The Improved Race of a Rabbit and a Turtle.

The role of a teacher is to guide all students through a learning process to achieve comprehension. There are processes available to teachers in which they can ensure every student is given an equal opportunity in the classroom. This process is an Universal Design for Learning.
The Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) is a non-profit and developmental organization that develops innovative and technology-based educational resources and strategies for students, especially those with disabilities. CAST incorporates the Universal Design for Learning into their curriculum development to ensure equal opportunities to learn for all students. CAST believes UDL is necessary because every individual develops knowledge in different ways. The gathering of information, then incorporating this information into a project with focus and attention is the key to successful learning.
The UDL system incorporates different tools and ideas of learning for students who individually learn in different ways, giving students the best chance of succeeding in school.
An example of an UDL developmental approach to teaching students is a book by CAST and author Mira Singer. The book is a version of "The Tortoise and the Hare" that describes how the famous race was only ran in the typical race style. The race does not consider the individual abilities of both the tortoise and the hare. The story describes how the race did not allow both animals to display their talents to the fullest. The author created individual paths that were designed toward their strengths for the tortoise and the hare, but they both arrived at the same goal. This is the goal of UDL's; 1. present information in different ways, 2. allow students to expres themselves in different ways and 3. develop motivational and challenging projects.
To view and hear the story by Mira Singer go to "The Tortoise and the Hare"
The clipart image was used with permission from the Iowa AEA.

Whats a Mimio?

Students today cannot learn by listening to lectured monotone speeches or by memorizing specific facts. The best way of learning is through interaction. Interaction allows students to be involved in the lesson being taught by inquirying about a question, analyzing data related to the question and producing a solution to the question individually or within a group. This is where Mimio comes in.
Mimio is a technology tool that incorporates students into the learning process by being actively involved with the lesson. There are several applications that the Mimio can help teachers get the students invovled in the classroom. One interactive application is the MimioVote. Each student is given a device that allows them to vote on a particular matter. This could include voting on the right math answer or performing a mock voting session when learning about the electoral process. MimioView is another application that will display an image directly on the whiteboard. The students are then able to identify and label various parts of a frog, flower or country. The aim of the Mimio is to get students actively excited about learning.
The Mimio system is simple in use and set up. The main part of the Mimio system (The Capture Bar) attaches to an already existing whiteboard. Suction cups hold it up on the wall on the left side of the whiteboard. The setup involves turning it on and configuring the system. Four Stylus pens are included which can be used by four students at a time. The students then have access to all the toolbar elements of a computer in the palms of their hands to be creatively learning.
The Mimio system allows students to participate in classroom discussions and help find solutions by interaction. The students who are normally shy and intimitated by large classrooms can be made to feel more comfortable by interacting through the various individual applications (MimioVote or MimioPad). The teaching method has changed for the improvement of student learning. Putting the student into the problem and solution part of the lesson allows them to be better learners. To learn more about the Mimio interactive system and to find lesson plans and websights that are compatible with the Mimio go to http://clifmims.wetpaint.com/page/Mimio

Image used with permission from pics4learning.

Little Thespians

The lighting is just right, a succesful sound check has been performed and the students are aligning the perfect shot.  The moment is tense and drama builds when all of a sudden the toad jumps back into the lake.  This is an example of children filming the habitat of a toad or captioning the physical body structure of a toad or getting information to write a story about a toad and his lake friends.  Imagine a simple media tool that can be used in classrooms by students to gather information and resources in an interactive and fun way.  This tool would be the flip camera.    
A flip camera is a small, pocket sized, video camera that records video at the touch of a single button. It is very student friendly even in the lower grade levels. I have included a YouTube video that demonstrates how to use a flip camera as well as creating situations in which to get the perfect shot. The flip camera holds two hours of video on the internal memory card, uses two AA batteries and has an USB arm on the side that can be directly plugged into the computer. These videos can be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook or other media sharing sites. The price point of $150 is also friendly considering the number of uses it has in all specific subject matters in school. The flip camera allows for a crative outlet for students inside and outside the classroom.
Having an interactive classroom is an important concept to engage students and helping them remeber information longer.  It is also important to incorporate the expressive arts (dance, music, drama, literary arts and visual arts) into the regular subject lesson plan. The ability of students being able to create a commercial, put on a play, demonstrate to their teacher their knowledge of math problems and field trip video that can be wtched again at a later time.   This can all be done by incorporating the flip Camera into the classroom. To see other uses for the flip camera in the classroom visit this website, https://docs.google.com/present/view?pli=1&id=dhn2vcv5_6tv55j7g9






Image used with permission from pics4learning

Walking in Someone Else's Shoes

What life choices would a student have to make if they were born in another country or had to make life altering decisions based on profession, religion or ethnicity?  Thanks to technology in the classroom we can now find out.  Real Lives 2010 is a program that allows students of all grade levels to experience life as another person in other countries.
 Real Lives makes the student responsible for the simulated characters outcome in life.  Every choice has to be made by the student including what school to attend, what job to hold and what person to become friends with.  It will give an upper class student a view of what it would life would be like in a poverty stricken country and the choices to make based only on survival.  The educational outcome of the program is to allow students to learn about different cultures, political systems, geography, economics and personal real-life choices.  The character portrayels are endless including the life of a Japanese businessman, a tribal leader in a rainforest, a female doctor in Rome or a child growing up in Afganistan.  Real Lives will make learning fun and interactives as well as incorporate technology skills to students while they are learning about societies outside their own.
I believe that this technology can provide a link for children to appreciate the lifestyles of other countries that many may never be able to experience.  The ability to learn about other societies and cultures from books and photographs is one way of learning, but to be part of the decision making experience is an interactive way that children will remeber forever.
To learn more about the Real Lives 2010 program and design the life of another individual from your laptop go to http://www.educationalsimulations.com/.
Image used with permission from Pics4learning.com.