to use tools such as text to speech, predictive text, picture dictionary, translator, quick definition, and tons of other study skills. AWESOME RESOURCE!!!! I will forever continue to use this and introduce it to others.

3. Mentimeter: This is a polling tool that allows you to set up questions, surveys, etc. Now your target audience can give their input using a mobile device to submit input. I like that it's anonymous!!  

4.Wheel of Names: Excellent resource tool for classrooms and other group functions. You list all the names on the wheel and then spin the wheel and it randomly selects a person. Great in so many ways in that some kids may always be speaking whereas others may not get the chance. In this way, everyone gets an equal opportunity for a chance to be selected to speak. Great for many different classroom activities. 

5. Unite for Literacy: Another great classroom and home resource for students, parents, and educators. A wide selection of topics and books in a variety of themes. Available in French and English. You can also use the search bar to search. It's awesome. LOVE THIS!!

6. CAST Website: Great Resource for teachers, educators and parents that offers an abundant amount of information, support, and professional learning surrounding Universal Design for Learning.

7. Understood: This is a great resource to share with parents. A resource that supports thinking and learning differences and helps give reasoning and aid understanding to support these differences

8.EdWeb: this resource is designed to help you with online learning and collaboration as we all strive to cope with virtually learning during this pandemic.  THIS IS A MUST SEE!! LOTS OF SUPPORT!!

I am so thankful for the blog that I have created!! It will be an awesome tool/resource as we move forward in our careers as Educators. There are many more Resources and I'm sure I have mentioned them in my other blog posts. I will always be able to refer to this in the future to help me to better accommodate my future students. 

APPS APPS and MORE APPS

Another HIGHLIGHT was learning about all the APPS available to assist students in all areas!! I know I have listed these in a previous post but I have to say I was blown away with the number of apps that I was never introduced to. Some I was familiar with but there were so many that will be super beneficial moving forward not only as a teacher but as a parent of two children. It's amazing how many of the apps available are free and easily accessible for all learners. 

As teachers it's important to go the extra mile, provide the best support, eliminate the barriers, keep an open mind, and strive to do our best to create a classroom that embraces the UDL and AT Framework. In the end, we will all feel better and feel rewarded for allowing every child an opportunity to achieve their goals and reach for the top. GET RID OF THE AVERAGE STATE OF MIND BECAUSE IT DOES NOT EXIST!! Every child deserves that equal opportunity and we need to be there for them. Universal Design for Learning framework and including multiple forms of ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY should be at the forefront of how we deliver Education. Needless to say, I have gained so much from this course and will always be thankful for this wonderful learning opportunity. This course was definitely the highlight of the Master's Program thus far. What a WONDERFUL ENGAGING EXPERIENCE. 

All Blogs, assignments, projects, writeups, and online classes were amazing and so informative that I have truly grown in this learning experience as a student, teacher, and parent. I can't wait to share my knowledge with others and especially my future students. 

Thanks so much BARBARA WELSFORD for delivering such a wonderful course. I also want to thank all of my colleagues and classmates (Cohort 25). We are in this together and it's amazing how much we learn from each other. Thanks to everyone!!  

Three Takeaways from the last class!!!

1. Unite for Literacy was absolutely amazing and all I can say is WOW!!! This was definitely one of the most valuable resources shared in our final class. It is so beneficial for teachers, students, parents, and absolutely amazing for home-based learning!! I'm sure there are many people out there like myself who did not know this type of resource was available!!

I love that you can actually listen to and read all the books in multiple languages which is highly valuable for teachers having to assist ELL children enrolled in our school system.

The books actually eliminate so many social barriers for kids by offering a variety of topics that accommodating children from various ethnic backgrounds. This website accommodates children from different nominalities, races, genders, and disabilities. I like that you can use the search bar at the top to look up books of interest. It's amazing offering so much variety. I know I will continue to use this resource in my future endeavors.


                                                               

2. EdWeb was another awesome online learning experience for teachers. It's great to be aware of such great learning tools to aid with our movement to a more technical/virtual world. This site offers free online learning through webinars and other professional learning experiences for administrators, educators and parents as they cope and deal with the new type of web-based learning. Another amazing benefit is this site is free!! I am very excited to further my learning through this site where I will be able to continue learning to be better able to assist teaching my future students and as assist my children in their education and learning. It's ideal that you can take a quiz after each webinar and earn a certificate!!! I have already mentioned this to a few of my close teacher friends and one of them messaged me to thank me for introducing them to this wonderful resource.

3. My final takeaway from the last class was definitely READ & WRITE FOR GOOGLE

                                                           

I want to commend everyone on an absolutely awesome Presentation!! Every presentation was engaging, informative, and very well presented. It's amazing to see all the different ways we were able to put our minds, thoughts, and experiences together to come up with an amazing presentation. It's absolutely amazing how much I have learned through these presentations and seeing the creative measures taken to deliver such valuable information. We were able to deliver such wonderful tips, useful information, and a fully descriptive and comprehensive package for anyone wanting to get a better understanding of the Read & Write for Google Chrome Extension.
HATS OFF TO EVERYONE FOR AN AWESOME PRESENTATION!!!!! I'm sure we all were able to gain valuable tips and techniques from each and every presentation as they were so uniquely presented and truly beneficial!! BIG SHOUT OUT TO BARBARA WELSFORD for introducing us to this and so much much more.

                                                                             

                                                                       

Reflection: Class #3

3 Main Takeaways

1. Hosting a Dinner Party/Katie Novak
Katie Novak creates a great analogy of UDL in our Education system. Who would have thought Hosting a dinner party would be so challenging? There is one simple solution to both scenarios which Katie Novak does an awesome job presenting in her presentation video explaining the Universal Design for Learning. A MUST SEE!!!

Given the list of dietary restrictions, allergies, likes, dislikes, and other limitations it was clear that it's impossible to create that one dish that would be suitable or a good fit for everyone. We were quick to realize that the best solution to catering a dinner party like this would be to offer choice selection and variety to allow people choice and freedom to choose the foods appealing and suitable to them. This activity really allowed me to put things into perspective and compare this type of situation to the classrooms where we have such a diverse range of learners. Each child is unique and brings to the classroom their own likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, background knowledge and the list goes on. However, just like the "Dinner Party" activity it's important to provide the students in our classrooms with the tools, choices, and options that will provide a comfortable, adaptable and effective learning environment for all our diverse learners.  It's important to accommodate the diverse needs and be willing to offer flexibility, choice/variety, and support to ensure that we are allowing all students to achieve their goals and find success through means that best suit their needs, interests, and learning styles. 

Watch this amazing video presented by Katie Novak: What is UDL??

2. Apps Galore: WOW!!

It was quite intriguing to learn about the countless number of Literacy based apps available and most are free which is extremely helpful. I have used a variety of different apps as a parent and educator for the past 12 years but today I was introduced to a number of unfamiliar apps and ones I had never explored before. We are always looking for good apps to use at home and in schools to help our children/students in various areas of the curriculum. Being introduced to these apps were very beneficial to aid in the learning process of our students and children.

Keeble:
(Writing App) is an app that makes it easier for people to type and speed up your typing. Visually, it's highly customizable. This app allows users to change color and font and also includes a dyslexia font. This app also reduces typos and slipups by selecting keys on release and speaking as you type. There is a predictive feature that offers suggestions based on what you are typing.

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Montessori Crosswords: 

(Reading Remediation App) Kids can choose the desired level and move up accordingly. It enables them to move from simple 3 letter words to more complex words. It is user friendly and provides sounds, animations, and interactive visual effects. Kids can easily drag and drop letters to their appropriate places to spell the assigned word. Kids can listen and hear the letter sounds while applying the appropriate letter to make the word.  This app helps with Reading/Writing and also building vocabulary. 

Available in French too!!! YAY!!!

 Phonemic Awareness Bubbles:

This app will help prepare your child to develop phonemic awareness skills necessary to set the foundation of the reading process. It will aid the reading process by helping your child learn the primary sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Using this app, children will be able to identify the beginning sounds of words and help them understand that words are made up of sound units known as phonemes. This app is a great learning tool for beginners and students who struggle to read. There are games children can play in this app to allow the learning process to be more engaging, fun, and realistic for the learner. 

One game is a matching game where students/children are directed to match pictures to the same sound. The second game is an elimination game where children are directed to get rid of the picture that does not have the same sound. The Third game is analyzing 2 images and decide whether or not the two images have the same sounds. 

Speech Tutor:

Speech Tutor is a speech therapy app that makes the face visually transparent as sounds are being made. The animation is viewable at three speeds and can be paused at any time for practicing positioning and articulation as you move through the sounds. Speech Tutor offers a "Side View" and "Front View" of each sound production. This app is very helpful in that it allows students to see where they are being successful and where further speech therapy is needed. There are 132 animations and a recording capability. WOW!!! 

Immersive Reader:

This is an app that is a highly valuable tool in that it uses techniques to improve reading for people of all ages and ability levels. It helps to increase fluency for ELL as well as readers of many other languages. It helps to build confidence for emerging readers learning to read at higher levels. This app offers text decoding for students with different learning abilities such as dyslexia. 

Iris:

This is a software that makes computer screens/monitors easy on the eyes. It helps to prevent eye strain by optimizing screen pulsations and controlling the brightness. It reduces eye pain by matching the screen brightness with the light around you and will automatically adjust to a suitable setting. This software can also improve sleep by regulating blue light and this will help your body to produce more melatonin at night. 

Voice Dream Writer:

Voice Dream Writer will help people compose better-written work. It provides Text-to-speech,  proofreading to help reduce mistakes, phonetic, and meaning search to help you use the right words, and an active outline helps you organize and improve the structure of your writing.

Snapverter

Snapverter is an add-on for Read&Write for Google that converts printed documents and inaccessible digital files into readable PDF files to make it  easy to share and for reading aloud in Google Drive. This app can quickly transform classroom papers, images, and eBooks into accessible, Google Drive-friendly files. Snapverter uses smart OCR technology that can easily recognize text from worksheets, handouts, book pages, and other printed materials.  GREAT APP!!! 

There are so many valuable tools and apps available and all we have to do is EXPLORE!!! There is always a solution to a problem. No matter the obstacles, disabilities, or challenges, there is always a way to help our students grow, learn, and achieve their full potential. 

3. The UDL Powerpoint Presentation was so informative and engaging. It's amazing just to see how far our education system has come!! So much improvement and tweaking to meet the diverse population of children in our education system who equally strive to learn and find true success. As most of us recall, life in the classroom in our past was nothing like what we are experiencing today!! All I can say is FINALLY!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!! The PowerPoint was a great way to see how UDL started, what UDL means, and various steps and in-depth measures it took to design this universal model with Assistive Technology and other valuable resources playing a major role in its design. Needless to say, it took an abundance of hard work and determination to design the UDL framework and to start incorporating it into our education system. Hats off to the many supporters, developers, Educators, and leaders!! 

THE OLD WAY

This was the way it was!! Was it Fair? Was it right? My answer is NO!!! I recall getting my report card in grade 4 and passing with flying colors but watched my close friend/cousin shed tears to know that he had to repeat the grade!! I felt torn!! Can you imagine how this child felt? Yes, he was trying, Yes he worked hard, Yes he was intelligent!! BUT Was he treated fairly? NO!! I'll never forget that day!! He just needed something more than what was expected. We grew up in that sad old system "One Size Fits All"!!! Sadly, he repeated the grade and moved through school barely scraping by and doing his tasks/work the old fashioned way with no extra support, accommodations,  provisions, etc... Was he successful in life? Hell YES!! Thankfully he found great success!! He finished grade 12 with not the best average but it was a pass!! He moved into a field of high interest at a recognized college and successfully completed a technological trade where he now works in Alberta repairing, updating and rebuilding systems and computers for some large industries and companies. How many people do we know lost confidence, dropped out, and became discouraged due to the way the education system was designed and delivered. Students were expected to complete the same tasks, same assignments, and tests regardless of their abilities and needs which was damaging and set so many intelligent children up for failure to achieve their goals. 

CAST WEBSITE

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this amazing website that provides everything you need to know about UDL!! There are videos, charts, resources, activities, and so on to help provide a better understanding of the Universal Design for Learning. I found this a very valuable tool while working on the Read and Write for Google assignment. I will definitely continue to use this website as there is so much there that could help as I continue to work in the Education field and be the mom of two children enrolled in the school system.

www.cast.org

Please view this video that is on the Cast Website explaining the theory behind UDL and how it works. Please View

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING GUIDELINES

Watch this Video