Assessing for Learning - Reflection

As I took the Walden University Course "Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology" I learned some very valuable lessons and continued to change some of my mindsets about technology in the classroom. The first things that I gained was information about how technology could allow me to learn the interests, learning styles, intelligence preferences, and learning profiles of my students. I still love to have casual conversations with students to get to know them, but often times I miss shy students with this method. Different surveys that we explored will help me to better know and understand the students in my classes. Through discussions and postings on a Google Group, I was able to learn about a ton of different online resources that I would have never known existed. It was great to practice using this type of social networking and in the process find these great resources. Probably the most important thing that I learned from this class is that classes should be designed using the universal design for learning, or UDL. There is no reason why we should not be creating our lessons in a manner that will reach students with diverse needs. It will provide better learning opportunities for all learners and save time because less modifications will be needed in order to meet students' IEP's. Differentiating instruction by using technology helps accommodate the universal design. By using technology as an integral part of the education process, and not as an exception, many more options are available to students and teachers. As a result, many different learners will be given the best opportunity to succeed.