Teaching with Technology

I have entered a new dimension of learning in my second class. My primary focus for the past three weeks has been to learn about UDL, or Universal Design for Learning. Within this concept, I have learned that many of the beliefs I have in teaching fall into the UDL teaching method. In UDL, learning is more individualized to support the three networks of the brain (recognition, strategic, and affective). All of this information comes from the CAST website where we have explored book building and lesson building. Using the CAST UDL lesson builder was an interesting experience. It requires the writer to think very detailed in writing a lesson in order to make sure that a variety of needs can be met within the lesson. I haven't been this detailed in my lesson writing since some of my college classes, but I liked how it made me think of the needs of all the students I work with, not just the majority of the group. In addition to the lesson builder, CAST also offers a UDL Self Check you can use on your lesson to see if you have integrated support for all three networks into your lesson. This was a good tool for me to use and reflect on the way I put lessons together. These are definitely tools that I will be sharing with other teachers!