Group Project Reflection by Alicia Davis

It has been an interesting journey throughout this course. I've learned alot about teaching with technology and about working collaboratively with a team of Educators to address 21st century learning trends for a classroom of 30 students with diverse backgrounds. Personally it was a challenging task, but with a talented group of ladies we were able to complete our task. I was able to create a lesson plan based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to create flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments to accommodate learner differences. My lesson plan involved student's creating a K-W-L chart as well as a Venn Diagram in Kidspiration2 for a 3rd grade social studies unit on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Kidspiration2 allowed students to create a graphical organizer for a visual mapping activity. My lesson required students to compare/contrast life in the 1800s as well as the present time. They were able to work collaboratively in groups to gather the information, and were assessed independently for their work in Kidspiration2. Accommodations had to be made for two students with disabilities as well for the other student's in the class who had individual learning differences. I feel empowered at the end of the Teaching with Technology course because it allowed me to be in the role of the technology expert helping a teacher with a basic knowledge of technology to impact student achievement. The professional development activities I would recommend for the teacher would be to create a self-report so the technology experts can assess the teacher's strengths and weaknesses, provide a one-on-one meeting with the teacher to model the lesson plan and implement the technology, and to create a blog or wiki for the teacher to reflect on her daily class experiences.