As we gathered together in our online classroom - which is becoming more and more familiar to us in this cohort, I was a bit anxious to see how things were going to unfold. As with any student, the first day of class is always a little bit of an unknown. As students in this class who have been together for two classes already, we had the advantage of being familiar with each other already. For our instructor, we were the unknowns - much like it is for all of us every September.
Using the app CHOMP, our instructor introduced herself to us. Using a document camera, the video was shared through our online classroom, BlackBoard Collaborate. It was an interesting way to present information including video and illustration to keep students engaged and focused, particularly for those who are visual & auditory learners.
When asked to sign up for Showbie - a content management system that we will be using for all of our content for Edu 569 I was somewhat hesitant to "embrace" this new system as it meant that it was yet another area we had to check regularly for class information. Once we were explained some of the features of Showbie, I was able to see the advantages of using this system. The accessibility features provided in Showbie that are so
important when using content management systems makes it intriguing to say the least. Like anything - it will no doubt take a bit of playing around before feeling comfortable. CHANGE takes time.
The TED Talk presented this evening, The Myth of Average by Todd Rose, was one that was very affirming in the way I conduct my class. Todd Rose's use of the analogy of the airplane cockpit and the pilots sitting in these cockpits was very effective. He could very well have been talking about our students in our classrooms. There were many statements in this video that resonated with me.1. "What good is the best technology in the world if you cannot reach the critical instruments that you need."
2. "How do you design a cockpit to fit MOST individuals? Design for the average."
3. "Many of the TOP pilots would have never fit in a cockpit that was built for average."
4. "All students have jagged learning profile. They all have strengths, are average at some things and some weaknesses."
5. "If you design learning environments for the average, you are designing it for no one. It cannot nurture for the individual potential."
6. "Technology allows us to create a learning environments that are so flexible that they nurture the potential of all learners."
7. Why can't we have the learning equivalent of adjustable seats?"
8. "Simple solutions have can have a profound impact on and individual."
9. "What if we demand that companies not design to the average of dimensions of learning but to the edges? If we do this, we will not only increase performance of students in our classes today, we will dramatically expand our talent pool."
This TED talk was a perfect depiction of how ONE SIZE does NOT fit all and it is important to take this into consideration when planning our instruction and delivery. This is where the UDL model is so pertinent and crucial!
To get instant feedback from class members, we were introduced to Poll Everywhere website. View the video of student responses here.This was accessible to students is a variety of forms; responding by text or online were options for them. Answers can be displayed in several ways which adds variety to the task and keeps students engaged. I used this in my own class the following day and my students were excited about it. It offers an avenue for an immediate response for students anonymously and also a quick way for teachers to monitor understanding, answer questions and guide instruction.
