Cathlin+S.

Cathlin S.

7th Grade Life Science & 8th Grade Physical Science Teacher

Warren Township Middle School

July 17, 2012

Share any thoughts, feelings, concerns you would like now that we are wrapping up our course with one last reflection.

This course has introduced many dynamic websites that can further enhance the learning within my science classroom. There are a multitude of websites that I plan to investigate and can’t wait to manipulate this summer prior to the start of the new school year. Come winter 2013 our district will be instituting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, which will open many more opportunities to our students. I WILL be ready!

Thank you for being a patient, receptive and inspirational instructor. :-)

Explain who these digital natives are and list 5 people you will share this with. (principal, Board of Ed, colleagues, supervisor, superintendent)

Digital Natives are individuals who grew up and are fluent with many technological aspects and in fact thrive on them. They learn best when they are creating products and are engaged in visual dynamics that they can control, such as videos, interactive websites, etc. The individuals that I will share this with include: 1. Technology Supervisor, Michelle, 2. Science Team, Laura, Carolyn, Dan, Pat, O’Brein, 3. Best Friend who is a Teacher, Missy, 4. Mom who is also a Teacher, 5. Husband, Jeff

July 16, 2012



July 11, 2012

Presentation of Chapter 1 of **Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning**  by David H. Rose & Anne Meyer



Practice with Voki media type="custom" key="20298780"

July 10, 2012

Elevator Conversation: What is UDL? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that encompassing a wide range of common educational practices such as differentiated learning, cooperative learning, multiple intelligences, project-based learning, and learning as process to name a few. To begin, UDL incorporates a variety of modalities to students for representing curriculum content in a manner which best suits their individual needs and learning preferences. Then UDL allows students to express their unique and creative ideas using the learned content and engages them to ultimately mastery of content as well as the learning process through developing a solution to a problem. Throughout this process, innovative technological concepts are integrated within the classroom to keep students thinking about and developing their own original ideas.

An Overview of The CAST Science Writer The CAST Science Writer is a computer program that enables students to write scientific lab reports. The program breaks the major components of a lab report into manageable pieces for students while providing scaffolding assistance throughout the task. Animated characters //Max// (dog) and //Sam// (bird) display to the user how they would write a science lab report. Another character named //Eko the Gecko// clarifies the directions and provides hints for each section. Students are able to draft, revise and edit their report. If students are reluctant to begin a section of their report //Sentence Starters// are available. Content and grammar checklists are also available during the revision process. A //TextHelp Toolbar// can read the students work out loud as well as the directions within each section. Definitions of words are also available to the user. The CAST Science Writer can help a variety of learners write a comprehensive lab report.

July 9, 2012

Part 1 - Toolbox Time #1. __Answer the following questions:__ 1. What did I learn / find interesting?
 * There are many social media, social bookmarking, and other websites that can be incorporated into the Science Classroom. Before I introduce them into my class I must feel more secure using each outlet. My uneasiness at this point discourages me from truly pursuing them within my class.

2. How will this technology help make curriculum more accessible to students?
 * These websites are the current trends that our students are using on a daily basis. Using them will create a bridge from what they are doing at home and in the classroom making learning relevant within the constraints of the learner. As an educator, keeping abreast of the technological terminology and diverse lingo will help me better understand my student population.

**__5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Daily Reflection__**
== **__This list is meant to be created throughout our time together and completed by our last day.__** ==

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5 new technologies to try=====
 * 1) Wiki Page
 * 2) Wordle and Tagzito
 * 3) Podcast
 * 4) Glogster
 * 5) Voki

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4 ideas to share with others=====
 * 1) How to save as a PDF
 * 2) How to make an iMovie
 * 3) How to use Smart Board Programming
 * 4) Share my Delicious Websites with others

=
3 principles of Universal Design for Learning=====
 * 1) Representing
 * 2) Expressing
 * 3) Engaging

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2 changes in your teaching to reach all learners in the Digital Age=====
 * 1) Embrace new and innovative ideas that integrate technology into my classroom
 * 2) Provide students with numerous opportunities to express their creative ideas in my classroom

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1 BIG idea to implement on Monday=====
 * 1) Creating a Teacher Resources 4 Digital Learners Wiki