Gabriella's+Page

My name is Matt Carpenter. I have two kids- my daughter, Gabriella is 13 and my son Alex is 11. my wife's name is Julie.

I teach 6th grade English at Stetson Middle School in West Chester. I teach 3 sections of above-grade English, one section of accelerated English, and one section of on-grade level English. I also coach middle school track and high school volleyball.

I have two dogs but my favorite pet is Loki, a bright conure (relative of the parakeet). Whenever I enter the room, Loki hops up and down and screams, "Baby", which is the only word he knows.

4/9/11

5 new technologies- Delicious. com, Google Docs, Goanimate.com, Diigo.com, and freeplaymusic.com

4 ideas to share- animations, some of my papers on Google Docs, Prezi- I'd like to make one for next yera's open house, visit edutopia.com to solicit education advice. 3 Principles- Universal design is not wholly dependent on technology; Universal design is focused on differentiated instruction; Universal design is valuable to students with disabilities. (For more-see below in yellow highlight)

2 changes- try to use more websites and technology; try "video journaling" as shown on Tween Tribune

1 Over-arching Goal: I want to challenge myself __daily__ to use one of these websites to assist what I do in the classroom.

** //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age// Ch 4 “What is Universal design for Learning?” **

*Main job of the classroom teacher “We want students to learn how to learn” *CAST has created UDL by focusing on neuroscience and the study of media. *The origins of UDL come from architecture; “Addressing the divergent needs of special populations increases usability for everyone.” *UDL does not want to make information accessible to students; want to make learning accessible to students. Ex. utilize strategies with educational outcomes in mind. * 3 Principles of UDL framework 1) To support recognition learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation. Ex. students can choose books or eReaders to support readers so all readers can understand.  2) To support strategic learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of expression & apprenticeship. Ex. eReader again provides poor spellers and PD students with an alternative to books. 3) To support affective learning, provide multiple, flexible options for engagement. Ex. digital version includes hypertext links and enrichment activities to further engage learners.  * UDL wants to embed assistive technologies (video enlargers, alternative keyboards, etc.) within a curriculum. Again, society needs to see these items as tools not markers of a disability- (SRT)  * UDL Application   Set Clear Goals :Focus on what should be achieved with disabilities in mind Ex. Cursive essay vs.well-organized essay.   Individualizing instruction : Diverse tools w/ flexibility allow individualized instruction.  Assessing Progress: UDL allows flexibility- Ex. you could use Tween Tribune to allow students to pick

4/10/11

UDL is a blueprint for creating flexible goals, methods, adn mateirals to differentiate for all learners.