Wow, what a great class!  I have enjoyed having the opportunity to use social networking as more than just something that ends up wasting my time!  (Facebook usually is an intellectual drain on my brain…)  The group site we developed and posted to was such an unexpected pleasure.  I expected to find my resources, post them, and then really not find much else that would relate to my subject area.  Was I pleasantly surprised!  When I began really looking at the sites we had amassed, I was bowled over by the depth and breadth of the resources.  It is literally a ‘one-stop shopping’ place for Universal Design and Differentiated Instruction and many of the sites have information I can use in my technology lab.  I have copied and pasted the links to a document that I will organize and cull through before creating links that suit my classroom situation.  Thanks, guys!

When working with my students, I am much more in tune with the differences I see in them.  Instead of trying to find a work-around to get them to the next step, I find myself taking a moment to instead set up the information in a format that suits their learning style so that they can be just as successful as my other students.  Learning about UDL and DI has given me a mindset that allows me to quickly and efficiently create these new learning situations and this is something that I am surprised about.  Having taught for all these years, it would seem that I would struggle with the changes but they were taught so thoroughly by Drs. Tomlinson, Smith and Throne that I have a good understanding of the principles and tenants so therefore can easily implement them on a moment’s notice.  Of course, having the appropriate technology (text-to-speech programs, full Internet access at our fingertips, graphics programs, etc.) also is a huge help to me being able to so easily accommodate the changes.  I can’t discount the ease that this allows in my lab.

As Dr. Tomlinson said, students are not a “matched set” and it is our “mindset” that sets up the successful implementation of DI in the classroom (Laureate Education, Inc. 2009).  Her common sense approach to teaching, learning and assessment has made all the difference to me this class.  The supportive technology ideas given by Drs. Smith and Throne have then been the conduit by which we have learned how to implement the basic ideas.  Well done!

 Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.