Universal Design for Learning

In order to meet the needs of a diverse learning population, teachers need to be flexible and aware of student needs. This often presents itself in the form of differentiation. A fancier name for differentiation is Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is “an approach to curriculum that minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students” (CAST, 2010).

Every teacher, whether they are aware of it or not, implements some format of a UDL when lesson planning. A lesson plan incorporates the WHAT, HOW, and WHY of a lesson. What students need to learn, how they will learn it, and why it’s important for them to learn. There are three brain networks that process this information. The guidelines for UDL presented focus on Representation (WHAT), Engagement (WHY), and Action and Expression (HOW).


Which am I using?
I honestly don’t believe it’s possible to incorporate everything in the guidelines, but a teacher can get close. As I went through the guidelines, I admit to feeling inadequate compared to the amount of information provided.

One area I felt confident in is the Representation portion, specifically 3.2 Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships and 3.4 Maximize transfer and generalization.


Which could I add right now?
Distance learning makes implementing some aspects of UDL more difficult than usual. Right now I can implement 6.2 Support planning and strategy development. In order to assist students, I have added checklists for each week to help organize their day. This week I modeled a think-aloud using a poem and my document camera.I embeded the video on my Canvas page for students to view. I’ve also added an area for students to “stop and think” and “show and explain their work” at the end of the week and at the beginning and end of each week.


Which looks great but I might need help to implement?
Next year, I’d like to work more on 6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress, but I feel like I’d need help with this. In theory, I’d like to give my students more opportunity in the classroom to self-reflect and see their progress. I tend to speed past the finished assignment and don’t give them enough time to self-reflect or even discuss their self-reflection. I’d like for students to visually see their own data - grades on tests, reviews, etc. that are color coded, and improvement in their writing with portfolios, what have you.


Tools for UDL
Amanda Murphy an article at EdTech magazine with four steps to begin implementing UDL in classrooms with purpose. First, she suggests beginning with small and achievable student goals. Second, create a flexible classroom with furniture and digital tools. One suggestion is for students to work with headphones on to help eliminate distractions. Third, choose technologies, materials and methods thoughtfully. After deciding on a classroom goal, teachers can then work on planning what materials would work best. Lastly, Murphy says to give lots of feedback to establish deeper learning. Students giving feedback to each other helps provide more learning on a deeper level.

Assuming that students have device and Internet access, having an area such as Canvas, Schoology, or Google Classroom to upload extra copies, think aloud videos, links to text-to-speech applications, etc. would help with implementing UDL. Canvas has an Immersive Reader function that helps with text-to-speech. Transcripts to videos can be uploaded or the teacher can upload a Symbaloo for students to use with important links.




References
CAST. (2010, January 6). UDL at a glance [Video]. YouTube.
         https://youtu.be/bDvKnY0g6e4

Murphy, A. (2017, October 26). Embracing the UDL classroom: 4 steps to a more flexible
         education. Edtech Magazine. https://bit.ly/35lMEW3

Robinson, D. E. 1. derobins@towson. ed. (2017). Universal design for learning and school
         libraries. Knowledge Quest, 46(1), 56–61.

Podcasts

I adore audiobooks. They are the best way for me to get my reading done a lot of the time. I’m one of those people that can multitask while they listen. And I’ve gotten to the point where I can speed up the sound.

But I can’t do podcasts.

I know! It’s so weird! You’d think with my love of audiobooks, I’d be down with podcasts. But I’m not. When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I would listen to Jenna & Julien’s podcast because their banter kept me awake (I had to drive a lot). My husband listen/watches to a few comedian podcasts - Joe Rogan, Your Mom’s House, and a couple of others. Brandon Sanderson has a writing podcast with a couple of others that discuss writing techniques that is really interesting. A lot of these podcasts have video version on YouTube. If that’s the case, I feel the need to watch it instead of just listen. While I’m good at wasting time, I don’t want to spend an hour plus watching podcasts, you know. So unless we are on a road trip and my husband puts it on, I’m not listening to podcasts very often.

On the other hand, I totally see the appeal of podcasts and using them in the classroom. I’ve wanted to assign a podcast to students because it promotes listening, speaking, and writing, but I haven’t had the chance yet. My teammates don’t seem comfortable with the idea. I teach PreAP/GT and my teammate that also teaches GT doesn’t seem as interested in it. Hopefully next year I can give it a go. One thing I like about podcasts for students is that they don’t have to show their faces. A lot of students are self-conscious but with podcasts, they only need to worry about their voices versus their voice and appearance.

Audioboom

Didn’t get far with Audioboom since they wanted me to sign up for a subscription before
uploading my first episode. Based on first impressions, this platform is for those serious in becoming content creators. Your podcast will be distributed to multiple different listening platforms in order to gain a larger audience. You can even go in and adjust which platforms it is sent to. An option to upload a podcast is available, but it requests a link instead of a file which I thought was odd. It might have been because I don’t have a subscription. There might be more features with a paid subscription, but unfortunately I won’t be finding out any time soon.

Anchor.fm

I have used this before for other courses in this program. I haven’t quite uploaded anything from it because I found the app to be troublesome. However, using it in the browser window was much easier. One thing I like about Anchor is the ability to add transition music. There are several options to choose from where you can plug in transition music as you are recording or after. I uploaded the podcast Megan created, added the music, and then published. It was quite easy to do!

Podbean

In the past I have uploaded and turned all my podcasts assignments into Podbean. I have found it to be the most user friendly. The user is not required to sign up for a subscription, but there is a premium they could pay for if they wanted to. You are able to easily access your analytics to see how many times your episodes have been viewed. This gives you data to use in the future for what is working and what isn’t.

The profile page shows your analytics, podcasts you follow, and any live shows people might be putting on. It also allows people to comment on your podcast. This could be good because you can get to know your audience, but it could also be bad because of trolls.

Conclusion

You can find podcasts by searching through Spotify, YouTube, or there is an app my husband used to use call Podcast Addict. Podcasts tend to be split categorized. When I did the Middle School Magic, I heard about a new podcast that could be used in a middle school classroom that has to do with the quarantine. It’s called Aidan Tyler, Quaran-teen and they have new episodes every Tuesday. Here is the link: https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/quaran-teen

I prefer filming on my own and then uploading my file onto Anchor.fm or Podbean. These two platforms are easiest. To make your podcast a little more lively, Anchor.fm might be a better choice because it allows you to add music and provides a selection. Podbean helps give you data on your podcasts and views, and it allows people to comment on your videos. I think it also depends on what other equipment you have at home. For example, my husband has a lot of production software and equipment. He helped me edit one of my past podcasts (I have a habit of umming a lot!) and could provide music for me if he had enough notice. He also has a microphone that could help with the sound.

Partner Assignment

Megan W. and I worked on this assignment and created a podcast based on audiobooks. I typed up a script, Megan made edits and recorded, and I added music on Anchor.fm. I’ve embeded both the Podbean and Anchor.fm version from my own accounts. The references for the assignment are below.

References

Cahill, M. & Moore, J. (2017, March 1). A sound history. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the
Association for Library Service to Children, 15(1), 22–29.

Heid, M. (2018, September 6). Are audiobooks as good for you as reading? Here’s what
experts say. Time.  https://time.com/5388681/audiobooks-reading-books/

Lamb, A. (2018). Listeners’ advisory part 2: connecting audiobooks with today’s readers. Teacher
Librarian, 45(3), 62–65.

Moran, K. (2017, October 26). 7 ways audiobooks benefit students who struggle with reading.

          We Are Teachers. http://bit.ly/2QrR8UZ 

Young, R. (2019). Listen up: best practices for audiobooks in libraries. Reference & User Services
Quarterly, 58(4), 210–214.

Cartoons & Comics

Growing up, I remember my dad always wanted the funnies section of the newspaper. The funnies were the comics. His favorites were Peanuts and Doonesbury. Other than the newspaper, I never really got into comics. I’ve definitely attempted branching out into graphic novels now their popularity is on the rise. I have so many artistic students, that I like to try to add having students draw their own comics when responding to text, summarizing, or for a writing assignment. Students either love it or hate it. Platform such a Pixton, Storyboard That! and Make Beliefs can help those non-artistic students (like myself) create their own comic without having to worry about their artistic ability.

Pixton

I had a love/hate relationship with Pixton. It seems like it’s only worth it if you put some money into it. The limited features on the free access doesn't allow for much. But it does get the user to want to try for more! The fact that you can customize the avatars clothing, hair, their position and more makes it so much fun! But less than 10 backgrounds are included in the free version as well as the limited, yet diverse, characters.

I created my account for education use, so it had me create an avatar. And I love mine so much. I enjoy using my Bitmoji for a lot of things, but I can’t help but use this avatar right now. Another nice thing about Pixton is if you choose to use this for your class, you can send a code out to your students and require them to log in with their school Google accounts. Students will then have to create their own avatars and eventually you will end up with a class photo (how fun!) You can pay a $10 a month subscription fee, getting a new “content pack” to use and build a collection or $24 a month to have access to all content packs. This will allow you and your students to go deeper with their comics. If you’re a teacher that can afford this, it might be worth it because then all of your students can access the content packs you purchase. Students should be able to use it alright, but may become frustrated at the lack of options.

This comic ended up being a commentary on the current situation the world is in. 

Make Beliefs

What I liked about this platform: different languages are provided which is awesome for campuses like ours that are a home base for newcomers. Prompts are provided for students and educators to use to get started. An account is not needed, but if you wanted to keep all of your comics in a space, you could create one. When you click on a character, it will provide different options as far as how the character is orientated.

What I did not care so much for with this platform: I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to add a background to my comic. The character buttons at the bottom confused me a little. They seemed to be advertising something, and I would get out of it only to realize that some characters were offered. The font size doesn’t change when you adjust the dialogue button.

Overall, this is a good platform to use for beginners. There aren’t a lot of options to sift through, but if your idea is simple enough, you can create something fun. Students should be able to use it rather easily.

This comic ended up being one that could be used in a library as a reminder that librarians are there for you and tend to know about upcoming titles that might interest readers. 

Storyboard That!

I’ve used this platform multiple times in the past. It provides a lot more options for backgrounds, characters, and dialogue or narration boxes. With a free account, your comic can only be 6 frames and you can only create two a month. One of the draw-backs to this platform is that you cannot adjust the characters positions. It’s good for summarizing chapters, recreating important scenes, or for a book talk. Students will be able to use it with ease.


For this comic, I decided to turn back to trusty Restart by Gordon Korman. This could be used as a book talk to get students interested.

Conclusion

One way I could use comics is to share funny memes with teachers and admin. Being in education is stressful and sometimes we could all use a laugh. Using comic strips to create memes or as simple reminders can be a fun way to break up those lengthy emails. I could also use it to advertise new and popular books in the library or new programs. If I have student aides, I could ask them to help create comics for the library to bring other students in.

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

YouTube

The NHS Library
I thought the two most helpful videos from Norman High School were How to Use EBSCOHost and Tiger Visits Norman High Library.

The first video is a detailed explanation on how to use the EBSCOHost resource for a research project, specifically a project on social issues. The librarian, Ms. Gilstrap, demonstrated a step-by-step process to finding information. She showed users the different options of types of periodicals to search for, how to narrow down your search with different filters, obtaining an MLA citation and URL link for follow up. This video will be more helpful for students over the CQ Research video because students can access EBSCOHost at home. 

The second video was cleverly done. Not only does it showcase procedures at the library, but it also gives users a visual of the library and its collection. By watching the video, students know where the check in station is, the catalog computer and how to use it, expectations while using the library, the availability of OverDrive for ebooks and audiobooks, and more.

I do think the video students would like more is the Tiger Visits the Norman High Library. One reason is the fact that their school mascot is going around and exploring the library. Another reason is that it provides new students that may be nervous a way to learn the layout of the library and expectations before setting foot on the campus.

theunquietlibrary

There was a lot going on with this particular library YouTube page. The library media center specialists had a lot of student and teacher involvement with their videos, making them more relatable. The sound, however, was not great. The two How-To videos were quite loud.

One of the more helpful videos would have to be The Unquiet Library on Wheels @ The Cafeteria. This was poorly shot, however it has a lot of benefits. The purpose of this video was to show students that a mobile library spot was available for them to turn in books or check them out. You can hear multiple students comment on how cool it is, and one of the students reacts excitedly when she learns she can return her library books. 

The other video was a tie between Why I Love the New Laptops and Student Blogger Discusses Why She Loves Blogging. The laptop video is a student sitting on a couch discussing the new laptops. While the video shows an honest review from a student, it also shows the users different seating options in the library. The second video about blogging is yet another example of an honest review from a student about a service the library (possibly) provides. Students are giving their honest opinions rather than having the librarian share what they think is best.

I’m not sure what video students would like best. I would think the library on wheels one because of the reactions from some of the students.

Pikesvillehslibrary

There was even more going on with this library as far as uploaded content. The production quality in these videos were slightly better than theunquietlibrary’s. There was a lot to mine through but the two videos I chose were Hip Hop Day @ The Panthers Library and PHS Financial Aide Workshop.

Hip Hop Day @ The Panthers Library was made with a program like Animoto - a lot of the videos seem to be in this sort of format, actually. The librarian was able to get a hip hop artist from Flocabulary to Skype with students and talk about the writing process. This video shows images from the event with a video clip here and there. It showcases the different technology that can be used for communication, community engagement, and meets standards.

The other video is lengthy, at 1:29:12. The content in it is extremely important for seniors and other students thinking about college. A Powerpoint presentation is recorded with the voice of the presenters in the library. Since this was film in 2013, the availability of screencasts was most likely not an option. Today, I would imagine this video filmed as a screencast and the slideshow available for students to access whenever. It’s important because the school may be in a low socio-economic area and students may not have been able to attend because of outside responsibilities.

The Hip Hop Day @ The Panthers Library would most likely be more entertaining to students. I also want to mention the AVID Pimp My Binder 2012 video. It was entertaining because it was a skit filmed by students to demonstrate how to best organize a binder.

bbmsmedia

This channel is more current compared to the other three with its most recent video from a year ago. There are numerous videos displayed here. The two I focused on were Luke Skywalker Has Overdue Books and 6th Media Orientation.

This library media center channel is chock full of parodies that relate to overdue library books. The Luke Skywalker one is the most current of all of them with a scene from Star Wars: The Last Jedi dubbed over. I imagine these are sent out as a reminder to turn in overdue library books. 

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The 6th Media Orientation is meant for incoming 6th graders to become more familiar with the library and its procedures before starting school. It also introduces them to the librarian. I imagine everything in the video is reviewed at the beginning of school. Knowing how I am, I would definitely be researching my new school and learning what I can. A 7th and 8th orientation is also provided for returning students as a review.

The parody videos probably entertain students the most because they take popular trends and find creative ways to bend them to fit the library’s needs.

How Will I Use Videos in the Library? 

Each of these channels provided videos for their community that promoted programs or materials the school library provides. When I become a librarian, I want to make sure that my community knows what the library has to offer and how to access it. There will be a How-To playlist showing the ins and outs of the OPAC, databases, and location of library materials. I would want student and teacher involvement in my videos for sure. One thing I would want to do is have students review books or other materials in the library for honest opinions. I would also have videos of different important events such as pep rallies and such for school spirit.

Animoto Book Trailer 

I’ve used Animoto once before in a course when I was getting my bachelor’s degree. We created a book trailer, but at that time voice overs weren’t an option. I’m glad to see that this feature has been added to video making. When we created ours, my husband helped me add audio to the trailer because he’s tech savvy in audio engineering.

Anyways, I decided to do my book trailer on Restart by Gordon Korman. We used this as our read aloud in the fall and our kiddos loved it. The amount of stock images available to use is astonishing and made piecing this video together all the easier. This platform for demonstrating information is quite simple to navigate; I could imagine elementary age children using it with little issues.

"Chase's memory just went out the window.

Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name.

He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return.

Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him.

One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets.

Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be.

From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start.

Scan this QR Code in order to watch the Animoto Book Trailer.

QR Codes in the Library

I currently use QR codes all of the time in my classroom. They mostly take students to a Google Form to fill out, but there are many other applications for it. 

One way I’ve seen QR codes used in classrooms on Instagram is a teacher will have a student do a book talk or book review for the title and tape the QR code into the front cover of the book. I like this idea because it shows students sharing their reading with others, and it helps them practice their speaking skills by creating a video. 

The QR code could be used for students to check in and out of the library, for students to easily access the OPAC on their own devices, or to vote for March Madness books. They could be used to pass out surveys, for users to scan to enter material recommendations for the library, My own campus librarian has used QR codes for a lesson on organizational patterns. The codes took students to articles. They could even be used to make bulletin boards more interactive for students or as simple as taking the user to the library website. 

QR codes are an ingeniously quick way to share information to the library community. 

References

Bbmsmedia. (2017, September 30). 6th media orientation [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0T-QyQMS8H4
bbmsmedia. (2018, May 31). Luke skywalker has overdue books [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ivht6CPe1Ek
Calypso Gilstrap. (2015, March 12). How to use EBSCOHost [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/BezObVKkqOo
Calypso Gilstrap. (2015, May 4). Tiger visits the norman high library [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NeUhXLvFAi4
Pikesvillehslibrary. (2012, May 18). AVID pimp my binder 2012 [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/Xg_MQe5zGn4
Pikesvillehslibrary. (2014, May 5). Hip hop day @ the panthers library [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/o3iihdaYAf0
Pikesvillehslibrary. (2013, December 16). PHS financial aide workshop [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/esKCAk_t6v0
thequietlibrary. (2012, September 14). The unquiet library on wheels @ the cafeteria [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/puYlDaLQKVI
thequietlibrary. (2009, October 15). Why I love the new laptops [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/TFrek3UuJrc