EDLD+5364+Team+Reflection

There were many parts of this assignment that I enjoyed throughout the weeks. I and two other members of my group had used Skype to collaborate before and it had worked well so we decided to use it again. I enjoyed being able to work out the scenario with members who come with varying grade level backgrounds and specialty areas. “All schools are driven by requirements to maintain and improve standardized test scores. And yet these efforts create a rather interesting conundrum, because frequently the ‘new school’ model and high-stakes testing seem in conflict with each other.” (Solomon, 2007). This led the team to decide to choose 5th grade science because students are tested on that subject using the TAKS test and consistently test low. We noticed that ecosystems were presented quite a deal on released TAKS tests and would be easy to include technology projects so we focused on that area of knowledge and skills. To solve the scenario, we decided to cover four aspects in our UDL lesson plans with each of us covering one area. We covered planning/research, writing, technology and assessment. Each of us used some type of technology to obtain our objectives. We used eBooks, Power Point, online surveys, internet web sites and video to teach the lessons along with offering the students many various types of technology to use in presenting their information to the class. Teacher professional development included in-service, weekly meetings presented by those practiced in technology and special educations services and peer-teacher observation on the use of assorted forms of technology with students. This was decided because everyone learns in different ways so this would cover all of those areas. I really enjoyed working with my team members and feel we did an outstanding job in creating a well-rounded lesson. Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0 new tools, new schools//. International Society for Technology in the Classroom.