EDLD+5364+Course+Embedded+Assignment

Course EDLD 5364 has been a very interesting course. I was a little worried at first because I really did not know what to expect. Then, when I saw that we had to work in groups I really became concerned because I really don't like group work. I have always had issues depending on others when I am directly affected by their actions. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised at the work and efforts of my group members.

Some of the knowledge that I gained in the course was with regards to the power of multimedia. Some of these things included wikis, blogs, graphic organizers, book builders and the use of rubrics. These things can be very powerful tools in education when used appropriately. Wikis and blogs open communications with students and teachers from across the globe. When used effectively they can be a form of peer to peer tutoring.

I have know for quite some time that some of these things existed, but I did not fully understand the potential to which they could be used and the impact they can have on the education of students. According to Pitler et al (2007), "Wikis and blogs allow groups to share resources, edit Web pages, and easily find and categorize information" (p. 135). I have never thought, before now, of getting students to complete group projects via the use of wikis and blogs. This will now become a permanent future practice in my classroom.

By completing the assignments in this course, I now know how to assist my students in completing graphic organizers, and create ebooks. Since I teach at a performing and visual arts magnet, this is a very valuable resource that I can use. I never knew these existed. Now, for those students who have difficulty expressing their understanding of certain content, they can now create a visual representation of what they know and have learned. Before being introduced to these things, I only practiced one way of evaluation, and that was traditional testing. This now provides me with a new way of assessment.

I can see my students being excited about these things. I know I was intrigued and excited about it because I had no prior knowledge that these resources existed. Practicing this new knowledge gave me great joy and interest in completing the assignments.

As a learner, when I am completing an assignment, I work with the end in mind. I like to know what am I trying to accomplish, what is the finished product suppose to be? Once I understand this, I work backwards. This is the approach I took when completing the assignments in the course. Many times the collaboration among my colleagues was beneficial. Anytime I did not quite understand what was expected, I could always get clarification from one of my team members.

As I stated earlier, I am always uncomfortable with study groups. When working in groups as a youth, I was always the one doing most of the work while everyone else was receiving the same benefit. Some of the members would not complete their part of the work, and I would have to finish it in order to salvage my grade. After working in a couple of groups during the course of this degree program, I have begun to change my mind about group work collaboration. I have been very pleased with the members of my group and their efforts. Richard Davis was a group member that I had worked with in another group project. So, when we had to form another group for this course, I reached out to him. He was already in a group but spoke with them and got me in. During the course of the assignments, the group communicated via email and the Google docs that were created. We exchanged ideas and contributed to the assignment through various pages of our Google docs. It was truly a nice experience because I could see what my other group members were doing. I never had to guess or assume. Using these docs also kept me on tract because I did not want to be the one that held everyone else up from completing the task. In fact, it was so nice of an experience that I plan to incorporate this into my classroom for my students to use when working on group projects. I can also see this being used as a tool for collaboration between departments and staff. Prior to using this tool in this course, I had no idea how beneficial it could be in my classroom.

Creating a UDL lesson was one of the assignments we had to complete during this course. I had never heard of a UDL lesson before. I soon learned that this too is a very powerful tool that should be used in the classroom. “UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone—not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs (Cast.org 2009).” With inclusion of special need students occurring in practically every school, UDL lesson planning is a must. You have so different learners, on different levels in the same classroom. Teachers must create a way in which the various learners can be reached. I know I personally plan to make this a normal part of my practice in my classroom. The e-book assignment was actually a fun activity. This was another thing that I had never heard of before. I really became interested in this activity because I could definitely see where I could use this in my chemistry class. Many students have trouble with some of the concepts in chemistry. Having them create an e-book is a fantastic idea. This allows them to personalize the concept and show an understanding of it. I teach at a performing and visual arts magnet, so this fits right in with the type of students that I have.

Some of my group members had wonderful e-books. In fact, I was initially confused on what to do. I was able to figure out what was required by looking at the e-books that my group members shared with me. This was another benefit of being in a group. The Team Google Site was a wonderful means of collaboration. It was through this site that we were able to effectively communicate and see what the other members were doing. Because of my experience with this, all group activities involving my students will require them to use a Google site. This use of this site really put me at eases. I am a bit of a micromanager. I like to know what everyone else is doing. With the use of the Team Google Site, that was never a problem. Using this as a means of collaboration allowed me to successfully complete all the assigned tasks.

Some of the questions I have regarding future investigations is with so many teachers and school districts lagging behind their students with respect to technology, how effective will they really be in educating the students?

Cast.org (2009). //Model UDL lessons.// Center for Applied Special Technology. Retrieved on October 5, 2009, from []

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 155-164.