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Week 5 Blog

Part 1: Article I will be discussing:  Rao, K., Torres, C., & Smith, S. (2021). Digital tools and UDL-based instructional strategies to support students with disabilities online. Journal of Special Education Technology, 36(2), 105-112. This article was an interesting read that reviewed some of the major accessibility issues students with disabilities face regarding online learning, and many digital tools that are rising in popularity. Students with disabilities are especially at risk for struggling with online learning and many technology-heavy assignments; as a result, they often experience inequities in participation, engagement, learning progression, and achievement. Common barriers are often seen in academics, executive function issues, and learning behaviors. Universal Design for Learning is a research-backed framework that can help lower the barriers this specific group of students often faces. UDL is based on three principles: student engagement, representation, and ac...
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MagicSchool AI-Generated Lesson Plan:  Ecosystems and Adaptations: Understanding Our Environment LEARNING OBJECTIVE:  Students will be able to: Identify different ecosystems and describe key features. Explain how specific adaptations help animals survive in their environments. Create and share a digital presentation that models how an animal’s adaptations connect to its ecosystem. ASSESSMENTS: Students will complete a digital presentation that models the relationship between an animal’s adaptations and its ecosystem. This presentation will be assessed based on creativity, understanding of concepts, and clarity of information presented. KEY POINTS: Ecosystems : Defined as communities of living organisms and their interactions with their environment. Adaptations : Special features or behaviors that enable animals to survive in their ecosystems, such as camouflage, hibernation, or specialized feeding habits. Connections : How specific adaptations help animals find food, avoid pre...
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Week 3 Blog Post

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  Briefly describe 3 major points discussed in the chapter that impact curriculum design .   The first point regarding motivation that really stuck out to me in Chapter 6 was the fact that motivation is greatly impacted by one's social and cultural upbringing. We all define success differently and have varying approaches to motivation. Some people are motivated more by collectivist values (placing more emphasis on their community), while some people are more motivated by individualistic values (placing more emphasis on themselves). Secondly, people's motivation is largely impacted by their social identity, the unique lens through which they view the world, shaped by their personal experiences. Identifying with a social group helps create a sense of belonging and motivates people to succeed. However, on the flip side, being associated with negative stereotypes related to one's social/cultural group has been shown to have a detrimental impact on motivation (NASEM, 2018...
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Week 2 Blog Post

 1. Authentic Intellectual Work is a newer framework that challenges the traditional schooling experience of simply memorizing and repeating information; it instead pushes students to develop a deeper understanding of information and its real-world applications (Newmann, King, & Carmichael, 2007). Often, traditional schooling involves telling students exactly what they should learn, how they are going to learn it, and the depth of knowledge typically does not go beyond surface level. With the implementation of Authentic Intellectual Work, students are learning information by critically thinking, interacting with the content in a meaningful way, and applying this knowledge in a relevant, usable manner.  The three main components of the Authentic Intellectual Work framework are construction of knowledge, in-depth understanding, and value beyond the traditional classroom (Newmann, King, & Carmichael, 2007). Construction of knowledge typically implies a degree of higher-or...
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Week 1 Blog Assignment

Hello! My name is Miranda Rider, and I am a 4th-year teacher in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The district I grew up in and now work in is majority minority and low-income school with 37 languages spoken - as you can imagine, this presents a unique set of challenges! I am alternatively certified, as my undergraduate degree is in Business Management, but I found my way into the classroom and realized I have a passion for teaching elementary! My state requires alternatively certified educators to complete 12 credit hours to receive certification. I've never been the type of person to do something halfway, so I figured I'd just get my master's if I was going back anyway! I initially taught for three years but left the classroom in 2023 to explore a career utilizing my business degree, but ultimately missed teaching and returned. Despite only being gone for two years, I feel like things have changed so much since I was last teaching. My current professional goal is to establish mysel...
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