Blog #7 Why Coding?

Coding can be effectively integrated into my teaching in a lot of fun and exciting ways. I really liked what we did in class with the finch robots and the humming birds. When you integrate robots and coding many different subjects are integrated into one lesson. Coding allows you to teach many different things at once. To effectively integrate coding you need to be specific and clear on your expectations about what needs to be done. As a teacher you need to be informed and ready to answer questions students may have. It is a great way for students to become engaged and excited about learning.

There are so many new and exciting technological advances in the world today. Coding will help your students be prepared for the present and future. Coding can help your students become familiar with technology that is useful for them. Coding can help in other areas as well. If students code in groups they will learn skills on team work and communication. Team work and communication are important skills students should develop to help them in different areas of their lives. My biggest goal regarding coding is to become more familiar with it. I want to be able to know what I am doing and really help my students understand coding as well. 

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Blog #6 Action & Expression (Summative)

Students find so much joy and excitement in the Finch Robots so it is important to integrate them into teaching. It is a great learning tool for students. Since students know they are using a robot to create something it makes what they are learning more memorable. In every grade the robots can be integrated too, because the program used online is simple enough for kindergartners, but can be complex enough for sixth graders to use as well. There are many different ways Finch Robots can be integrated. I think it would be fun to do a math activity where students have to show their knowledge of transformations, like reflection or rotation through the Finch Robot. Students could also use the Finch Robots to tell a story they made up. To completely integrate them they should be used a few times a month, or at least once a month.

I hope to learn more about Finch Robots and different ways for them to be integrated into my class. A goal I have is to learn more about them and understand them better. If I am able to understand them it will be very beneficial to my students. If students have questions I want to be able to answer them. Learning about the Finch Robots will really help my future students become empowered learners. They will develop excitement, curiosity, and their learning can be self-directed if they want to learn more about coding and robots. Students will develop a natural drive to learn and find information that excites them. I think all students can become empowered learners. Finch Robots will definitely help some students become empowered learners. 

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Blog #5 UDL Action & Expression (Formative)

Formative assessments can be effectively integrated in the class many different ways. I first need to remember formative assessments are part of students learning. Formative assessments will assess students learning along the way of teaching certain things. To integrate this I can always formatively assess what we are learning in different units. I think it is a good idea for students to use online tools to create what they've learned. They are applying what they know and at the same time learning and becoming familiar with technology tools. I can also remember that the assessments can be simple and easy for both students to understand and for teachers to see where the students are.

I think if you effectively integrate formative assessments in your class it will really help students. It can help students better understand and retain information. Through formative assessments I can see where I as a teacher need to improve and re-teach. I can also see where students are struggling and where they need more teaching. My goals for this topic are to always use it to help both me and my future students. 

Blog #4 UDL Representation

1.How can Principle 1: Multiple Means of Representation be effectively integrated into your teaching?

In my future class to effectively provide mulitple means of representation, I can provide options for perception. I can provide many alternative options for audio and visual information. For audio alternatives I can provide closed captions as well as the sound. I can write out instructions and goals for everyone to see not just say the directions. For visual alternatives I can provide descriptions for videos and images shown in class. I can also play books on tape instead of follow along reading for those who have a hard time seeing text in a book. Language and symbol meanings should be provided in class everyday. I can be sure students understand sentence structure and syntax, math notations, and promote options for cross-linguistic understanding. In my class I need to provide options for comprehension. I can provide/activate background knowledge. I can help students by highlighting big ideas and critical points. I can provide options that support memory and transfer. These examples I will use everyday in my class to integrate multiple means of representation in my teaching. 


How will this help your students?
What are your goals with regard to this topic?
If I integrate mulitple means of representation into my future class it will help all students. Since all students comprehend and receive information differently, it can help everyone learn the best they can. It will help my students get the most out of their education and make it meaningful to them. I want to make sure I integrate UDL everyday in my class. I want UDL to be useful and help all of my students succeed and do their best.

Works Cited
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