Reflection- 6714 Reaching/ Engaging All Learners Through Technology

Throughout this course I have learned many different ways to teach instruction to my
students with the use of technology. Each student learns concepts at a different pace. Differentiated instruction is extremely important when trying to teach various skills. Students tend to learn at different levels. Some students are auditory learners and others are more visual. The upcoming unit is going to be centered on dance and movement. Technology can be incorporated into this unit by adding various game consoles like Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), Just Dance (Xbox Kinect), And Wii Dance. These technology tools allow students to explore by following certain cues on the screen to popular dance songs. It also allows students to help them with movement instruction. All these activities will “provide multiple representations, multiple means of expressing, and multiple means of engagement.” (laureate Education, 2009)

Technology helps students who have physical impairments become more successful in the classroom. The main concern is how to integrate technology with my APE classes. Every student has a disability which limits them to physical activity in the classroom. It is hard for many students to follow directions to dance steps. This is where the technology tool of DDR becomes helpful. There are various settings for each skill level. Students can use DDR to work on coordination with rhythm and dance sequences while stepping on the correct arrow. The learning environment may not be developmentally appropriate for certain students, since there are many diverse learners. In my APE classes I assess their skill levels to see what activities they can participate in. The learning environment should be a safe, fun, enjoyable, but yet challenging for all students. Dr Stephanie Throne discussed that educators “have to be learners in order to be able to meet our students and to provide learning opportunities they need to thrive.”(Tomlinson, 2009) Every lesson can be modified to adapt to the learners skill level.

Another Instructional practice I learned from this class is the use of choice boards. Choice boards allow the student to choose various different activities to complete to learn the skill. It focuses on learning different skills. One way students can implement this strategy in my classroom is by using visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile styles. They can implement this by recording a video of them doing various fitness activities. By using choice boards this allows students to use a wide range of learning styles. It challenges students, but motivates them to use various different options to complete the activity.

Overall this class was great to learn about various ways to incorporate technology into my lessons. The use of the social networking site for education was a useful tool. Throughout the course fellow group members worked together to discuss applications and provide helpful resource links.

References:

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Putting It All Together, Baltimore: Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology: Brain Research and Universal Design for Learning. Baltimore: Author.

National Center on Universal Design for learning. (2009). About Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved April 16, 2011 from http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html