Supporting the Needs of All Learners-Week 2 Assignment

Based on what I have learned thus far in my personal experiences, what I have learned in prior courses and our week 2 discussion is that supporting the needs of all learners is very important during the design process. Instructional design can be created to fill the necessity of each individual’s skills, needs and/or situation. Those who decide to create an instructional design will need to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of every learning theory to enhance and to integrate into their class strategies and design process for each individual. Each individual would require a needs assessment, so the creative design or necessary tools can be decided upon to tend to their needs.

It is very important that each individual, whether it is ELL’s (English Language Learners), the gifted, or special needs, can be given guidance to identify and follow with success. “Teaching, learning and technology work together to achieve the ultimate goals of effective knowledge transfer. When you consider the process of teaching and learning as a holistic system, you can begin to sense how all of the elements of the process, from the learning environment to teaching strategies, to learning activities, to support technologies, interact in support of the learner.” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, p. 36).

 I have been volunteering at my daughter’s school and one thing they require you to do when you’re volunteer is to also involve yourself in the special needs program, where I have found that each individual has their own educational plan based on their own needs. Some students may require one-on-one while others may need assistive tools during their learning process. I have definitely gained a lot just being in that learning environment, it feels good to be doing something good for others and knowing they are getting an education that will help them later in life is such a rewarding experience.

The prior assignment I decided to redesign was from my EDU649 (Technologies for Teaching and Learning) class, in which we were required to Plan, Implement and Evaluate (PIE) if we were an instructor, this would be for our students. I have been really committed to teaching phonics, to very young children because I believe it truly makes a difference in their reading later in life. I believe that E-books and/or interactive books are the key to their success, whether they have challenges (blind, special needs, etc) or not. Here is my redesign:

PLAN

The task is having the ability of matching and connecting consonant/vowel letters and sounds, completing this task along with sentence completions. Students will already have the basic information of how to listen to stories along with understanding picture clues to aid comprehension. Students will have access to the internet, library, books, videos, chalkboard, and overhead projector, to show storybook activities.  The students will practice reading words that have similar letter sounds, listen to stories, and will even create a story by choosing words, and using picture clues. The most effective and efficient way of making this task successful is interacting with the instructor, collaborating other students and using various tools that are accessible and/or available (internet, books, library, etc.). The most ideal technology tools and /or other tolls that would be useful in this task would be pictures, videos, and books that will help students visually. For more auditory students who may be blind or have special needs would be E-books, other various auditory tools and collaborations with other students and the instructor will also help learn the new information. This can be an advantage because the students get a head start in learning how to read, which is very important in everyday life. Books already exist, the internet is available for students in and out of school, and instructors and even parents are available for assistance. If the students are put into groups, they will be divided up accordingly to their needs, matching students with other students to help encourage one another. Special needs students will be given the equipment to aid them in their activities such as text and speech devices. The instructor will also be available on an individual basis, if needed. To maintain their attention and interest, it is important to make sure the stories read are interesting, maybe also finding games and/or activities that will keep their attention and make learning more enjoyable. A good way to see if they learning anything would be to assess them with a list of words that we have already gone over and observing if they have learned any other words on their own.

IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation amplifies the standard of instructional materials utilizing the electronic abilities of the computer. It increases the all around success of instructional materials through strengthened presentations while decreasing the time needed to create, construct and reconstruct instructional materials. It combines videos, graphics, text and audio forms of media into a single, cohesive instructional presentation. You can swiftly obtain vast amounts of data and information, interact with others at both distant and near whereabouts and it also can be used as a productivity tool, in which the student utilizes the computer to finalizing an assignment or to problem solve. Having the capability of utilizing technology in the classroom is hugely impactful. Instructors have the capability of constructing and reconstructing evaluations and lesson plans at the easy of their fingertips.

EVALUATIONS

Evaluations can work as an instructional specialist, in which the computer can make determinations about stages of students learning, suggesting learning and media experiences to students and then chooses and submits the learning and media experiences. Technology is so adaptable and flexible that not only can it be utilized to construct lessons plans but it can also be utilized to assess a students’ progress and make recommendations as to what is necessary to address or change in the lesson plan in future utilization.

This redesign is a great way to enhance, involve, assess and inspire each individual and their learning style. Integrating various technology tools, some old-school tools and even assistive tools, while help them in their learning needs and processes. The most important thing along the way will be communication and/or collaborations, whether it is via instructors, students, parents, administrators, and/or the community. This activity will also be based on Robert Gagne’s Learning Theory, which include various types of learning; intellectual skills, motor skills, verbal data, cognitive strategies and behavior/attitude (Gagne, R., n.d.).

The design and implementation challenges that I would be facing would be making sure that improvements are consistently made for each individual student to be successful. As time moves forward, hopefully, I will make this design into the best design it could be through constant redesign. In the beginning I thought just an interactive book would be feasible in learning phonics but after researching more, I have realized there is more tools out there to fit the needs of everyone, I just need to find them all and figure out which one fits each individual. In conclusion, Instructional design presents evolution in the process of learning due to constant changes, replacement and alterations, especially in technological advances. Whether as an instructor you are creating a program for learning or even training, the various tools available contain so many various applications, possibilities and opportunities in the 21^st century.

Reference

Gagne, R. (n.d.). Conditions of Learning.  Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/conditions-learning.html

Lever-Duffy J., McDonald J.; 2012.  Teaching and Learning with Technology. Fourth Edition. P. 36-37.

Newby, T. J., Stepich, D. A., Lehman, J. D., Russell, J. D., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2011). Educational technology for teaching and learning (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.