Caitlin Leek Instructional Media

What does the research say about this? Blended/Hybrid teaching involves integrating technology in to your teaching whether you are integrating technology in to your lesson during class or posting teaching videos outside of class to be watched in preparation for the next days work. "Flipping" your class is one example of a hybrid lesson in which the main part of your teaching is done outside of class through technology and more active-learning tasks are done in class. According to Kathryn E. Linder, "One of the most beneficial components of hybrid pedagogical methods is their alignment with differentiated instruction models that offer custom-designed learning activities for diverse student groups" (12). Having class online and face-to-face allows for students to learn in many different ways so that we meet the needs of all of our students. Allowing for more hands-on work in class can allow for teachers to present materials in multiple ways. Another important reaso...

What does the research say about this? Action and Expression is the way that you can modify the outcomes of a students work based on their needs. For example, a student with dyslexia might have a better experience telling a narrative through images versus writing a story. "It should also be recognized that action and expression require a great deal of strategy, practice, and organization, and this is another area in which learners can differ. In reality, there is not one means of action and expression that will be optimal for all learners" (udlguidelines.cast.org). Making your classroom work under UDL takes practice and experience. A first year teacher may not be able to include as much action and expression options as a teacher who has been teaching five years. There also isn't one thing that is going to produce the same results for every student. A student who is an excellent writer and not so good at drawing may find that telling the narrative through art like the stu...

What does the research say about this? Everyone absorbs information in different ways. For example, I can learn by reading and oral instruction but my sister has trouble interpreting written language so she learns better with oral and hands-on instruction. Because of the different ways that people learn, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) says that you should represent information in many different ways to reach as many learning types as possible. According to udlguidlines.cast.org, "Also learning, and transfer of learning, occurs when multiple representations are used, because they allow students to make connections within, as well as between, concepts." There are three different guidelines to follow: provide options for perception; provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols; and provide options for comprehension.  How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching? I can effectively integrate Representation in to my teaching by providing ...

What does the research say about this? Digital Citizenship is the way to correctly act when online and using/doing anything in the digital world. Digital Citizenship Utah lists ten different topics to address when it comes to understanding digital citizenship: media literacy, digital footprint, security, ethics, digital literacy, harmful content, digital safety, etiquette, cyber bullying, and sexting. Common Sense Education talks about the importance of teaching digital citizenship in our classrooms. "Being a good digital citizen is more than knowing your way around the web. It's about connecting and collaborating in ways you didn't even know were possible" (commonsense.org).  How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching? Digital Citizenship can be effectively integrated into my teaching by reminding students about how to act depending on what we are using in the curriculum. It is important that my students understand how to be safe and act when we u...

Standards and PLN's What does the research say about this? Standards are important guidelines for teachers to follow. I believe that they are good tools to guide an educator as long as they know how to use them. However, like many things, they come with their own problems. According to Rebecca Alber of Edutopia, there are four "pitfalls" with having educational standards. She labels them as "The Hyperfocus" which is "...when one standard or two or three receive inordinate amount of talk and focus at school." The second pitfall she sees is "The Delusion". This is when teachers are trying to shove every single standard in to their entire year and make students hate their class. Third is "The Misfit". She is talking about the fact that one way of teaching doesn't fit all. Finally, there is "The Distortion". This is when we begin to focus on standardized tests and therefore we begin to teach towards the test. All of thes...

Equity and UDL What does the research say about this? According to Edutopia, "It's easy to miss the scale of equity as an 'issue,' because unlike assessment, curriculum, teacher pay, class sizes, educational technology, or any other persistently evergreen edu-choke point, equity never stops affecting. It's both the center and periphery of everything because we're always who we are and where we are." This means that even though schools and teachers understand that students of who are not middle class, white, and (usually) a man, are not at the same level in education. A persons' place in life has a huge impact on what is available to them growing up and what tools they have to advance through the education system. Students of low-income families enter Kindergarten already 1 or more years behind. It is important for teachers to try and fill the gap that many students experience when entering the education system. Universal Design for Learning is m...