Three Networks

Students and human beings in general possess a wide range of needs, skill levels, learning styles, and interests.  

Neurologists believe that our brains contain three networks: 

1) Recognition Network- the "what" of learning.  How we remember facts and recognize words.  As teachers, we want to differentiate the way we instruct our students.  

 2) Strategic Networks- the "how" of learning.  How we plan and carry out tasks.  As teachers, we need to differentiate how we assess our students' growth and knowledge.   

3) Affective Networks- the "why" of learning.  As teachers, we need to keep our students interested and push them to their limits.

Clearly, there are many components to taking on the role as a teacher. One of our main jobs is to get to know our students, find out about their interests and learning styles, and providing the students with information in a way they understand. The website http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html assists teachers in reaching these three networks and allowing students to relate to what they are learning within the UDL model and principles. 

http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html

UDL- Universal Design for Learning

As teachers, we want to provide students with the appropriate materials and strategies to be successful.  IDEA 2004 defines an assistive technology device as, "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired comercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability" (Dell, Newtown, & Petroff, 2012).  Assistive technology isn't only helpful to students with disabilities, but can help every student in the classroom.  

As educators, we cannot "assume" that the students we have remember the information taught to them a month ago, or the day before. When using the principles of UDL, we need to direct our instruction to build background knowledge first, for the foundation of our lesson.  Also, we need to set the standards and make our expectation clear for our children.  This helps them stay engaged, focused, and interested because they have variety of ways they can complete the assignment. We always have to focus on, "what is our objective for this lesson, and what are we testing?"  Looking back on my own teaching, I realized that I am using these principles of UDL in my classroom without even knowing it! I provide my students with a variety of choices to show their answer for a given assignment or test.  They can write the answer, show me how they got their answer, or verbally explain their answer.  This helps to eliminate any barriers the student might have in expressing their knowledge on the subject matter. 

http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com

The Beginning

It is important for teachers to continue their professional journey in learning about current teaching techniques. I made this blog to help me document my journey as I learn more about Assistive Technology for all learners. I started my education career as an undergraduate student at Penn State University. I received a degree in Elementary Education(K-6) there and began to substitute in districts and taught long term positions with different grade levels. During this time, I saw many diverse classrooms and it helped me see what kind of environment I wanted to provide for my students. I am currently a 6th grade long term sub at Pennwood Middle School and am currently enrolled in Graduate School at Cabrini College pursuing a Special Education teaching certification. This blog will show my love for teaching and learning. I also hope to provide information for other teachers to use, too!