Reflections+on+Technology+Facilitator+Standard+II

I had multiple opportunities throughout the course and throughout the school year to design learning experiences implementing technology applications. I designed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) books aimed at teaching geometry to special education students. This was an effort to deliver instruction that addresses all learning styles and can be accessed at any time by the students. Based on previous research of kinesthetic, visual and auditory styles, as well as information drawn from the students’ Individual Education Plans, it was determined that the UDB books would include voiceover reading of the information presented to accommodate for students with learning disabilities in reading; at the same time, the learning experience would be graphic rich to address the needs of visual learners, and would feature animated sequences to cater to kinesthetic learners. I created two versions of each book, each aimed at different grade levels. The original version was made for grades 1-2 and uses simple vocabulary and easier concepts; the second version, designed for grades 3-5,used the first version as a template and incorporated more complex terms and concepts. The main goal of this activity was demonstrate the differences between linear, area and volume measurement. Although developing the UDL books can be time-consuming, students can access these lessons automatically, at any time, anywhere. From a schedule-management perspective, the UDL book has allowed me to record instruction and give two different lessons at the same time. During the course of the year we received one more student with special needs who is bilingual. The versatility of the UDL books allowed me to use the original project as a template and changed the text and voiceover to Spanish. UDL books not only deliver instruction and interactivity; each book serves as a model to disseminate to both teachers and students how to create their own.. Recently, at our school we have been deployed with new Elmo projectors. Deployment of these devices will positively affect my classrooms in the sense that I can apply what I learned to rearrange the lyout of my room to include this new technology. However, at the same time our classroom will be losing four student workstations that I vastly used for differentiated instruction. This is one of the situations where I wonder to what extent is it feasible to meet the demands of the state’s technology applications TEKS, when in practice our technology is being taken away.