Comments for PATINS UDL Project

Comment on Free Online Math & Language Skills Games by Tina Jones

Tina Jones — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:50:36 +0000

Hi Noemi –

Click on the “Try Word Frog for Free” link and the game will open up on your computer. You can have your students play as often as they want.

Comment on Free Online Math & Language Skills Games by noemi

noemi — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:54:37 +0000

Hi,.,im an education student, i like your eduactional game especially the word frog,.,its really appropriate for my topic, all about antonyms.How can I download it for free? Please help me i’m badly in need of that game we do have our project for our Eduactional Technology subject and one of our requirements is to present to the class a computer assisted instruction. Please help me..

Comment on Teachers’ Domain Web Site by Tina Jones

Tina Jones — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:56:43 +0000

If, as some of you have discovered, your school is not listed. You should do the following according to the FAQs.

Why can’t I find my organization?
We periodically update the lists of organizations in our database. If you find that your organization is not listed, click the “Help, I don’t see my organization” link and register your organization. Make sure you search by zip code and double check the spelling of your organization.

Comment on Free Online Math & Language Skills Games by mymoonlight

mymoonlight — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:56:28 +0000

So interestring. web hosting

Comment on Chapter 7 – Flexibility in Assessment by New Tech High UDL - Team

New Tech High UDL - Team — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:26:05 +0000

As a whole flexibility of presentation would be considered the most important for the quality of assessment. Students present their projects using methods in which they feel confident. Students work in groups and choose what part of the project they will be in charge of. The group is assessed by the mode of presentation and content within the presentation. Again, New Tech uses different modes of technology and this builds upon the strength of each individual and uses it to benefit the whole group.

Comment on Chapter 6 – Overcoming Curriculum Barriers by New Tech High UDL - Team

New Tech High UDL - Team — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:00:03 +0000

Students in general range in abilities from the 1st grade reading level to college level. In mathematics they range from 3rd grade to 12th grade level. The majority of our students with special needs are LD, and their range is from very high functioning to very low functioning.
At New Tech we use a variety of tools to roll out our Project Basic Lessons and the techniques utilized benefit every learning style. The tools help students utilize their strengths and compensate for their academic challenges.

Biology and Standard B.1.12 was chosen and the outcome of the project was for the students to compare and contrast the form and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

The project uses different forms of presentation:

Video, internet, powerpoint presentation, group discussions, and smart board.

Students have a variety of different methods to learn the subject and different ways to present the project. For instances students who aren’t confident in the written ability can use powerpoint to present their project or videos.

Any barriers that students face are usually addressed using different modes of presentation. Students do all projects in groups, students strengths can be utilized and barriers are diminished.

Comment on Chapter 8 – Action Planning by South Central UDL team

South Central UDL team — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:46:00 +0000

As our team met to review the last chapter of the book, we discussed the barriers that we might foresee encountering as we move forward with the UDL concept. We found several areas from the 8 components listed that we thought would be important barriers to address and be aware of. We felt that one area that could a problem would be digital content resources. We have many digital resources, but no good way to catalog and access them in a central place. We also do not have quality ways to create digital resources at this time (although this may be a technology infrastructure issue). To deal with this, we will want to create a central bank for materials and find a way for teacher and student created resources to be added to this. We will also want to look at acquiring digitizing equipment to help expand our digital library that we hope to create. Another big area that we felt could really hinder the UDL program is teacher training and support. Many new initiatives fail because there is not enough training provided to teachers and they feel abandoned to figure it out on their own. We feel that training would need to be on-going and consistent to keep up with the needs that will arise as UDL is implemented. There needs to be staff selected to become the initial implementers and then they can be the experts to help support/mentor additional staff as the technology is expanded. This needs to be done in a very supportive manner so that teachers feel in control of what is happening in their classrooms and allows them to get excited about the possibilities. Our team also is concerned about collaborative curriculum planning. The biggest complaint our staff has about all of the new programs happening at our school is that there is not enough time to do anything well. Finding time for staff to plan together in advance will be difficult. Teachers will need time outside of the classroom to focus their efforts on curriculum planning. We also need to have our staff working collaboratively. Currently, grade level teams work well as professional learning communities. However, special education teachers, Title I and II teachers, and technology staff are not included in planning. This is an area where roles will need to be looked at in a new way and all staff members will collaboratively focus on how to make the curriculum more flexible for all students. Finally, the key to much of this is administrative support. The principal and superintendent need to be on board and supportive of the UDL concept. Resources and financial support will need to be allocated from the top down in order to allow for time out of the classroom for planning and collaboration, time and personnel to provide training, and support of for the staff taking on the challenge of implementing UDL. If the administration is not willing to get involved and committed, the program will not succeed.

Comment on Chapter 7 – Flexibility in Assessment by nmcgriff

nmcgriff — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:50:56 +0000

Tina,
The Simple 6 rubric could be used to assess writing that is not produced with paper and pencil. The rubric assess work choice, staying on topic, etc. not how the writer produces the written piece. We don’t see using the rubric as a barrier.

Comment on Chapter 8 – Action Planning by Tonya

Tonya — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:17:16 +0000

The Zionsville Team is very excited about the UDL possibilities for our students! We look forward to learning more about the process.

1. Administrative support is critical to the success of UDL. We need the support at the building and district level to make UDL a true success. In order to do this, we have to show that UDL does make a difference.

2. Technology infrastructure is equally as important. We need tech people to assist us in making sure all equipment up and running. This is the basis for success in UDL. It is important to be able to show others (administration, staff, parents) the value of UDL and with that we need the technology to work and be effective.

3. Teaching Training/Collaboration —This is always an issue. As teachers taking on the UDL plan it is important for us to have release time to work together and plan. We also need time to be adequately trained in the programs.

We hope to repost after the conference with more detailed ideas. We think we are going to learn a lot and build a solid plan.

The Zionsville UDL Team

Comment on Chapter 7 – Flexibility in Assessment by Tonya

Tonya — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:05:14 +0000

The Zionsville UDL Team met and spent a lot of time discussing the fact that all of three of the above mentioned are closely linked together. We feel that when students have flexibility in presentation and assessment then they have more ownership of their learning. We also discussed ISTEP and it’s limitations in showing student growth. We are concerned about offering our students all of these advanced technology options and then asking them to perform on ISTEP without those supports. This continues to be a concern. However, our goal continues to be the quest to enhance learning and not teaching to a test. We agree with other teams and really like the idea of options for assessment. We would like to explore this further.
The question of fairness is a hard one. We believe that all students should be met where they are and given the opportunity to succeed. We believe that UDL can be a bridge for my students. This idea of fairness is something that will have to be addressed with our staff, students, and parents.
We are looking forward to the workshop this week and learning more about UDL and how it can benefit all students.

The Zionsville UDL Team