EDLD 5364 Week 3 Reflection

This week's assignment was not as challenging as I thought it was going to be in the beginning. In my classroom, I daily create lessons that must incorporate various levels of academic success. All my classes are technology/computer based at the secondary level. As a group, we decided to create a life cycle unit for second grade. I knew that using media technology must be included because "the flexibility of new media opens new doors to diverse learners" (Rose, 2002). Creating the e-book was easy to do and I can see where it would be very helpful in the elementary classroom. When it came to handling the blind student and deaf student, that is where our team had to put on our thinking caps on. These disabilities are not something that we deal with on a daily basis. We decided podcasting would be a great way to add digital strategies in the life cycle unit. The students would work in groups, sequencing the life cycles and talking about the changes taking place. This activity would also allow students to receive immediate feedback which in turn "has greater impact on the student. The more immediate the feedback is in the classroom settings, the greater its impact on student behavior" (Pitler, 2007). Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., and Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria: VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria: VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web Site. Chapter 6. Retrieved on October 5, 2009. from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/