Adding my first entry to Wikipedia

My school, Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy, was not listed on Wikipedia so I added the article myself.

I included a few sentences on BKB Academy and listed several of the BKB schools in Detroit.

My posting was flagged for not having enough sources and was set to be deleted. The message I received said "Lacks WP:RS to satisfy WP:GNG."I have added one source, but the message still says the article is set to be deleted.

A lesson plan through the lens of UDL

Recently I created a lesson plan on using Gmail and GoogleDocs with students. After learning about the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, I went back to my lesson to analyze how well it met the diverse needs of my students. My lesson can be accessed on GoogleDocs or through Merlot .

Below is a checklist of the UDL guidelines. These are an excellent way to see if your lesson meets the diverse needs of learners to make sure that all students can learn. I have highlighted and made annotations of how these UDL principles apply to my lesson plan.

I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation 

1. Provide options for perception 

1.1 Customize the display of information 

1.2 Provide alternatives for auditory information 

1.3 Provide alternatives for visual information - FEATURE: Includes visual examples using a variety of media (text, pictures, video)

2. Provide options for language and symbols 

2.1 Define vocabulary and symbols 

2.2 Clarify syntax and structure 

2.3 Decode text or mathematical notation - BARRIER: Much of e-mail and Google Docs is text driven.

2.4 Promote cross-linguistic understanding 

2.5 Illustrate key concepts non-linguistically 

3. Provide options for comprehension 

3.1 Provide or activate background knowledge - BARRIER: For many students, this technology is new and they have no background information.

3.2 Highlight critical features, big ideas, and relationships 

3.3 Guide information processing 

3.4 Support memory and transfer

II. Provide Multiple Means of Action and 

Expression

4. Provide options for physical action 

4.1 Provide varied ways to respond - FEATURE: Students are given a variety of ways to respond to a writing prompt or assignment. Students can play to their strongest intelligence.

4.2 Provide varied ways to interact with materials 

4.3 Integrate assistive technologies 

5. Provide options for expressive skills and fluency 

5.1 Allow choices of media for communication - FEATURE: Students who are more visual or kinesthetic have alternative options like creating a presentation or recording a video skit.

5.2 Provide appropriate tools for composition and problem solving 

5.3 Provide ways to scaffold practice and performance 

6. Provide options for executive functions 

6.1 Guide effective goal setting 

6.2 Support planning and strategy development 

6.3 Facilitate managing information and resources - FEATURE: Students can save useful information for later reference.

6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress - FEATURE: Students can track and monitor their progress from class or from any internet connected device.

III. Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

7. Provide options for recruiting interest 

7.1 Increase individual choice and autonomy 

7.2 Enhance relevance, value and authenticity 

7.3 Reduce threats and distractions 

8. Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence 

8.1 Heighten salience of goals and objectives 

8.2 Vary levels of challenge and support - FEATURE: Assignment allows for easier modifications and accommodations on future work.

8.3 Foster collaboration and communication - FEATURE: Students and teacher can collaborate and communicate more effectively.

8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback - FEATURE: Students get targeted, meaningful feedback.

9. Provide options for self-regulation 

9.1 Guide personal goal-setting and expectations 

9.2 Scaffold coping skills and strategies 

9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection

Evaluating a lesson plan from MERLOT

MERLOT, put simply, is an online collection of peer reviewed lesson plans. Here is my review of just one of the thousands of excellent lessons they have. And they're all free.

The lesson I am reviewing is by Cynthia Lanius and is called "Who Wants Pizza?" This lesson plan teaches fractions in a fun and exciting way. There are six parts, with four additional parts for more practice. Students visualize fractions and use their skills to take quizzes on what they learned. The lesson presents valid math concepts and skills in an engaging and understandable way.

(http://www.math.rice.edu/~lanius/fractions/index.html) 

This material could be used at various stages of the learning process. "Who Wants Pizza?" has students explain and demonstrate their understanding of adding and multiplying fractions. This lesson could be used in the late elementary grades as an introduction but it could also be used as a drill and practice or a review for middle school students.

The objectives of Ms. Lanius' lesson plan are to teach students what fractions are using pizza as an example. Students will navigate through lessons teaching them how to add and multiply fractions. Students who are visual learners or prefer practical examples will benefit greatly from this lesson. This lesson certainly improves students ability to learn about the material in a fun way.

This lesson is easily integrated into any math unit on fractions, as it is mostly a drill and practice type lesson. Although it could be used in a variety of contexts, the lesson itself is sequential and follows a logical pattern of instruction. The learning assignments are written with the student in mind, and can be used instantly to introduce, drill, or review fractions with students.

This lesson is very easy to use and the menus, buttons and general layout are designed with the student in mind. Each lesson is similar and be experienced sequentially or independently of one-another. The user is free to navigate through the material on their own pace and they can easily jump between lessons.

Students get real time feedback to the quiz questions they take. "Who Wants Pizza?" can be used by almost any student or teacher and it does not require any additional support like documentation or additional instruction.

Personal Learning Reflection

     I didn't know what to expect when I started my first Masters course, Teaching for Understanding with Technology. Reflecting on CEP 810, my first online course, I am extremly happy with the skills I gained. I have increased my understanding of what technology can mean for my teaching, how it can transform my lessons, and how it can prepare my students as 21^st century learners.


     I have grown in many ways. Since I started teaching nearly three years ago I wanted to create a blog. Now I have one that I will continue to use as I grow professionally. I have become a more literate person by following RSS feeds on education, technology, news and other topics that interests me. And I have crafted my own personal learning network, mastering social media and online collaboration tools.


     Those areas of growth are more than I expected to learn before I began CEP 810, but that's not all. Because of this course I have now mastered Google applications like Google Calendar, Google Reader and Google Docs. These and other things I learned in this course have practical and immediate applications to my classroom.


     Online sessions, articles and tutorials supported my learning. What limited my growth was my own situation and my schedule. I have been very busy with my job and it was slow adjusting to taking a course online. Rather than get frustrated in give up, I stuck with it, learning about things like digital citizenship and creating a special interest group propsal on Twitter, an application I would have never used before. I feel particularly happy with my Personal Technology Plan. I feel it represents where I have come from and where I hope to go.


     I have met the goals of my personal growth plan. In the future I hope to learn more about how to apply what I have learned to my classroom. I want to encorporate blogs and online document storage in my classroom, and create a web presence for myself, connecting me with my students and their families. The most important thing I have learned is that its important to have a vision for technology in your classroom. After CEP 810 I think I have a good idea what that vision might be. I hope to cultivate that idea and look forward to seeing it grow.


     These last four days (Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) were dedicated to completely retooling the school I work at. It was my first weekend work retreat, and hopefully the long hours of work will pay off. I envision a Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy West 2.0. Much like Web 2.0, it will be more collaborative, with open information sharing and a user (student) centered design. I have a feeling a lot of what I learned in CEP 810 will come in handy.