1. The concept of universal design suggests that all instructional activities should ensure equal access for all learners regardless of their unique needs. After reading the In Depth feature on universal design and examining its evolution from architecture to learning, consider how you might include universal design in your classroom. Do you intend to adjust your instruction to include universal design principles when you teach? Explain why or why not.
The goal of universal design is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning and give all students equal opportunities to succeed. Universal design doesn’t specifically target kids with learning and attention issues. It’s about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every student’s strengths and needs. I do intend to adjust my instruction because universal design in education is so important to ensure success. Universal design presents information in ways that adapt to the learner, instead of asking the learner to adapt to the information. This is good for kids with learning and attention issues because it gives them more than one way to interact with material. Universal design can make it easier for kids to use their strengths to work on their weaknesses.
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2. Discuss the cloud storage. Why is it advantageous for educators to share resources and programs on a network? What concerns are associated with program sharing?
Of course cloud storage contains a lot of benefits for teachers and students. It allows for instant anywhere access. They can share information instantly such as presentations and projects with others. Cloud storage allows for collaboration because students can all work on a single project from different locations by editing it and sharing it to others. My ultimate favorite is that it is good for backup. You won’t have to worry about losing information because it will be stored in the cloud that can be accessed anywhere. Despite all of these positives, cloud computing still contains some concerns from others. One problem could be that it is a chance that the material is lost. I have seen where changes to a shared document not be seen or the images become unavailable to view. Cloud storage in the school can be affected by the Internet speed but to combat this users have to balance out the use with other forms of data saving.
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3. You have learned about the challenges you will face in implementing technology in your classroom. How do you plan to meet these challenges during your pre-service and in-service career? Be specific in describing a strategy to meet each challenge.
Integrating technology is a challenge for many different reasons. One challenge is that teachers tend to lack the necessary professional development. Teachers are given one or two quick sessions on a product and expected to be able to implement it efficiently. To alleviate that problem I plan to go above and beyond my training and research the product by looking it up, waiting videos, finding tutorials, and using other schools ideas for the product. Another problem could be that the technology is costly. I could write grants and complete fundraisers to get the money needed. Another problem could be making the technology relevant to the student, administrators and to education. The strategy for that problem goes back to researching it and using it to its fullest extent. We still face people that think that technology is a waste of time and they only way to change their mind is to prove them wrong. I love the use of technology to enhance education and I spend a lot of time finding ways to overcome the challenges that arise when they do.