B.S. Elementary Education
M.S.Ed. Instructional Technology
Ed.D. Instructional Technology & Leadership
5.a. : Ensure equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources to meet the needs of all learners.
Artifact:
Description:
In fall 2016, I took GDIT 705: Courseware Design with Dr. Misook Heo.
This course was focused on the development of online resources which,
among other things, contributed to the diversity of student learning. One
of our assignments for this course was the design and ongoing
enhancement of a learning module on a chosen topic. As we moved
through the course and learned from Dr. Heo and our peers, we made
improvements to our initial lesson to enrich the overall learning
experience. In our documents, we were required to provide rationale
for the changes that we made and how they would affect our students’
ability to learn and retain information.
As I have discussed in other areas of my portfolio, I took two courses taught by Dr. David Carbonara, GILT 540: Delivery, Trends, Responsibilities and Professionalism for Online Teaching and GDIT 706: Developing a Learning Environment using Instructional Technology, which were focused on the designing of an online course and a learning environment, respectively. Dr. Carbonara always took the time to make sure we were designing our content keeping in mind students with special needs and English language learners.
Reflection:
As a special area teacher, I see every child in my building. Students with IEPs may receive academic support in their core classes, but it doesn’t translate over to specials. In my role, I have to make sure that I explain and teach information in a way that is clear to all students because all children in our school participate in lunch, specials, and recess with their peers. Though it may have been a little bit more challenging at the time, requiring us to include modifications for students with special needs and English language learners was essential to developing learning environments that can actually be used with real students.
All of the artifacts that I selected for this standard were designed to ensure that all learners have a successful educational experience. Care was taken throughout the creation of these to make sure they were accessible for learners whether they needed additional support or enrichment. I found the most challenging part of including the different modifications throughout these projects was the fact that I was, initially, designing this content for imaginary students. It’s so much easier when you actually know your students and what will best meet their needs. It proved useful when I took this content and presented it to my students because there were already accommodations in place.
