BET-TER Skills

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a method that is designed to minimize barriers and maximize student learning by supporting the needs of all learners (CAST, 2010; Morra & Reynolds, 2010 ). UDL takes into account that different areas of our brains process the what , how , and why of learning. Teachers need to identify goals and the barriers that might interfere with accomplishing them. To overcome barriers, there are three principles that allow for flexibility in the ways learners engage, receive content, and demonstrate learning. These principles are to provide multiple means of: (a) representation, (b) action and expression, and (c) engagement (CAST, 2010; Gronseth & Hutchins, 2019). Planning with UDL leads to proactively planning for differing needs of learners instead of planning for the average learner and then accommodating. (Gronseth & Hutchins, 2019).  Technology can be used in all of the UDL principles. My students all have Chromebooks, which include...

Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org TPACK is a method to help teachers integrate technology in the classroom and to use technology to enhance learning (Rogers, 2018). It combines three types of knowledge needed for effective teaching: (a) content (CK) – the knowledge of the subject matter, (b) pedagogical (PK) – the knowledge of the processes and methods used to teach the content, and (c) technological (TK) – the knowledge about technology and the best tools to deliver instruction (Harris, 2012; Robertson, 2013; Koehler, 2012; Rodgers, 2018). These knowledge areas should not be viewed in isolation (Koehler, 2012; Lehotsky, 2016). The framework also focuses on the overlaps between the areas of knowledge: (a) Pedagogical Content (PCK) – pairs content to the appropriate pedagogical method for teaching it, (b) Technical Content (TCK) – relates how content and technology influence each other and make the content more accessible, and (c) Technological Pedagogical...

Photo by  Areous Ahmad  from  Pexels             What does it mean to be future-ready in the post-Covid-19 education world? In seeking to answer this question, I found several ideas emerging for these three main audiences: teachers, districts, and students. The major focus of many sources I reviewed was teachers.             Post-Covid-19, future-ready teachers are learners, leaders, good digital citizens, collaborators, designers, facilitators, and analysts (ISTE Standards for Teachers, n.d.). The picture of the new future-ready teacher that emerged as I researched looks like a person who: ·         Helps students build real-world skills, ·         Provides personalized, student-centered learning opportunities using technology tools and by focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of indiv...

In the past 5 weeks of this course, I have learned many things. The biggest challenge was trying to find the time to do the readings and all of the writing in such a short amount of time. After looking for articles and doing the first article analysis, I realized it was difficult to switch gears between trying to absorb information from the book and also keep up with all of the articles at the same time. After that week, I decided that I needed to really work to get the reading done as fast as possible, so that when it was time to start doing more writing, I could focus just on that. In a past position, I was the science fair coordinator for my school. The students had to write a full research paper to go along with their project, including a literature review. Thankfully, that experience helped me with APA formatting and in understanding the flow of the full research paper.   When coaching students, I followed guidelines given to me to teach them how to write their papers, so I ...

Photo by  Alex Green  from  Pexels The article, Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Online Risk Taking: The Role of Gist and Verbatim Representations , dealt with two areas of online risk-taking behaviors (disclosing personal information and in befriending an unknown person online) in adolescents and young adults. It focused on the psychological factors involved in their decision making. The researchers based their work on the Fuzzy Trace Theory (FTT). FTT says that there are two different mechanisms used when making decisions about risky behavior. Verbatim representations are based on quantitative and detailed information about events or judgments, or a cost-benefit analysis. Gist representations are qualitative and intuitive. They are based on a person’s values, beliefs, and past experiences.                The aims of this study were to determine if there were developmental differences between adolescen...

Photo by  Tima Miroshnichenko  from  Pexels                         The article, Young Adult Perceptions of Internet Communications and the Grooming Concept, aimed to determine the perceptions of youth in regard to online communication, especially in respect to grooming. The researchers highlighted how there is not a universally accepted definition of grooming and also detailed the ways that groomers use technology to identify and groom their victims. The researchers addressed the following two-pronged research question: Do young adults take part in risky behavior online, and if they do, what are some of the reasons why?   In answering these questions, the researchers hoped to identify how young adults perceive grooming. The research study was a qualitative study consisting of a sample of 10 participants ranging in age from 18 to 23. The participants were selected from three youth organizations in E...