Randy

Thanks for stopping by my page. I am a 9th and 10th grade global studies teacher who lives in Western New York. I look forward to working with everyone with the creation of this wiki page as we continue our quest towards our master's degree. More updates coming soon...

Differentiation Station Assignment - Week 4

Here is a link to the podcast I created, I have also created a video though I am having difficulty finding a place to upload it. Youtube seems to hate me. Hopefully I will have this link up soon as well. Update: the video is a no-go, the first video recorded excellently, but it was 2.8 gb and I couldn't find anywhere to upload it. The second was 1.54 gb and I still couldn't get it uploaded. I was then able to cut it down further by lowering the resolution to an acceptable level, then the video failed again and again. All in all, 12 attempts, 2 great videos I that can't be seen and I am well prepared for talking to my peers at the next teacher meeting. What a learning experience.

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Differentiation Station Assignment - Week 3

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This is a link to the Tool Kit for Teaching Students with Disabilities created by the US Department of Education. The site explains the main principles of UDL and ways the strategy can be used in the classroom effectively using technology to engage and assist all students. I found the last section of the site providing additional ways outside of technology to incorporate UDL and individualize the instruction. Though the webpage is short in length the benefits of UDL are explained and the examples provided are easily adaptable in the classroom.

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This site once again explains the benefits of the Universal Design for Learning as well as who the strategy benefits in the classroom, i.e.: all students. This site breaks down the UDL into the essential qualities of the strategy including course representation, student engagement and how the strategy can be expressed in a lesson. The biggest benefit of this site is the last section entitled implementation which provides realistic ways to bring UDL into classroom lessons.

[] This site looks at the UDL in relationship to how college students learn. After explaining the benefits of student learning using this method the site breaks down UDL into eight areas of classroom impact and usage. These areas include the classroom environment, feedback to the students, classroom assessment and accommodations for students with diverse needs. I have found this site to be an excellent resource in providing different ways to bring the strategy into my classroom and also a strong resource for explaining the strategy to my peers.

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This site, by Sheryl Burgstahler is entitled “A Checklist for Inclusive Teaching” and looks at ways to incorporate UDL into the classroom through breaking down and examining each aspect of the classroom. The entire process is explained and different examples are provided to assist the professional. The sections entitled “delivery methods” and “information resources and technology” are particularly useful in regards to the different accommodations that can be brought into the lessons. Finally, the last section provides communication hints for learners with disabilities and ideas with how to use UDL to assists their learning.

Differentiation Station Assignment – Week 2

Here are some surveys that I found online and their respective links. I have broken them down into the four main types of survey for easy identification and have added the some of the new links to the group links page as well.

Student Interest Surveys 1) [] 2) [] Of the surveys I found, this particular example was incredibly simply yet one of the most grade and content appropriate for my classroom. The survey is made up of only ten questions yet but will provide a glimpse into my student’s personal lives in a way that would take me weeks to gain the same information. I specifically like question number six that asks if the student could talk to anyone in history who it would be and why?. This allows me to examine the interests of my students in history and will allow me to modify my instruction to incorporate these historical figures into my lesson.

Learning Styles Survey 1) [|[[http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm|[[http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm]]]]] This survey focuses specifically on the main types of learning styles found in the classroom with the students completing 24 questions to identify if they are auditory, kinesthetic or visual learners helping them to guide their own learning. This survey I feel has been created at a college level due to some of the language contained within its questions though my tenth grade students should have no problem reading and understanding the context. I feel that most of the questions are specific enough so students can identify themselves though if I would utilize this survey I would refine one question in particular in an effort to make it more appropriate for my students. Question 15 asks students if they “chew gum, smoke or snack” while studying. Although this question provides a glimpse into the lives of my students I would like to remove the section about smoking making this more classroom appropriate. Overall, I feel this survey is well rounded and will provide a solid glimpse into the lives of my students.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">2) []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Multiple Intellegences Survey <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">1) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">2) []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Learning Profiles Inventory <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">1) []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Also, here is the links to a few of the surveys I created. Overall surveymonkey was easy to use but the free program only lets you make a ten question survey. This was rather disappointing. Let me know what you think.

Subject Interests

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Personal Interests

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History Interests Survey

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Learning Styles Inventory

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