Danna Dougan

  I selected the article Universal Design for Learning Guidelines for Accessible Online Instruction by Rogers-Shaw, Carr-Chellman, and Choi. This article emphasizes that incorporating technology into learning is simply not enough for success in any type of classroom. Educators need to change their mindset in all education by following the well-established but often underutilized Universal Design for Learning or UDL. In doing so, educators can reimagine both the learning process and assessment methods of online instruction and provide students with a tailored and authentic way of learning. The article discusses the Universal Design for Learning framework and its shift away from traditional instructional methods that only benefit one type of learner to a more inclusive, learner-centered approach. Incorporating the UDL into lessons ensures that students have a flexible environment that supports their diverse needs, learning types, and backgrounds, and students have the opportunity...

  Part 1: The lesson is aligned appropriately with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards and concepts, as well as with the correct grade level and subject area. This lesson also addresses ISTE students standards,   Knowledge Constructor, and Creative Communicator. The assessment portion is appropriately aligned with the objective and content area. Some improvements might be adding another question to the assessment portion to address the depth of the TEKS wording more accurately.  The lesson plan is as rigorous as I prompted it to be. I would use this lesson as a base for my own lesson but would then include more difficult questioning and a creation component to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the content. For example, I asked Magic School to provide a lesson on character foils and help students make connections to literature, movies, and television. It created an effective lesson in identifying this concept and moved to practice and identify character...

 In chapter four, Processes that Support Learning, in the book How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures, the authors analyze the key concepts that facilitate learning. There are three main aspects: executive functioning, self-regulation, and memory. The accompanying graphic illustrates this idea and expresses how all three are critical components in the learning process. Also outlined in the graphic is the connection between Gura's idea about the critical need to foster a creative learning environment and the educational tools and practices by Rivero that support creativity in Chapter 4 from How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures, Processes that Support Learning. Additionally, the graphic outlines the International Society for Technology in Education, ISTE, standard Facilitator 2.6a-foster, which is a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings. This standard best supports the ideas of...

Part 1. Authentic intellectual work moves beyond the traditional classroom task to create authentic and rigorous learning opportunities so students can use their prior knowledge and experiences to solve unique problems. Conventional classrooms incorporate functions that involve remembering and understanding, which is not always meaningful to students' learning. Authentic intellectual work requires analyzing, evaluating, and building on prior skills to enable the learner to make meaningful connections which in turn makes the task more useful to the learner. There are three components of authentic intellectual work: Construction of Knowledge, Disciplined Inquiry, and Value Beyond School. (Newmann et al., 2007) 1. Construction of Knowledge- developing higher-order thinking skills based on previous knowledge and experiences to solve complex problems. 2. Disciplined Inquiry- involves three key components. 1. Prior knowledge of basic information gained through direct instruction. 2. ...