USING TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM THE NATURE OF THE CURRICULUM A Professional Development Project for English Language Arts (AND …?) at … CENTRAL MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

AGENDA: 1.Introductions 2.Goals for this evening 1.Understanding our Context – Learning for a New Century 2.Who is ILS and Why would we care? 3.Understanding Differentiation 4.Understanding Technology 5.Targeting Professional Development 6.A Plan …

WHO IS AND WHY WOULD ANYBODY CARE? ETL Newsletter ILS Community of Practice

Write down as many ways as you can to describe the learning challenges your students bring with them to their schooling – the diversity among your learners you encounter in your classes. In your group, write in the centre a summary of your groups analysis. DIVERSITY

The Challenge(s)The Opportunities Motivation - Not critical thinkers Lack a framework for their thinking Worksheet kind of people Disinterested Transferring creativity Not engaged Lack of empathy and understanding different points of 10% IPP Time challenged Outside engaged Family (re-defining) ESL ADHD Sequencing information Organizing information Managing information Reading Discouraged and defeatist Accessing traditional learning Lack learning strategies Motivated, interested, sense of humour Need challenge worldy

USING TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM THE NATURE OF THE CURRICULUM Differentiating Through Universal Design for LearningUniversal Design for Learning

1.Changing Landscapes Placing greater demands for 21 st Learners to master 21 st century skills 21 st century skills What’s Driving the Agenda(s) …

2.Brain ResearchBrain Research New insights into the learning brain shed light on learner differences and effective uses of technology.

3.DifferentiationDifferentiation Differentiation is essentially giving students multiple options for learning. This includes how information is presented, how students build concepts and how they choose to demonstrate their understanding. As one can imagine, this dramatically changes what we understand as the "traditional classroom."

4.The Role of Digital Media in Differentiating for InstructionRole of Digital Media To help select the most suitable medium or use of multiple media simultaneously To convert material from one medium to another on the fly To modify the appearance of information within one medium To delve more deeply or connect laterally to other concepts through links To communicate with many different people through networked computers

Universal Design for Learning Universal Design for Learning … … argues the divergent needs of special populations increases usability for everyone. … argues for helping ALL learners achieve by building in three kinds of flexibility: Representing information in multiple formats and media Providing multiple pathways for action and expression Providing multiple ways to engage - connecting interest and motivation

Teaching Using UDL Challenges us to rethink the nature of our work and provide the FLEXIBILITY necessary to serve diverse needs. Challenges us to re-think HOW we provide content in differentiated ways, how we … Provide Individual supports Provide challenges differently and appropriately for each learner Set Goals Assess progress with effective and ongoing assessment Measure progress Adjust our work after evaluating the methods and tools being deployed

Flexible Media - Content-Free and Content-Rich ResourcesContent-Free and Content-Rich Resources Content-free resources. (productivity tools) - Are software applications, which are programs developed to solve a particular problem or to perform a particular task or function and that allow us to "access, retrieve, store, organize, manipulate, and present information by electronic means. Content-free resources also include communication tools, which can be used to transmit, receive, and transform data, content, and conversations and can be synchronous or asynchronous. Content Rich Resources - Are resources that are high interest, relevant, informative, and visually engaging and that make connections with and motivate and challenge the learner. These resources that have a clear learning intention or support a learning process (sometimes referred to as "learning objects") Content-rich resources can also include discrete video and audio clips, images, animations, and text documents ("digital assets"), which can be used individually or can be sequenced and combined by teachers to support their learning intention. Include interactive CD-ROMs, learning objects, digital assets, databases, and websites.

Flexible Media - Content-Free and Content-Rich ResourcesContent-Free and Content-Rich Resources SOME EXAMPLES: SOME MORE EXAMPLES

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING… Conclusions The three UDL principles share one common recommendation: to provide learners with a wider variety of options. Access to these options is tied directly to the use and management of technology.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING How are you assessing the needs of your learners? In what ways are you meeting the diverse needs of your learners? How do you know that you are being successful?

Challenges us to rethink the nature of our work and provide the FLEXIBILITY necessary to serve diverse needs. … Challenges us to re-think HOW we … Provide Individual supports Provide challenges differently and appropriately for each learner Set Goals Assess progress with effective and ongoing assessment Measure progress Adjust our work after evaluating the methods and tools being deployed UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING … As a model to drive our PD Agenda(s)

…SOME Suggestions Select the most suitable medium or use of multiple media in simultaneous ways, Allow for conversion of material from one medium to another on the fly Modify the appearance of information within one medium Provide opportunities to delve more deeply or connect laterally to other concepts through links and Allow for communicate with many different people through networked computers. UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING …

… shifts our practices and our structures. It challenges us to rethink the nature of our work, building in inherent flexibility necessary to serve diverse needs. UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING …

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING … Some Resources: CAST – Centre for Leadership in Education – UDL David Rose Column– HOW PEOPLE LEARN – HOW TO BEGIN LAYERED CURRICULUM –

The purpose of this project is … To explore the principles of Universal Design for Learning through an expanded, action research driven pilot project in ELA classrooms at Central Memorial

Goals … through incorporating the principles of UDL into ELA classrooms at Central To employ technology to make education more flexible and accessible to all learners. To enhance the capacity to plan for diversity and accommodate diverse learning needs To enhancing learning of students with learning disabilities with the goal of accommodating diverse learning needs of all students. To enhance the capacity to engage in action research To identify and disseminate understandings of best practices gained from this project

Enhance student achievement Describe promising practices relative to the deployment and use of technology enhanced differentiation strategies in ELA classroom settings Explain the impact of technology enhanced differentiation in assisting teaching and learning in Senior High School ELA classrooms Provide students with more flexible and accessible teaching and learning environments enhancing the education of all students through technology. Describe implications of technology enhanced differentiation for school and system technology infrastructure Describe effective professional development strategies for employing technology enhanced differentiation in Senior High School ELA classrooms Key Activities

To represent information in multiple formats and media To provide multiple pathways for students’ actions and expression To provide multiple ways to engage students’ interests and motivation To engage in action research. Demonstrate changes to organizational and institutionalized frameworks that direct and support learning. Key Activities

RESEARCH Examining current understandings of technology enhanced differentiation curricular outcomes and technology enhanced teaching and learning Designing research strategies Examining teacher practice to address differentiation and technology issues in classroom settings Identifying current resources available to teachers; identifying current professional development provided or delivered to teachers Generating and analyzing teachers’ anticipated and perceived successes and challenges of using learning objects and technology enhanced learning environments Generating and analyzing teacher’s anticipated and perceived successes by engaging students in learning. Sharing information between teachers and administrators within a technology enhanced community of practice. Interviewing teachers, ILS and ITS to understand technical specifications of hardware Key Activities

TEACHERS’ IMPLEMENTATION Using and integrating technology enhanced differentiation into the teaching and learning environment Developing and implementing technology enhanced teaching and learning opportunities -collecting reflections, resources used, impacts on professional practice as part of the process Assessing increased student learning through measures currently existing or through new understandings emerging from this project. REGULAR SCHEDULED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES – face- to-face and online Key Activities