EDLD+5364+Week+3

This week in EDLD 5364 I worked with CAST Universal Design for Learning and I found it provided a useful tool called BookBuilder. Universal Design for Learning is the concept of providing a way for all individuals to learn an subject. While we all learn differently the CAST organization believes we can use tools that allow students to use multiple part of the brain to learn and retain information. The three brain networks that is focused on is the Recognition Networks, Strategic Networks, and Affective Networks. By using tools to allow for each lesson to cover each of these networks students with learning challenges have a better opportunity to learn. Multimedia can play an important part in this by offering lessons that incorporate sound, video, online research, interactivity, and creativity.

We also talked this week about tools that can be used in school districts to help improve learning. Many of these tools are still forbidden to be used in many schools (including mine). Such tools include the use of online chat for students to share ideas, social networking, blogs, and wikis. I hope that as a district we can begin to offer more of these tools to our students without the fear that is associated with them. We need to teach our students how to use a computer safely and not ban them for the potential tools they could be.