Web-Based Research Models

My exploration of web-based research models has proved to make a interesting night of web-browsing. I thought that the GraveNet pages were enlightening. These models allow students to access information much more easily and quickly than ever before, which in a time-restricted classroom setting would be a very good thing. Also, they allow students to peruse (at their own pace) newer information. This advantage fulfills the UDL principles of multiple ways and flexible ways to appeal to various learning styles. Easy access to this information is easy if the school/homes of students do in fact have access to the internet; however, web research becomes significantly more difficult if this access is not had. Another disadvantage of web research is the higher possibility that students will not effectively use this time to research and rather might spend time on websites that are off-topic. The web model has to be in the zone of proximal development for students; in other words, it is necessary that the information challenge the students but not be too challenging for them to respond to it. As Kajder points out in her text, web research in the classroom also establishes more work for teachers during class as he/she must help each group. Teachers must work in advance to develop specific sites for students to visit and constantly monitor the computers to ensure students are visting them and only them. I think that the most effective purpose of web research combines exploring a topic/ answering a question with giving multiple perspective. For high schoolers, I think it would be effective to combine these two concepts into one model. I liked the Banned Books and Nelson Mandela sites. I really liked the WebQuest format and especially the one on F. Scott Fitzgerald & 1920s. I thought it incorporated UDL principles well - including reading a classic paying particular attention to part of The Great Gatsby, using the internet for information, participating in a collaborative effort, and appealing to different interests including entertainment, important people, and clothes of the 1920s.

UDL Reflection

My initial impression of the Universal Design for Learning principles is optimistic. I really like that it accounts for individual learner preferences and that it constantly stresses both multiple options and flexible options. The powerpoint examples in last week's class were really interesting and helpful for me in comprehending the new concept of UDL.

When we first mentioned UDL, I (inaccurately) assumed that it was a new concept that only really applied to Powerpoints, which made me a bit apprehensive. Today, however, we discussed that is an incorrect assumption. UDL does not have to involve powerpoints at all. More importantly, it is a mode of instruction which appeals to a wider range of students that a single-mode approach.

I admit I was a bit apprehensive at first about powerpoints in an English classroom, but since class last week, I've really changed my mind about that fact. That's the greatest thing about UDL for me so far: it's adaptable for each teacher. I don't want my class to be dominated by a powerpoint - I want to use it to help aid class discussions and group work and, yes, even some teacher lecture. Digital media can open doors for students that haven't been opened before. Quickly, powerpoint can actually show all of the students at once what Shakespeare's Globe Theater looked like (without having to wait for a book to be passed around). They can hear Alfred, Lord Tennyson read "The Charge of the Light Brigade," which can make the poem come alive. They can listen to the music of the 17th century when they read its poems. All of these elements can easily be incorporated into a PowerPoint - allowing the teacher to use them quickly and intelligently. This use of powerpoint could detract from its usefulness if it is overused to the point that students are on overload or get bored with it.

I believe that it is reasonable to expect teachers to follow UDL principles - even if they don't realize UDL is the correct name for them. UDL principles are embedded in the types of knowledge that we're studying in ed psych: general pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. A teacher must know how to get the information across to her students so that they can take it and run with it - all the students and not just the high-achievers who understand it the first way she presents it.

The moral/ethicial implications of UDL include the possibility of a teacher not being right. Some of these techniques will not work for all students - some might not work for any students; however, it forces a teacher to move off the pedastal of "this is the way I've taught it for 25 years, and it's always worked before." UDL forces all teachers not to get in a stagnant mode of teaching. It is constantly changing to fit the needs of new students.