Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that helps give all students an equal opportunity to succeed. This approach offers flexibility in the ways students access material, engage with it and show what they know. Developing lesson plans this way helps all kids, but it may be especially helpful for kids with learning and attention issues.
For a better understand on the concept of UDL, the TED Talk by Michael Nesmith is informative and explains the importance behind why we need it. Click on the video below ⬇️
Three main principles of UDL
Representation: UDL recommends offering information in more than one format. For example, textbooks are primarily visual.
Action and expression: UDL suggests giving kids more than one way to interact with the material and to show what they’ve learned.
Engagement: UDL encourages teachers to look for multiple ways to motivate students. Letting kids make choices and giving them assignments that feel relevant to their lives are some examples of how teachers can sustain students’ interest.
References:
Brame, C. J. & Biel, R. (2015). Setting up and facilitating group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work-using-cooperative-learning-groups-effectively/.
Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369
How Do We Evaluate Multimedia and Multimedia Tools?
Let’s Describe differences between TPACK, SAMR and SECTIONS
What is TPACK?
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is the effectiveness of the delivery of the lesson with technology integration. It is an ideal application in all aspects of learning, which are all important in the teaching and learning process. TPACK is an emergent form of knowledge that goes beyond all three “core” components (content, pedagogy, and technology). Technological pedagogical content knowledge is an understanding that emerges from interactions among content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge. The TPACK framework builds on Shulman’s (1987, 1986) descriptions of PCK to describe how teachers’ understanding of educational technologies and PCK interact with one another to produce effective teaching with technology.
What is the SAMR Model?
SAMR Model is a framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration. The letters “SAMR” stand for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model was created to share a common language across disciplines as teachers strive to personalize learning and help students visualise complex concepts. The SAMR Model can be especially powerful during remote and blended learning when integrated classroom technology makes teaching and learning a more seamless experience for educators and students.
In the video below ⬇️ we explore key differences between TPACK and SAMR Model
What is the SECTIONS Model?
SECTIONS Model Explained
SECTIONS Model is an applicable framework that educators can use to evaluate the effectiveness of applying a certain technology in their classrooms. SECTIONS specifically refers to 8 different areas: Students, Ease of use, Costs, Teaching & Media, Interactivity, Organizational issues, Networking and Security & Privacy. Using the SECTIONS MODEL by Bates and Poole, can help guide the instructor since it was designed to “facilitate decisions with regard to choice of technology at both the strategic and the tactical level, and also to help decide within a particular technology the most appropriate balance between different media” (Bates & Poole,2003, p.79-80).
References:
Bloom, A. (1987). The closing of the American mind: How higher education has failed democracy and impoverished the souls of today’s students. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Bruce, B. C., & Hogan, M. C. (1998). The disappearance of technology: Toward an ecological model of literacy. In D. Reinking, M. McKenna, L. Labbo, & R. Kieffer (Eds.), Handbook of literacy and technology: Transformations in a post-typographic world(pp. 269–281). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Leinhardt, G., & Greeno, J.G. (1986). The cognitive skill of teaching. Journal of Educational Psychology, 78(2), 75–95.
Sport runs through my veins and I’m a huge fanatic. I’ve played a lot of sports and I watch a lot of sports. Liverpool FC, Miami Heat, Three Lions, Springboks are some of the sports teams I travel for including many others.
I enjoy travelling, having been privileged to have be raised in a family that doesn’t enjoy being at home this gave me the opportunity to go everywhere. I’m at 52 countries and counting so far. Somewhat of a globetrotter I guess 🤷🏽♂️
I’m a huge dog lover. I want to pet them all. I have one myself and we enjoy going on hikes together around the Burnaby area and all over B.C. We try to take a trip at least one weekend every month to explore nature since we live in an apartment
Check out a few images that describe my life ⬇️ and scroll to the bottom for a surprise
Click on the link below ⬇️ to watch me talk about absolutely nothing . Enjoy👍🏾
This image was not edited using VSCO. However, there is something interesting about it and I’ll explain. I found this really interesting tip on Instagram on how capture images with the skyline being more pronounced.
Go to your camera settings and switch the grid on.
Rotate your phone 180 degrees.
Zoom out to 0.5x (13mm)
Make sure the sky take up the first two rows
In this image I played around with the portrait mode on my camera. When in portrait mode the background is blurred out and the object is pronounced. Removing the background noise enables you to focus on the object (my dog, Chief) on that is in the foreground.
Processed with VSCO with al3 preset
In this image I was aiming to sharpen the background using the post-processing tool VSCO. I was aiming to bring more life to the background. The cloud cover was not bringing out the aspect of natural light in its entirety.
Processed with VSCO with b1 preset
Processed with VSCO with b5 preset
In this image I was playing around with different shades of black and white on the background. This was a low light image because of the cloud cover and I wanted to explore the idea of dropping the exposure massively as well.
What Game Tools Or Ideas Have Peeked Your Interest?
Gamification software is any tool or platform used for applying game mechanics to non game contexts in order to boost engagement and successful end-results. Common use cases include customer retention, elearning, employee engagement, and performance management.
Slido
Slido Mobile Interface
The software package was introduced at my previous internship when I was leaving and everyone spoke highly of it. I never had the opportunity to study the software package in depth until now. A few points I can take away from exploring slido were:
Allow your team to ask questions without fear or bias. Thanks to anonymity and voting on questions, you can uncover the most pressing issues and address them live during Q&A or Ask Me Anything sessions.
Energise your team with live polling, word clouds and fun quizzes that will keep their attention from start to finish.
Meetings stay productive and on point. Slido makes it easy to collect instant feedback and identify the areas for improvement, all without using a single sheet of paper.
In closing I have learnt that Slido is a dynamic platform that allows companies or teams to have more lively, interactive meetings. It also allows a two-way communication channel where people can build trust and engage with each other.
Quizlet
Quizlet is an interactive game-based learning tool used to study information. This tool uses a variety of engaging studying techniques including interactive digital flashcards, matching, and multiple-choice activities. This learning tool is fascinating for me because I used to use hand-written flashcards to practise for my science fairs, debate or toastmasters speeches. This tool has also helped me compound my learning abilities in courses such as Critical Thinking in Philosophy.
Some Packages Offered By Quizlet
It has few interesting concepts and designs that make it user friendly:
It has study sets created by teachers, lecturers and other students, or easily create your own. Revise at home, school or on the go with the mobile app.
Quizlet explanations show you step-by-step approaches to solve tough problems. Solutions in various subjects are verified by experts.
Social media, interactive and multimedia learning has made me come up with various scenarios, myths and reservations. I would want to explore all these thoughts I have through this course.
Social media and various mobile applications were created to connect people and to be used as a tool to help you increase your reach but not be used as the only tool. Shopping is done online, dating is done online, whatever you want you can find online. People seem to have a greater disconnect with each other in the social media era. People’s lives are now on front street for everyone to see and the line that divides real life and “fiction” is now non-existent.
What made me pick this course
What is Multimedia Learning?
According to Mayer, the term multimedia refers to the simultaneous presentation of both words and pictures (2014). Multimedia learning also refers to the learner being bale to construct knowledge from a combination of words and pictures. There are various basic principles to optimise the design of multimedia learning. These principles include Signalling principle, Segmenting principle, Redundancy principle etc. The video below ⬇️ describes Mayer’s Principles or multimedia learning.
Summary of Some of Mayer’s Principles
Learning increases when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively. Also, people learn better when irrelevant details in information, sounds, or pictures are excluded. Personalizing narration helps people learn better. For instance, narrating in a conversational style as opposed to a formal style increases learning. Additionally, interactivity also increases learning. People learn better when they have control over the pace of the presentation. Moreover, signaled speech increases learning. Examples of signaled speech include emphasizing key facts, using headings, and adding connectives between text.
Let’s Talk About Interactive Or Multimedia Learning Experience
Nokia 3310
In the early 2000’s Global System for Mobile Communications (G.S.M.) released the popular Nokia 3310. It had a 84x 84 pixel pure monochrome display and storage space of approximately a 100 text messages. However, cloud storage came along in the dot-com bubble. According to Wikipedia, “Cloud storage is a model of data storage in which the digital data is stored in logical pools, the physical storage spans multiple servers (and often locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and managed by a hosting company.”
Image by [Bharat sharma/India times(https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/dumbphones-nokia-3310-making-comeback-565058.html)]
Google Drive
Google drive is a cloud storage service that was created by Google. Besides file storage Google Drive also permits editing of text documents, spreadsheets, power point presentations, drawings and more. Google offers every user 15 GB of free space for all Google App users. Google also offers an unlimited storage for educational and work purposes for at least a 5-member group. All this has enabled some team projects to go much smoother. Group projects can be completed with group members not necessarily having to meet and edit documents in real-time. Same as Github, google drive hosts some of my coding files and projects. It is also important as it backs up my notability notes from my iPad besides my iCloud.
Abacus
Abacus
This ancient technology called an abacus was an efficient tool that set me on this path to pursue my mathematics degree. As a technology, the abacuspredates the making of glass and the invention of the alphabet. The Romans had some sort of counting device with beads. So did the early Greeks. The word “calculate” comes from the expression “drawing pebbles,” basically using some sort of abacus-like device to do math. This was a non digital interactive piece of technology that was useful for me.
This device segmented information for me in terms learning units, tens, hundreds etc. It also had the visual interaction for me and I could count physical which made me believe practically that what I was being taught could be proven. There was some aspect of signalling involved because I focused on the principles I was supposed to learn. You can focus on addition and a=subtraction and that basically all you can do on this device.
Image by[DeAgostini/GettyImages(https://www.gettyimages.ca)] via [Vox Websites (https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/3/6/14766970/abacus-math-learning-lessons)]
Ibrahim, M. Implications of Designing Instructional Video Using Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Critical Questions in Education, v3 n2 p83-104 Sum 2012.
Kuzu, A. et al. Application of Multimedia Design Principles to Visuals Used in Course-Books: An Evaluation Tool. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET April 2007 ISSN: 1303-6521 volume 6 Issue 2.
