When describing UDL, it would have been easier to read if you incorporate the three principles using a list.
I agree that course design is integral to incorporating accessibility. In UDL, one of the key applications in education is using different media. So, definitely a course has to integrate media effectively and smoothly.
Regarding equity concerns, technology is definitely a barrier to some students. Technology can be expensive. So, the financial costs should be taken into account when incorporating it to education.
Your personal experience shows that UDL can be an effective way to encourage student participation. There are some cases in class where the course design does not encourage participation. UDL can provide a solution to that problem.
I appreciate that you included a hyperlink towards the referenced podcast. It gives the reader a chance to learn more about UDL if they are interested.
I definitely understand that UDL is important for a students who are easily distracted. Given the emphasis on including students of **all** diverse backgrounds, it has similarities to the accommodations given to students in CAL.
Suggestions
I would have liked you to expand more on accessibility. Maybe give examples of how UDL incorporates accessibility, whether it is through subtitles or different media types.
I would have also liked to read more about your own personal experiences regarding UDL. Where you provide specific examples as a college student.
Conclusion
Other than that, you have defined UDL perfectly. I definitely understand what you mean by UDL.
I appreciate that you emphasize the application of UDL within diverse backgrounds. This diversity can be seen through their different backgrounds whether it’s by culture, class, and etc..
Accessibility in Online learning environments is well explained. I agree that there should be “free or low-cost resources”. Giving the option to view the learning content through multiple devices provides the students a choice between cheaper alternative technology.
For ethical challenges, I will say that you could add into the concern of security. In which, students should be ensured that their personal data is secure and not open to the public.
Other than that, I appreciate that you use different formats to show information (video and images).
Open Pedagogy is the creation of free resources that allow students to collaborate to create and add to the learning resource. It is a good way to remove financial barriers while allowing others to share their knowledge.
It differs traditionally from teaching as teaching usually has geographical and financial barriers that Open Pedagogy does not. Open Pedagogy removes geographical obstacles because it is accessible through the internet. Therefore, someone can learn the same amount just by accessing a website.
Open Education Resources (OER), are a direct result of Open Pedagogy. In the way that it shares the same pedagogy.
Open Education
If Open Educational Resources (OER) are used in the educational landscape, many educational barriers will be removed. Textbooks are an essential part of many students’ lives. However, financial barriers can make students unable to purchase these textbooks. Textbooks on average cost 285 USD per academic year (Hanson, 2024). Therefore, students will have cheaper alternatives to textbooks if OER is integrated.
Global Trends
Some global trends indicate the increasing rate of Open Education adoption. Adoption is fairly new in many countries. OER has many benefits, however because of the novelty of OER, implementing OER in education can be challenging.
As shown, some countries lack development in OER. It is important to produce well-thought-out policies and regulations before full implementation (Ndibalema, 2024).
Creative Commons
Creative Commons Licensing is important for OER because Open Education is licensed under open license. This is an important distinction as an open license means the resource is open to the public for free use and adaptation. Therefore, if a person wants to create an open education, they would need to add the open license to indicate the level of access the public can have.
Using the key attributes of Open Pedagogy, the chart table below will summarize how I can implement it in my educational practices, and how it contributes to an inclusive and participatory learning environment.
Key Attributes
Educational Practices
Contribution to Inclusivity
Collaboration
Contribute to educational resources such as online textbooks, articles, etc.
Students have a chance to actively show their learning through content creation
Transparency
Provide OER as teaching resources (ex. Khan Academy)
Students have access to learning resources without cost
Student-centered learning
Provide students open-ended assignments where students are given more freedom to choose a topic
Students are encouraged to learn through a topic they find interesting
Conclusion
Open Pedagogy is integral in making education inclusive to students who experience financial barriers. Textbooks are expensive and should not stop a student from learning. Therefore, implementing OER can be helpful in providing an inclusive learning environment.
Source
Ndibalema, Placidius. (2024). Global Trends on Adoption of Open Education Resources in Higher Education Institutions: A Bibliometric Analysis. HURIA JOURNAL OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF TANZANIA. 30. 10.61538/huria.v30i1.1474.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that accommodates students with diverse learning needs. The three main principles are the means of (1) representation, (2) action and expression, and (3) engagement (“Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)”, 2024). The means of representation means using different types of media formats such as text, audio, or video. The means of action and expressions imply the ability to show knowledge differently. The means of engagement means teaching content such that it allows learners to engage with the content differently. The goal for UDL is to accommodate a diverse student population. Accommodations provide accessibility for the visual, hearing, and mobility impaired. Hence, a digital classroom benefits from different representations of learning. For example, a student with a hearing impairment will benefit from a media format like text. In regards to in-person, mobility impairments can be a learning barrier. UDL applies ramps or automatic doors to be a more inclusive learning space.
Digital Equity
Applying strategies and tools to gain digital equity is essential in a digital learning space. Some strategies to consider when creating digital equity are the following:
Critical thinking: To engage with content effectively, students should know how to reflect and analyze the digital media they are consuming (“Digital Equity in the Classroom”, n.d).
The means of representation (UDL): Apply different media formatting to accommodate student impairments.
Instructor support: A way for an instructor to effectively support students who are having trouble understanding teaching content (Tate & Warshauer, 2022).
EdTech Challenges
Education technology can also bring challenges to a learning environment. For one, students do not have equal access to technology at home. In an in-person environment, if you assign homework that requires a computer, they may only have access to a shared computer. Hence, computer time is an issue. The student may not have the same time to work on their homework compared to other students. Digital privacy is also a big concern for parents and students. One way to improve digital privacy is by safeguarding digital information using tools like Multifactor authentication and passwords (Alphonso, 2023).
Moreover, there should be clear communication between parents and teachers about these digital tools. The school should inform parents about the digital tools they use. Not only how it applies to their student’s education, but to their personal information.
A digital space in a social setting can be unpredictable when left unmoderated. Therefore, the following actions should be taken to ensure a welcoming learning environment:
Establish expectations: Make it clear that violations such as plagiarism, and discrimination are not accepted.
Moderate the environment: There should be an outlined plan for when these violations occur.
Avoid misinformation: Information should be analyzed critically. Therefore, if there are claims students should be encouraged to source it.
Past Experiences
In my past experiences, one learning environment that I experienced used video transcripts with a lecture recording. It addressed the principle of representation. I was satisfied with the accommodations that were provided in that class.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-student-standing-in-front-of-a-class-5428012/
I can see similarities between your high school teachers and my own. Mr. White, being a more traditional teacher, seemed to be less engaged with his students. And focused more on the material. Engagement is an important element in teaching. In that class, he seems to disregard that element. It is an easy pattern that some teachers can fall into, especially within teaching subjects that don’t focus on creativity.
On the other hand, there are also plenty of teachers that are like Mr. Brown and Mr. Black, who want to create a comfortable and interesting learning environment for their students. I like how Mr. Brown gave the students the freedom of choice in his song assignments. I found assignments more effective when I found a personal connection with the subject.
I agree that pedagogy is different for each teacher. And it is important that a teacher and student can engage with that pedagogy.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-sitting-at-the-table-with-desktop-computer-9159037/
Constructivism is an effective way to actively learn about new things. This is especially important in digital spaces, because, as you mentioned, it is easy to feel passive. I agree that learning activities that make you interact with the subject forces you to think creatively about the topic, not just within the classroom, but also in the real world.
You mentioned your goal of becoming an elementary teacher. So, I imagine you have an interesting perspective when it comes to learning theories. It’s interesting how you mention the use of digital tools in second grade. Which shows how common digital tools are in modern-day classrooms. And how learning theories, such as constructivism, in digital spaces is important to contextualize when familiarizing with our modern-day education.
Pedagogy is the methodology of teaching. It is the way a subject is taught. A teacher’s pedagogy does not always fit a student. Looking at the learning theory of Behaviourism, it focuses on objectivity; therefore it excludes topics like human feelings (Bates, 2014). This may fit some students, but others require the acknowledgment of emotions to feel engaged in their studies. Personally, the mix of Behaviourism and Cognitivism has helped me as a learner. Behaviourism trains students by a response and external stimuli; Cognitivism allows students to construct a mental map of subjects to gain knowledge (Bates, 2014). I find combining both aspects allows for better engagement; resulting in effective learning.
Networked Pedagogy
Networked pedagogy is a learning approach that uses technology in order to connect to people who would not have those resources otherwise.
Networked pedagogy removes the barriers of communication in (1) time and (2) distance.
One example of the contributions that online connection has made to my education is through art class. A discussion board is an effective way for students to critique student art. I found it allows students to think deeply about their responses while having easy access to the artist’s work.
Learning Theories
Cognitivism resonates with me because I find that the way you structure your study habits is important when retaining information. Cognitivism can be applied in online learning by creating a visualization with the goal of comprehending the topic (Bates, 2014).
Cognitivism shows that learning must be done with purpose. Some things to apply in your learning environment are:
Planning out your study sessions – what subjects should you focus on?
Simplifying and organizing the subject – what subjects can be broken down in subtopics?
These following actions and questions can maximize your learning results.
Instructor Roles
The instructor is the guide of the students. They are the ones who set the learning environment for the class. An instructor must have the following qualities:
Interactivity – Must be available for feedback
Facilitator – Guides the class actively
In the past, the successful instructors were (1) easy to reach out to, (2) provided helpful feedback, and (3) created a welcoming community (Barnes, 2016).
Digital Spaces
My experiences in digital spaces are in online learning and social media. The benefits of learning in a digital environment are:
Accessibility – the learning environment is portable, and usually used by a personal computer
Affordable – the majority of the time it costs less than the in-person learning
With the following challenges of learning in a digital environment being…
Accountability – the student will have fewer interactions with the teacher
Guidance – having discipline is essential when learning digitally because the teacher will not be able to guide you in real-time
Contributing positively to digital communities is in large part connected to digital literacy. Good digital literacy allows a person to communicate effectively online (Blue, 2022). If a student does not know how to navigate the internet, then they may also share resources that can be detrimental to the community.
Resources
Blue, J. (2022, April 07). Development of skills in Digital Literacy is crucial in helping students become lifelong learners. To help you understand what this involves, we have carried out extensive research to produce a Digital Literacy introductory guide for teachers and educational managers. Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2022/04/07/understanding-developing-digital-literacy/
The first thing that stands out to me in your blog post is the use of multi-media. I really liked how you incorporated videos and images. You really went into detail about Distributed Education.
I see you used two types of lists, (1) number and (2) bullet points when describing the advantages of Distributed Education. It really makes it easier to read your blog.
Moreover, I noticed you were using in-sentence references, which also is a plus. It helps provide credibility to your claims.
Speaking about formatting, you used headers effectively. Not only did you separate the main topics, but you were also using headers for subtopics. These headers help simplify the subject matter and make it easier to learn about Distributed Education.
I found your blog was very informative. It not only told me about distributed learning but also about how it connects with your personal experience. I appreciate that you specified the online learning programs that helped you with your education.
I see that you are familiar with online education given your high school and your gap year experience. Writing about those experiences gives the reader a better picture of your background and why you are interested in CSC 339.
One thing I might suggest is putting a reference below your image. This can be done with the video starting at 3:04 below:
Given that your image is from a screenshot of the course, the instructions above might not be applicable. So just treat it like a suggestion.
Other than that, I enjoyed reading your blog post about your personal experiences.
