Hello from Idaho! I hope that all of you are also enjoying the start of spring! Our flowers are beginning to bloom and trees are blossoming!
My name is Sherawn Reberry and I am the Director of Education Programs at Idaho Digital Learning Alliance. I have the privilege of working with all of our IDLA teachers as well as educators throughout Idaho providing professional development. I also work with our partnerships to help others understand IDLA and how we are able to collaborate and work together.
Let’s take a look at Chapter 8:
As we have been reading and interacting throughout this book we have discussed and shared many different thoughts, ideas and different ways to integrate educational tools moving forward. As we are nearing the end of our book what are your thoughts:
You read about different students and their thoughts on courses that utilized UDL. In reading these profiles and noting the differences from Chapter 1, how would you as a teacher now design a course in applying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions? How will you ensure that expression is built throughout the course using UDL to engage your students?
Finally, a last Reflection:
Share with us one idea that you are leaving this Book Club ready to implement with your students.
This blog is the home of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance Book Study. This spring we will be focusing on the book UDL in the Cloud! How to Design and Deliver Online Education Using Universal Design for Learning by Katie Novak and Tom Thibodeau. The kick off date is March 3rd, 2019.
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ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteThis has been an interesting read and I've enjoyed thinking about how VHS courses do and do not (or do not, yet) work to uphold UDL principles.
Though it is not the primary aspect of my job, I happen to be teaching a very small class this semester, and I've been reflecting frequently about them and how the class or does not support them. I've been trying to leverage the options for the medium of response, modeling using both audio and video in my own discussion posts. I've also thought a lot about how I, as the instructor, am "present" in the course and what I can do to enhance that presence. (Side note: I'm excited to encourage our VHS teachers, starting in the new semester or Summer school, to include a welcome video post, in addition to the profile that we require from teachers and include on the course home page). Back to my own small class: no students have taken me up on using video or audio in their own responses, so our discussions (and other assignments) have all been written. I wonder what gets in the way of kids wanting to try out these different options? I wonder if choice is enough, or if we should sometimes require different forms of expression, so that learners *have* to try something new and see how it works for them.
A last thought: I have one student who has effectively dropped the class. She has just stopped signing in. I've reached out to her in-person teachers, written her messages with the LMS, offered make-up opportunities and encouragement. But she doesn't log in. At VHS, we ask that communication between students and teachers happen within the LMS - for safety and because it provides a record of those interactions, which is important for us to maintain. Thus, while I have been reaching out, I know she isn't getting that message. Is there a UDL solution to this? I'm a little stumped.
Thanks! ~ Laura
We use email through Maestro (our SIS) to document concerns like this. We are able to email the student's school, parents, counselors, etc. through that platform. We are also able to go in and document communication by other means in Maestro. I think email and other means of communication just have to happen in cases like these.
DeleteI agree about how to offer options that students will actually USE. A lot of times, the simple typed out answer seems like the easiest thing to kids so they don't try anything else.... Do I want them to have choices and use them? Yes. Do I want to force it? Honestly, I don't know. I'll be curious to see if anyone has some great suggestions for DBs here!
DeleteI like the idea of adding the "welcome video" to our instructor profiles at VHS. I think this would set an excellent tone for establishing a more connected community immediately in Week 1.
DeleteThanks, Pam, Emily, and Marla for your thoughts!
DeleteA bit of a sad update on my student: she withdrew from the class, after her in-person teachers got her parents and rest of the team together to confer. I think it was ultimately probably a good decision, but it felt weird to not be part of that conversation.
I wish we had a more "seamless" way to email all stakeholders. This is technically possible, but there are a lot of "clicks" involved in finding the correct information, and I can see why that is a barrier to teachers reaching out in that way.
Thanks again! ~ Laura
I empathize with your frustration, Laura. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try -- using all manner of outreach media -- students simply do not respond. They check out mentally and are lost to us.
DeleteLike Pam mentioned above, our Maestro system does allow us to reach out to several people in a single communication. Student, Parents, Mentor, Coach, Registrar, etc. can all receive the same message.
Oftentimes, I use Maestro to reach out to those in a students f-2-f world to ask for help in motivating a nonparticipant. More often than not, this works.
I am sorry that your student withdrew, but I agree that that was probably the right choice for her at this time. And it is "weird" not to be part of the conversation that preceded that choice.
Hang in there!
Kathy
I would design my course with many more choices for students to demonstrate what they know. My course (created by a publisher) is very text-heavy and mostly based on answering prompts in 2-3 sentences or slightly longer paragraphs, along with multiple choice quizzes. There is so much more we could do to make it more welcoming to a wide variety of students! One strength our courses have at IVS is our course homepages. I think that the setup of our homepage, with a welcome video and weekly news items, can really show our presence in the course and help us connect with our students. The same is accomplished by our personalized, detailed, and timely feedback.
ReplyDeletePam, I'd invite you to view our schools newly built platform that has a pretty good combination of text, audio, video, Ted Talks and assignments. It's not perfect but it tackles a lot of domain.
DeleteI love the idea of a video welcome, this is something I need to figure into my platform for next year.
Cheers.
How would you as a teacher now design a course in applying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions?
ReplyDeleteMy current professional goal is to break into the world of online teaching so I have enjoyed this course immensely and learned so much. Thanks to all of you who so willingly share your thoughts and expertise as it has not gone unappreciated!
One way I have participated in synchronous discussions recently is through Zoom. I’ve participated in meetings discussing post-grad work and even got my neighborhood Homeowner’s Association using it! If you knew them you would know this is worthy to note! Lol.
In our grad work the instructor had 6 people at a time log into the meeting. After we all introduced ourselves briefly she went over basics like, turn your mic off when it’s not your turn, the timeframe would be 30 to 40 minutes, what the length our answers should be, that there would be six questions etc. Then she started and asked the first question and each of us had a chance to respond. It was really interesting to see everyone else in the group - live and to hear each other’s answers. It reminded me a lot of holding Socratic Seminars in the classroom with the “dovetail” responses that illuminated common themes.
I would implement this in some similar fashion to whatever degree is reasonable and adheres to my employer’s protocol. One change I would make in this process is to let each person have a chance at going first. This instructor had us respond in the same order each time. I felt like the first guy was getting hammered w each question as he had literally, no think time and the guy who went last everytime had more time to process, get creative etc. I think I would do a random order just to be equitable.
Another thing that was unclear was if our answers were being graded individually on a rubric (she was taking notes), checklist etc or if we were getting credit just for being there. I would definitely want to provide students with a checklist or rubric for these types of sessions so that the expectations were clear.
Thinking about why some students don’t take advantage of these options I think it’s just something we have to require until they get used to it and become more comfortable. I realize that for some speaking on camera is an uncomfortable as writing a report is for others. I believe that’s where we come in to guide, push their boundaries and facilitate a richer learning environment.
How will you ensure that expression is built throughout the course using UDL to engage your students? My students always get to experience an introduction to a variety of acceptable formats for expression of their learning. After students know the basic formats of an assignment I scaffold them, help them track their progress and provide a range of choice for them to employ into their work. My students know that they are always free to “propose” an expression they have designed that meets the rigor of the curriculum response.
Finally, a last Reflection:
Share with us one idea that you are leaving this Book Club ready to implement with your students. The first thing I will do when I land an online teaching position is the video introduction of myself. My first assignment for students will be to record their own video introduction and post it for classmates. I would also employ the Zoom technique I described and thinking it would be great to do once a quarter, dependent on the number of students in the class.
Thanks to all of you again for sharing all of your ideas!
I like the idea of having turns where everyone goes first. I have also seen courses where everyone or small groups give presentations online, so they get to "run" the discussion, or at least record their talk for others to listen to later.
DeleteI think this is a really thoughtful suggestion as well. It would benefit everyone to switch things up and not always having the same people start out the discussion and/or share last in one.
DeleteIn our D2L platform, there is a filter that lets each student respond before they are able to see the posts of their classmates. In effect, this is akin to letting each student "go first" in a discussion that is asynchronous.
DeleteThat's a great point. I had always assumed that feature was more for cheating prevention and to keep students from just repeating what was already said. I love that there is another positive use for it.
DeletePrompt #1
ReplyDeleteI'm really struggling with this question and finding myself bristling at the thought of a synchronous discussion. Some of this comes from my experience, which has been in asynchronous-based courses, with synchronous discussions only used as optional office hours or occasional presentations from a guest speaker. I have also experienced situations where synchronous discussion was used to "force" the feeling of a f2f classroom onto the online environment by someone who was not comfortable with online learning. As an instructional designer and technologist, any technology you force on people and haven't matched to your learning goal doesn't provide the best learning experience.
Synchronous online discussions to me feel very "anti-UDL" and are not fully inclusive. They require you to have access to a faster internet connection and microphone or headset, be online at the same time, be ready to think "on your feet" and don't always give you time to absorb what was discussed. Online learning can connect us across the globe, but we must deal with the realities of being in different time zones, which inherently leaves people out, or makes the discussion more difficult for students to attend at an inconvenient time. I don't think getting up in the middle of the night to be groggy on a call is a great learning environment to be in...
If I absolutely had to implement a synchronous facilitated discussion, and couldn't make it optional, I would offer multiple times to accommodate as many people's schedules as possible, make sure the sessions are recorded (with consent from the participants for privacy and legal reasons), give students the discussion prompt ahead of time so that learners who need to prepare can have some lead time, provide an option for learners to test the chat tool ahead of time, and open the chat early so people can test to minimize disruption during the call.
I would keep the call as short as possible, you want a long enough call that people can participate, but not so long that it becomes tiring or impossible for people to schedule around.
If the tool allowed it, I would use polls to add engagement and give people breaks in-between to absorb the discussion and have a "thinking break." I would use moderation tools where people need to "raise their hand" and mute people when they are not speaking to minimize distractions from the technology itself.
In general though, if I include synchronous activity, I always make it optional, or allow students to use the tool on their own, such as for project groups that they can schedule themselves. This is usually easier since they are only scheduling a few people and not the entire class.
Thanks for your feedback on my post. You bring up some valid points about equipment, scheduling and preparedness. Do you think if students had questions or topics ahead of time it would ease the challenge of students thinking on their feet? Would it be possible to schedule people in the same time zone at the same time? I'm just trying to see how we can get more students involved, if it would help their learning.
DeleteI think having the topics ahead of time would help students who need executive function supports, and to help people in the beginning of a course if they are nervous about sharing on audio or video.
DeleteYou could schedule people in the same time zones at the same time. This adds overhead for the instructor and maybe the support staff to have several sessions, but could be doable if you have a smaller class and people in a just a few time zones and the instructor has enough time to be present for all of those sessions. Having fewer overall synchronous sessions through the semester would be easier than say having them every week. Having some scheduling options could allow students without internet at home to schedule around the school computer lab, library, or other place they could get access.
I imagine this would be more of a challenge in the k-12 setting since the teacher is doing everything. In higher ed, professors often have the option for teaching assistants to run discussion sessions, like you would for in-person discussion sections for a large class.
I think using more media in the discussion board would provide flexibility but add more voices. The challenge there would be to ensure that student generated posts are closed-captioned. I have used closed captioning services at past jobs, but only for lecture type videos. I don't know if any of them would work for student posts, and there is still a cost involved.
Asking students to caption their own videos or audio files is a great way to teach them about accessibility but also might take away from time they need to work on their actual assignment.
This is a really interesting challenge to think through.
Sara - I appreciated your points about equity within a synchronous discussion! It's interesting to think about, since in my f2f teaching I used synchronous discussion all the time, and while I was (tried to be) really thoughtful about how to structure and make the discussion accessible and equitable, I certainly didn't think about it as much as I have thought about discussions for the online class, where we as teachers/curriculum designers have so much more control (in certain ways). Thanks for reminding us about the challenges of synchronous online conversations!
Delete~ Laura
You're welcome!
DeleteI think the idea of looking at synchronous activities within a mostly asynchronous environment is tough. I have tried this with my classes in the past - doing live reviews or mini lectures on difficult topics, and have had a little success when I’ve been able to offer multiple times for students to get together (having to work around jobs, sports, family, etc. is hard for both me and my students!). When students can’t attend any offered discussion, I try to record sessions for them to view later, but I always look at this like…. It’s yet another thing for them to watch and not truly interact with as intended… It might be possible to find a happy medium by offering asynchronous discussion boards in a class where students are required to come back and comment x number of times within a week or two?
ReplyDeleteSomething that I can definitely do better is finding multiple ways to have kids show they’ve learned something. In a few of my classes (dual credit macroeconomics, for example), there simply isn’t a second way to correctly draw a graph to explain what’s happening in the economy. But in others, there definitely IS space to offer more choices on assignments and give students more ownership over their learning. If I want students to read a primary source from the Revolutionary era, why not offer 2-3 choices so they can find one they’re actually interested in? Why not replace a paper with a choice of writing…. But also maybe drawing or making or designing? There’s a lot we can’t do in the online world, but we also are the ultimate medium for finding unique ways for students to learn and show that they’ve learned.
What am I taking away from this book study? Two things. First, I think my local school could learn a lot from this book. As we are “growing up” and looking to standardize more things and getting more and more students, I think that taking some time to look back at what’s right could be really helpful. Second, I know that I need to focus on options and choices for kids. It’s not something I’ve offered a lot of - most of my time has been spent designing courses or teaching face to face. But, taking the time to go back and reanalyze what I’m doing to look at structural supports and giving kids options can do a lot to “refresh” what I’m working on.
I agree with trying to get everyone together with live discussions. I teach high school students, and they are so active it is hard to find a common time. I think because of their schedules, they do like the on-line class, being able to complete assignments at times that are best for them.
DeleteThe idea of a synchronous discussion is an interesting one. This makes me think of the collaborative sessions that my “old” virtual school used to provide and require of students. A small group of teachers would offer an elective type collaboration session, and the topics would rotate throughout the year. These sessions would range in topic and students would choose the topic based on the course requirements. For example, if taking a science course, they would sign up for a science-based collaboration, but it didn’t necessary relate at all to their course. Each student had to complete one of these collaborative sessions per semester course. During these collaborations, a teacher would facilitate, and students could participate in a whole group discussion by using the chat feature, or larger groups may be broken down into smaller groups in a break-out session to explore something together. While it was recommended for students to have their video cameras on, it was never required. These sessions went very well, and the students really enjoyed the opportunity to explore something new and collaborate with their peers. These sessions gave the students a lot of choice which, in my opinion, allowed them to buy in more to the experience. The way the VHS model currently works, this type of collaboration/synchronous discussion would now work as well. Instead, the individual teachers would have to offer multiple sessions due to the variety of places our students live across the globe. I have pondered the idea of having the teachers who teach the same course, offer sessions that any student who is taking the course, the opportunity to attend any of the help sessions offered. While this may feel nerve wracking to a student (or teacher) at first, it would open up the possibilities of offering more availability for students to interact with other students (and teachers) in a synchronous environment.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ideas that I am taking away from this book study is the idea of making a course come more alive from the get-go by altering the modes of delivery of some of the weekly overviews and course syllabus. I’m currently working on revising two courses for VHS and will be using the video idea, and/or scavenger hunt type activity to get students to engage with the syllabus and curriculum more so than if it was just some text on a page. Also, I will continue to have conversations with my colleagues here at VHS on how to improve discussions in a way where students are not just using the discussions as something to check off their list, rather, they are engaged and using it to think more deeply about the topic of the week.
- Jen Alexander
I like the phrasing you used: "more alive from the get-go by altering the modes of delivery." I am on exactly the same page in terms of my thoughts on revising my VHS course. In addition to emphasizing "choice" in both assignment stimuli/prompts and students submissions and discussion posts, a couple of other notes I made include encouraging students to share their contact info (Facebook, twitter, Instagram) to optimize their ability to collaborate on projects, to add major assignments to their personal calendars as well as the VHS calendar, and to provide enhanced time management guidelines for lengthy activities.
DeleteI've enjoyed reading and learning from this book and from all of you. I'm going to use what I've learned by sharing it with others in my PLC during our meeting this month. In preparation for our bi-annual phone meetings, I sent the following to my team for them to think about and apply to their own courses:
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite quotes from the book so far is: “One cannot learn about online education today and continue to teach the course in the same way five years from now. The research on best practices may not change, but the technology surely will.”. This encourages me to use the many resources available to us as teachers to give a voice to those students who face barriers so that they can succeed in any online learning environment -even one that is constantly changing. It has challenged me to think about my presence in the course, my accessibility to my students, my enthusiasm, my feedback, my methods of communication, etc. So, here are some questions for you to think about (you can write answers in if you’d like) and discuss with me during our phone meeting:
How are you challenging your students to think critically and be problem solvers?
When providing feedback to your students, do you ask open-ended questions that cause them to think deeper and continue the conversation with you and/or classmates (showing your cognitive presence in the course)?
Other than discussion assignments, what kinds of ways do your students interact with each other?
A new idea I’m trying is to provide information and instructional feedback in a variety of ways so that it is more accessible to all of my students. Instead of always writing a weekly news item, I’m starting to make audio recordings of the message. When I get a little more brave, I’m hoping to create videos (yes, with them seeing me) of the information I want students to have. I’m learning that to actually reach all of my students, I must deliver my course content, feedback, and extra help resources in a variety of ways.
In addition to this, I’m also starting to accept students work in a variety of ways. For example, if a student wants to record their discussion post or post an article (in addition to their comments) as part of their response, that’s fine. I’ve found that allowing students the freedom to complete their work in ways that work best for them provides them the chance be more successful in the course. When students can decide how they would like to submit their work, it creates a less threatening environment for the diverse students we serve. It allows them to use the tools they are comfortable with so that they can be confident in their ability to succeed in the course.
Congratulations on accepting work in a variety ways. I do choice art in my f2f classroom where the students can use any kind of art media ( supplies ) to apply their understanding. Been doing this for years and it really has made a world of difference. You have it-- " they can be more confident in their ability to succeed." Once that confidence is built, they will be more willing to try new ways.
DeletePrompt #2
ReplyDeleteI will be taking away more than just one thing from this book study. I am not teaching in the near future, but getting a refresher on UDL and some new ideas will help me to better support our VHS courses. I have a better understanding of some of the differences between k-12 and higher ed, and confirmed that they share many of the best practices and challenges for delivering quality online learning.
I especially appreciated meeting some of our VLLA colleagues virtually and everyone's willingness to share. Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful. Thank you also to our faciliators and organizers for guiding us with great discussion prompts!
I agree, I love these book studies, it is so refreshing to reading others ideas that we can bring bits and pieces back to our our teaching styles and classrooms.
DeletePrompt #1
ReplyDeleteRegarding discussion sessions, one of my first goals is to implement a choice option for student postings. As noted in the implications for students like Coco, Kriti, and Ray, this not only varies the method of student participation but also enables students to use their smartphones and iPads for assignments when computer time at home may be tied up by siblings and parents. This would be helpful even in the case of my f-2-f students who have school-issued laptops. As we all know, technology is not infallible, and their devices are often in for repairs. Recording audio rather than typing a discussion board post would help in reducing the likelihood of falling behind due to computer issues. In addition, I plan to vary my own participation on discussion boards by recording some of my posts instead of using text. In the case of the prompts for my discussion boards, they currently vary from video to audio lectures to text; however, there is not always a choice. Most often, it is one of these but not all. I would like to work toward remedying this in as many discussion boards as possible.
Overall, I think the above changes will provide my students with more freedom and creativity in composing their comments to discussion areas. Moreover, I like what Novak and Thibodeau said in the implications for José with regard to encouraging students "to respond differently each week" (147). They noted that this would keep students like José from becoming too comfortable; it would also would also get students to stretch beyond their comfort zones.
I think that is a great idea to also mix up the way we present our discussion board prompts: audio, video, text, etc. Demonstrating these options may help students feel more inclined to vary the way they participate as well.
ReplyDeleteHow would you as a teacher now design a course in applying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions?
ReplyDeleteI agree with others that have mentioned feeling apprehensive about requiring synchronous discussion sessions within the framework of the UDL environment. The appeal of UDL is that it is not like our traditional model and so many of the students that succeed with UDL, were previously unsuccessful or uncomfortable within the constraints of their earlier traditional classroom experience. I would suggest that if synchronous discussion is included that it is done carefully and minimally. Giving students multiple opportunities to participate so that access to a proper environment in which to participate, time constraints that would prevent participation and social vulnerabilities can be resolved in order for them to be successful.
Working with students in multiple time zones is also a concern with synchronous discussions. In addition, even students in the same time zone have different schedules, different school time availability, and varying after school and evening activities that may hinder or prevent participation.
DeleteStudent choice would be central in any new approach to online teaching and learning options. So would changing up presentation of information. I think TED talks and other videos can be more engaging for students than straight text.
DeleteI would also like to play devil's advocate in terms of synchronous discussions. The best thing about online classes to me is the "any time, any place, any pace" factor. Trying to get a even a dozen students to commit to to same time and place for a real time discussion seems counterproductive to me.
Share with us one idea that you are leaving this Book Club ready to implement with your students.I am not currently in an active teaching environment, but I have really enjoyed my participation in this UDL classroom experience. I have made arrangements with my child's 3rd grade class to have a scientist come and visit their classroom and teach one of their unit's in order to give the kids a new and fresh, hand's on experience. I am been reminded of the need to consider the variability in classroom regarding learning styles, emotional needs, comfort-ability in sharing and participating and that efforts can be made even in a very traditional classroom to incorporate UDL principles.
ReplyDeleteMine goes back to the chapter on Syllabus design. Our welcome email is more of a templete for my online classes, but I starting the reflect on what I want to keep for next year, change, improve on for my f2f school. I am thinking of making a syllubus to share on my FB art class page and perhaps through email for all other parents. Years ago when I had junior high, I did a paper one each year, but now with all our tech I am looking forward to creating a video to share about my PGS art room K-5.
ReplyDeleteNow that we will most likely have alternative learning days instead of snow days to make up, I plan to make me more of a presence in those lessons. My school says I don't have to participate, only classroom teachers, but I want to have fun with my student as well.
The third thing I will take away from this book is increasing engagement in ways comfortable with students in my discussion questions online and f2f.
Last Reflection:
ReplyDeleteOn the top of my "To Do" list is a syllabus revision to make it less of a text document and more multi-media oriented as an introductory piece to set the tone for a course that emphasizes student choice and multiple forms of content delivery.
Chapter 8: In terms of discussion sessions, I’d like to implement choices for how to share information -- posting a video, creating a mindmap, submitting a drawing -- besides just the written word. Although I teach English classes online, typically, the discussion questions are focused on content rather than writing skill assessement. Besides the original post, I would like to figure out ways to encourage better peer replies -- maybe some videos on that because I already give samples. In addition, I want ways to “force” students to look at and respond to peers who commented on their original post. To me, this is where the true discussion quality falls apart.
ReplyDeleteMy big “take away” from is book discussion -- I would definitely offer more choice in showing knowledge when writing was not a requirement of the assessment. In addition, I’m excited to try some video pieces in my 2 VHS courses that I’ll teach over the summer. While I may just start with a “hello” video message, it may expand to some short instructional lessons. VHS is really good about including video options in their instruction, but I’ll be more congnisant of that tool for students. I already use some time management strategies, but I would like to ask my students what I can do to help them even more.
~ Christine
Christine,
DeleteI'm so glad that you are jazzed about using some video! I have been thinking a lot about what a great tool video is for making connections and forming relationships. Not only because of this book club, but in part because of it, I have been really working on how to develop relationships in all aspects of my work.
I am also really interested in your comment about "forcing" kids to respond to people who respond to them - even if that means they go over the required minimum number of posts. I agree that this is where discussion really grows - so I wonder about making it a requirement... And then I think about the poor kid who gets someone commenting on their post at 11:47 the night the work is due. How do they have the chance to comment back? Good food for thought!
Thanks, ~ Laura
After reading all the chapters regarding how to apply UDL principles, I have discovered that I can make my course discussion boards a lot more effective for expanding students learning instead of facilitating 5 word sentences during peer responses! This can be achieved by making the content relevant to my students along with providing multimedia aspects. I like the idea of having a quest moderator or speaker to cover the topic being discussed for the discussion boards so the students may ask questions directly. I could then have a follow up discussion session regarding the quest speakers information.
ReplyDeleteOnce idea that I will take away from this book is to ask students at the beginning out the course what they expect to learn and cover in the course. I found this to be such a simple yet effective way to engage with the students. If students are learning what they hope or want to learn, they are more likely to stay engaged and active throughout the course.
How would you as a teacher now design a course in applying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions? How will you ensure that expression is built throughout the course using UDL to engage your students?
ReplyDeleteAs an online instructor, I have weekly synchronous lessons for each course. In implementing the UDL methods, I now feel comfortable including additional group assignments outside of the synchronous session. At this time, students work in groups during the session, but I can build on this and have additional collaboration. In engaging students, I will offer more autonomy in assignments. For instance though I teach English, there are opportunities for presenting information in an original format, perhaps using Flipgrid for videos and this is also helpful with the discussions. I will use more multimedia in the course.
Share with us one idea that you are leaving this Book Club ready to implement with your students.
I will include a welcome video into my syllabus in addition to the welcome video on the home page of the course. It is important to engage students and encourage them in their learning.
Hi April, I have yet to try tackling group assignments, mostly because I do not know how to monitor the activity or what resources work best. Do you have any recommendations as to which multimedia formats you like using for group sessions and do you think these types of group sessions are more beneficial than the usual discussion boards?
DeleteLet’s take a look at Chapter 8:
ReplyDeleteAs we have been reading and interacting throughout this book we have discussed and shared many different thoughts, ideas and different ways to integrate educational tools moving forward. As we are nearing the end of our book what are your thoughts:
You read about different students and their thoughts on courses that utilized UDL. In reading these profiles and noting the differences from Chapter 1, how would you as a teacher now design a course in applying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions? How will you ensure that expression is built throughout the course using UDL to engage your students?
Oh my. I thought my course was fine, and I thought I offered thought provoking discussion questions, but after reading the book, I think I realize there is more I could do. All the suggestions in offering choices is good. I will try to use more videos for responses for discussions…no longer than 6 minutes, of course. As far as synchronous…I think this might be hard with high school students. The students like the on-line courses because they can complete their work without meeting at an agreed upon time. I would have to use several suggestions offered in this reading to make this work. It is something I would have to work on.
Finally, a last Reflection:
Share with us one idea that you are leaving this Book Club ready to implement with your students.
I plan on implementing a couple of the suggestions. I like the idea of breaking steps down. I think this will work for me on a weekly basis. Even though I thought it was clear what needs to be done, I can break those steps up even further.
I also like the idea of a student designing their own plan on how they will be completing their work. I let students make corrections on their accounting assignments, and I don’t always get those back in a timely manner. I think if a student participates in their completion plan, they will be more successful in turning their corrected assignment in.
I would like to start implementing all the suggestions on page 164. The list includes multiple media for communication, alternatives for auditory and visual information. I like the idea of both of these.
That is a couple of changes I plan to make starting with my summer syllabus and classes. Very good reading.
I share some of the same concerns with synchronous sessions as the other participants in this book study. I too have had sub-optimal experiences in online course discussions. It seems to me that there needs to be a fair amount of preparation for the synchronous discussion to work. As the instructor, I need to be clear on goal or purpose of the session ahead of time. The sessions would need to be strategically placed in the syllabus timeline. I would ensure students were exposed to multiple representations of key concepts beforehand. Time would also need to be spent on practical matters, acclimating students to the LMS or communication platform. Somehow, I would need to assess whether the students were ready for the discussion. The example of Coco in the book, shows several examples indicating the amount of preparation. Coco’s hypothetical teacher allows for follow-up responses in variable formats to alleviate the pressure of responding to prompts quickly in the alloted time. (I thought this was a great idea.)
ReplyDeleteTo ensure expression is built-in throughout the course, I suppose I would start with the syllabus and include in the participation expectations section examples of the types of submissions that are possible (but not limited to) . In the “lead by example” vein, I would deliberately vary the teaching modalities as further examples of the types of expressions that can be used. The book suggested offering video or other alternatives to the assigned readings. It is important to refer back to the syllabus often throughout the course as reminders.
How would you as a teacher now design a course in applying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions? How will you ensure that expression is built throughout the course using UDL to engage your students?
ReplyDeleteApplying UDL to synchronous discussion sessions is paramount in the restructuring of my blended learning art and cornerstone classes for next year. Between chapter 1-8, I have come to better understand how having an attendance obligation to weekly synchronous learning time could benefit both instructors and students. As an instructor it would allow me to have an actual ‘gathering of my classes’. In my head this would eliminate the need to reteach and answer the same questions many dozens of time. I would be able to conduct a live mini lesson which could be recorded and viewed at student pace for clarity and review.
In addition to synchronous meeting I would employ the use of discussion boards for student/class collaboration. Indirectly this would lead to dictation of virtual office hours. By reading student posts, and participating, I would have the advantage of formative assessment. Having a live board and office hours would avail me more often to students. As such I’m of the opinion this would foster greater interest in subject area, as well as higher order consideration of work completion and submission. Additionally, students may be more apt to dig for greater cognitive output when they are participating in synchronous meetings as well as discussion boards.
How will you ensure that expression is built throughout the course using UDL to engage your students?
The most effective way of ensuring new expression for next year may be employing an adaptive release feature. Releasing assignments as students attend synchronous sessions and discussion board postings will allow me to monitor student learning more effectively. Also by adaptive release students may be better guided towards independent and successful time management.
Finally, a last Reflection:
Share with us one idea that you are leaving this Book Club ready to implement with your students.
I have sticky notes all over my book with ideas ready for implementation. The greatest and perhaps most simple is the absolute need to teach time management as a class, not just a week of lessons.( I have already presented the idea to my principal.) Immediately, I will take the idea of students managing their own calendar to help them pace assignments. Students will build their own electronic calendar and let the ones I’ve made stay in the classroom cubbies. As of Monday we have forty days to finish credits. This will be forty days of inquiry learning for both myself and my kids.
One idea I will take away that can be implemented right away will be to vary the representation of the key learning concepts more. Generally, I present mostly text based information supplemented with pictures to our staff of adult learners. UDL makes the case based on neuroscience, which I thoroughly do not understand, that learners perceive written, aural, and visual information differently. The range of variation in perception is likely larger than my intuition would suggest, even among a relatively homogeneous-looking group of people. (This could explain at least in part why I spend time re-teaching certain individuals over and over.) With the goal of removing obstacles to learning, the extra work in preparing multiple representations is entirely justified.
ReplyDeleteDiscussions are an important part of the traditional classroom and should be in the online classroom as well. As I have tried to incorporate discussions online, I realize I need to include more open-ended questions when responding to student responses to encourage additional discussion. Our school district uses Infinite Campus which has an online discussion forum. Since this book study began, I was able to use the discussion forum during a field trip. Students were asked to log into their Infinite Campus app on their phones and post to the discussion form while viewing different types of mechanical devices. To give students voice, the students themselves created the discussion questions for other students to answer. This is one way to include nonparticipants and create a better group dynamic.
ReplyDeleteOur school is looking into purchasing a Learning Management System. I recommended this book as a tool to help teachers understand the “why” to online design. Teachers need to know not only how to maintain an online presence but also why it is important for an effective design in order to reach all learners. I have enjoyed this book study and have many take-aways from the text as well as the discussions.
Diane,
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of letting students come up with the discussion questions! That is one more variation of the theme of student empowerment that resonates in this book and our discussions of it.
Good luck in your LMS search. I hope you have a committee with teachers participating in the choice. It would be terrific to have students on it, too.
Kathy