UDL: Representation

1. What does the research say about this?
• The site "UDLguidelines.cast.org" says: "Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. Others may simply grasp information quicker or more efficiently through visual or auditory means rather than printed text. Also learning, and transfer of learning, occurs when multiple representations are used, because they allow students to make connections within, as well as between, concepts. In short, there is not one means of representation that will be optimal for all learners." This means that there should be multiple ways to present the information in the classroom. An all lecture based class will not help all students to succeed.
2. How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching?
• I can use other means to present the same information in my classroom than just text, with the internet today I can find games, videos, infographs, and more that teach the same information to students as the text in the book would. There are also great graphic novels for math. The booklistonline.com source on the bottom has a ton of comic books that teach math.
3. How will this help your students?
• This will help students who like to learn hands on, visually, using the application of concepts, those with dyslexia or other learning disabilities to be able to grasp the concepts and learn more then they would with just one source of instruction.
4. What are your goals with regard to this topic?
• I plan on thinking about all the students in my class when making my lesson plans. I don't want to make sure that the majority of students understand but I want all students to get the most out of each lesson. To do this I will provide different types of text, such as videos, podcasts, and more to each lesson plan. I will also give students options in the way they want to do an assessment and for them to demonstrate their understanding.
5. How does this shape your vision for empowered learning for your students?
• This helps students to be more successful in understanding the concepts which will help the students to not feel so helpless and feeling like a failure because they are not a "math person." A lot of students feel like they won't succeed in math because they don't understand what is presented in the text, or they don't take tests well. Having UDL representation will help students to receive information and display their understanding.

Sources

https://www.booklistonline.com/Classroom-Connections-Graphic-Novels-with-Science-and-Math-Themes-Ian-Chipman/pid=4268442

http://udlguidelines.cast.org/representation

Digital Citzenship

1. What does the research say about this?
• According to the video located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH6869bD8iU&feature=youtu.be&start=0&end=114, digital citizenship prepares students and others on how to navigate the web safely. It helps students to identify what are good and bad sources or sites to get information off of, cyber bullying, communication skills and more. This is all according to common sense education. 
2. How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching?
• There are tons of sources on how to teach this my teaching. There are complete lesson plans on common sense on how to teach this. I would totally some of the lesson plans on common sense education right before we do a research project to find data to apply our math skills on.
3. How will this help your students?
• This will help my students to navigate the internet and how to search for the information they want. It will also help them to be able to recognize credible sites and bogus ones. There are also a lot of fun games they can play to help their understanding. These are listed in the sources.
4. What are your goals with regard to this topic?
• My goals are to teach students how to use the internet without getting all the junk. I also want to show students respectful ways to talk to each other on the social media instead of this bullying someone.
5. How does this shape your vision for empowered learning for your students?
• This helps me to to allow students to think independently and to help them find the answers to their questions instead of relaying on me for every answer. This helps students to feel good about their ability to think things through and to feel like they don't have to rely on someone else for their answers.

Sources:

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH6869bD8iU&feature=youtu.be&start=0&end=114

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass

Standards and PLN

1. What does the research say about this?
1. We need to be teaching our students the basic skills that are required to use technology in the real world. These are included in some of our math standards. We need to show students how people in the professions related to our content use technology in their jobs. We as teachers also need to have a PLN so that we can get ideas from other teachers, share our ideas, and get information on how to improve our class. There are also standards for technology according to the ISTE Standards For Students at https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students.
2. How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching?
1. From my PLN I can get ideas on lessons, technology I can use, and how to differentiation for students. I also need to look for ways to help my students use more technology in the classroom that has them explore answers instead of being told how to find them. 
3. How will this help your students?
1. This will help students to see the application of math in the real world. It will also help them to be engaged in lessons and assessments since I will be getting new and fresh ideas.
4. What are your goals with regard to this topic?
1. I want to incorporate excel and coding into my math class since more and more jobs utilize these tools. I also want to create a successful PLN so that I have many different ideas to use in my class.
5. How does this shape your vision for empowered learning for your students?
1. This shapes my vision by having additional resources for students to explore and learn. It will also help me to improve my teaching and to stay current with new technology that could be helpful with my instruction and my students.

Sources: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Equity and UDL

1. What does the research say about this?

Not every student has access to the internet or a computer. There are places in Utah where schools only have 50% of their students have a computer or tablet. This is according to the Utah School Technology Inventory Report found at https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works. This creates a disadvantage to those students without a computer. They do not learn the necessary skills needed in the work force. Having computers in the class helps UDL or different ways to engage students according to their needs.

2. How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching?

UDL means having more than one way for kids to learn and express their knowledge of the content. If I was teaching similar triangles I would provide a video with closed caption as well as some group learning and instruction. As the article, "Universal Design For Learning (UDL): What you need to know" states, The goal of UDL is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning and give all students equal opportunities to succeed. It’s about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every student’s strengths and needs. That’s why UDL benefits all kids.

3. How will this help your students?

This will help students with attention issues to be more involved since they will be moving around and it is not just a lecture. This will also help students with hearing impairments so since they will have a video with closed caption and not have to depend on just the lecture.

4. What are your goals with regard to this topic?

I want to make sure I learn more ways to integrate technology into my teaching and to make lesson plans that already have accommodations for students in them. That way the lesson caters to all students instead of the ones that don't need help.

5. How does this shape your vision for empowered learning for your students?

I want a classroom that is built more on discovery then lecture. Having tools for different ways that students can express their knowledge will help students to feel like they have options in the class and that they are not forced into doing this as much. It will also give students a way to show their knowledge through different means.

Sources

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

https://www.uen.org/digital-learning/downloads/2017inventory/UtahSchoolTechnologyInventoryReport.pdf

Initial Blog Post

1. What is digital literacy and why is it important? 

Digital literacy is knowing how to use technology. For example, it is expected to know Microsoft word in the workplace. It is important that our students know how to use technology for jobs and it is easier to help differentiate lessons. This is according to "7 Reasons Why Digital Literacy Is Important For Teachers" found at https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/teacher-digital-literacy/the author states that literacy means teaching students to evaluate and question their sources, teach students how to draw strong conclusions, and pushing students to a new level of creativity.

2. What should students be able to do with technology?

Students should be able to work their way around a program. They should also be able to use technology to evaluate and answer questions, draw strong conclusions, students can express their understanding in different ways, and learn respectful communication at school and online communities.

3. Why is it important for us to use technology in education?

To help differentiate lessons and if we as teachers are willing to use more technology then our students will follow our examples. Also technology is used more often today then ever before. Students need to be prepared to use technology in the workforce.

4. What concerns do you have about using technology in education?

I am concerned that students will not use the technology for their intended purpose and will very quickly get off track. I also have a hard time thinking of ways to use the technology in my math class.

5. What is your current stance on the use of technology in education?

I think that it is extremely useful in the classroom and will help my students to get more involved in the lessons and help them to apply and understand concepts better.

6. What are your goals for this course?

Create a class website and to find good ways that increases students' learning with technology. I also want to learn different ways to help differentiate my instruction with technology.

Sources

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByKbdqBKsEuhUDllaWpfdy1xelE/view
https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/teacher-digital-literacy/