Robert

Robert,

Intro: Teacher in AACPS system. Secondary level.

Reflection from weekend #1/Distractions to learning. #1 Interuptions #2 Attendance #3 Planning time

#1 Interuptions. Nothing like being in the middle of a lesson and instruction and the following things happen. - Student presents you with a pass to go to the restroom and wants you to fill it out now. - An office aid enters the room to get a kid to go see their administrator or counselor. - A office secretary calls into the intercom to locate a student.

#2 Attendance Students miss so much school and are unaccountable for what they miss. It becomes our job to re-teach and get the student caught up. That's fine but the students sees nothing wrong with their excessive absences. Many of them are preventable. Family vacations. Monday/Friday seniors. I mean students who don't come to school Monday and Friday period. Students who miss one class a week. Believe me they are out there and the problem really never gets better because they are unaccountable. The teacher is responsible for their success.

#3 Planning Time We are expected to teach class in a way that a students could go from one teacher to the next in the same subject and not miss a beat. We need more common planning time to make that a reality. Co-taught classes and teachers need time to plan and rehearse each lesson. I can surely see things go better. Planning for barriers and alternatives to over come them makes sense. To much trouble shooting and band aid jobs are occurring. Classes need long term treatment and dare I say it "cures". Common planning time could gets us there.

Analogy: __Something financial__: DI is like monopoly money because it is universal. It is colorful and no matter what kind of real money you use you know that monopoly represents what money is. Its universally understood.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Saturday 3/17 Appetizer:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Identify a song: Billy Joel You didn't start the fire. This song sum up UDL to me because as a Generation X person, we inherited the world we live in. Now that we are here we must adapt to it in order to survive. Plus the video Joel did on this song was ahead of its time. It showed the history that occurred over his lifetime. It was multimedia and fast pace. It reminds me of how perhaps our generation will view the past. It all happened so fast.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Saturday 3/17 Entree:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">On page # 38 of our class binder I chose Proposition Number 4: It suggested that what we as teachers have always done is known as the achievement gap. It also stated that good teaching has never been able to address the full range of diversity found in the classroom. I'm not sure UDL is going to break down all barriers. UDL to me is another excellent tool to place in my toolbox for sure. It may even be one I go to the most often. I do not thing it will cure or fix all. I don't think it is an umbrella that will keep everyone dry so to speak. Technological availability, socio-economic status,and english as a second language students are particular groups of need that eduction needs to put on a more level playing field. UDL is a tool to help those groups not an umbrella to protect them all.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Saturday 3/17 Deserts:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">First I went to Matt Bergman's Website. I looked at history. He graduated his under graduate studies in 2003. I was entering my 6th year of teaching at that time. It seems as though he has accomplished a lot in that time. However I also think I could create a page such as this that highlights all my accomplishments in my career and it could be comparable. Any way it made me think about creating a site like this for parents and students to use. It has inspired me to be able to do something like that. I then clicked on the first of the 3 principles. I looked at the Domo goes Animate. I think for a younger group that I teach we could this could be a cool way of creating examples for the kids to follow. I would need to have the time and patience to do it but It could be done. Depending on my effort level and what the kids were getting out of it. You could show Domo experiencing his rights in the 1st ten amendments. They could also show Domo experiencing segregation because he is Domo. You could get Domo to re-enact different supreme court decisions depending on what was in the curriculum. He is animated and could get the kids attention. Depending on how user friendly he is I think I like him.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">UDL Reflection #4

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">What are some barriers in traditional assessments? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">- Sad to say attendance. Students are expected to be ther but so often they are not. Or they miss review. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">What are the challenges in offering varied options for assessment? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">- Summative assessments. Test security issues by using alternative methods.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">//Reading////. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants// <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">[|//Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants//]// (course binder, tab 3) // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">1. According to Marc Prensky, define the term, “Digital Native.” <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">A Digital Native is a person who was born into the digital world and as spent most of their live plugged in. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">2. What does it mean to have a “digital immigrant accent”? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Words a person uses that gives away that they are not a digital native. Like a phone call that says: Did you get that E-mail I sent you? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Or while I was **dialing** the number to the pizza shop the door bell rang.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">3. Identify **one** reason why Digital Natives have no patience for lectures or step-by-step logic. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Digital Immigrant instructors speak an outdated language. Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to Mulit-task. They prefer random access. They function best when networked. They receive instant gratification and frequent rewards. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">4. What is **one** suggestion that Prensky advises Immigrant Teachers to try with their Native Students? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Example: When teaching the holocaust create a simulation of the meeting at wannsee. (That was wherethe Nazi leaders came up with thedetails for thefinal solution.) Or an online visit to one of these camps rather than showing a film like Schindlers list.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">5. See course binder, tab 3, page 4B. “Learning Preferences of the Digital Generation.” <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Select **one** entry from each side of the chart. Provide a comment as to whether you agree with the finding or not. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">Discussed with me. HOC <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">//Reading////**. 60-Second Guide to Digital Classrooms**// <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">**1. Highlight** 3 **interesting points shared in this article.** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">**Cost.** **It is way cheaper to have an online book than a text book. I feel our district is already working on this. We have not had a raise for 3 years going on four. We have also not had new text books in since about 2005. Seven years.** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">**Self-assessment:** **My class is beginning to look like the one shown on this cite. I just got a projector and document camera. I have only had it for about 7 months. I don’t miss the old overhead projector. Just a week ago I got the projector hooked up to the computer via a cord. It is now perminant.** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">**Legal:** **First of all our school is not hooked up so students can use the computers at anytime. You need to get in the lab. That can be competitive. It is also unbalanced. Students in special programs such as stem. Have access at all times via their laptop cart. Students using outside electronics are not allowed. For obvious reasons. There are security issues. What are they doing? How do we know what they are doing. We are legally responsible for their behavior under our supervision. How can we legally allow technology.**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">//**Reading**////. Need a Cheat Sheet for Social Media?// <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">[|http://www.searchenginejournal.com/need-a-cheat-sheet-for-socal- media/39546/] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">1. Explain in **5 – 10** sentences. Did the organization of this graphic help you compare and contrast the information, or did the organization confuse you? Why? Why not? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">This was helpful for me. It showed me which methods gets you the most audience. It also gave the reader some slang terms that refer specifically to each particular kind of device. I am not on Facebook. However, I have used U-tube before. Our school does not allow us to use that form.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">//** Reading **////. Ten ways schools are using social media effectively // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">[|http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/10/21/ten-ways-schools-are-using-social- media-effectively/] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;"> 1. Explain your answer in 5 – 10 sentences. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">One of the ways a school district is utilizing social media in its schools is by using Gaggle.net. Do you think your school system would benefit from having Gaggle? Why? or Why not? <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">The internet cite was reported to not be findable.

__**Reflection #5**__

G//iven the realities of our modern age and the demands of our children’s future, is it really okay to allow teachers to choose whether or not they incorporate modern technologies into their instruction?//

As a Digital Immigrant I must say no. A school system must monitor and be up to date with what modern technology is being shared. Safety nets must be put in place to insure students are safe with this technology. A small child should not have a face book account for sexual predators can get access to them. Students need to be focused in order to use these things. Too much open use of media can open up time for students to do things inappropriate with the technolgy. Instead of reacting to those issues schools need o be prepared for them. As an educator of Digital Natives I say yes. We cannot afford to allow these students to miss out on any educational opportunities in front of them. Things are moving so fast that to waste 4 years of time in High School and not be perpared for the next stage of life is a serious issue to the tax payer. About 1/2 of their taxes go to public education. This should be priority number one.

Culminating Discussion was shared out Verbally.