It's Not About the Tools; It's About the Possibilities

There are many conversations in the blogosphere repeatedly emphasizing how the tools are secondary to the pedagogy. Lost in the discussions is the reality that the tools make things possible. The tools allow:

1. Differentiation

In the previous century, instructional methods were limited to lectures presented by teachers at the front of the class, or at the blackboard; or worksheets and other paper-based presentations; or textbooks; or watching educational PBS programs as a class. There was no opportunity for differentiation. The belief was one size fits all.
We know this doesn't work. We understand that the one-size-fits-all approach ignores the needs of many learners - those with learning challenges, attentional and organizational issues, reading disabilities, physical disabilities and vision issues. Technology allows for multiple methods of presentation and allows students to access the material as often as necessary to facilitate understanding. Technology allows students to respond to the material in new ways.

For example, classroom participation is often factored into a student's grade. Yet how many students remain silent in class (for reasons as varied as they prefer to defer due to social anxiety, slower processing, or expressive communication issues) despite a great deal to contribute in a discussion if it was offered in a different format? Teachers have commented upon the fact that their quieter students now have a voice and an opportunity to participate in online discussions where they can edit their work prior to posting (See here and here). A survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project with support from the College Board and its National Commission on Writing suggests that student writing improves through blogging. (isn't that reason enough?)
The tools make differentiation possible.

2. Engagement

What promotes engagement -sitting at a desk, passively listening to a 45 minute lecture with limited opportunity for interaction, followed by a paper-based quiz or test? OR, exploring the subject, participating in online, interactive activities, engaging with the material and then creating a project that demonstrates authentic learning? The project could be anything from a word-processed essay (using all the tools that promote success) to the use of digital media or constructing using 3-D modeling software tools, or creating a podcast or video that demonstrates understanding and synthesis of the concept or content.
Tools make engagement possible.

3. Accessibility

When material is presented in print format only or is primarily lecture-based, many students are unable to access the information. Do you have students in your classroom with attentional issues? Denckla says that nothing a child does requires more energy than sitting still and yet that is what we require of our kids for hours during the school day. They are required to sit still and listen and attend and absorb the material. Is that possible? Is that how you learn?

Are there students in your classroom who are unable to hold paper due to physical disabilities? Are there students in your classroom who are unable to read grade level material due to reading challenges despite sufficient or even superior cognitive abilities?
The tools allow access to the curriculum in ways that were previously impossible. Students can access the text without adult support once they become proficient with tools such as text-to-speech or learn how to manipulate text by size, color, or font.
The tools make access to the curriculum possible for all learners.

And when differentiation, engagement and accessibility occur, so do the opportunities for student success and authentic learning.

Many educators may continue to declare that it's not about the tools. I say it IS about the tools because they make learning possible. AND because it is about the tools, it becomes all about the possibilities.

To explore available tools, please check the UDL Tech Toolkit wiki created by Joyce Valenza based upon a previous blog post.

Free Tech Toolkit for UDL - Wiki Edition

One of the best things that resulted when I attended BLC 08 was the opportunity to have many conversations with Joyce Valenza, the world-renown teacher librarian and self-proclaimed "information goddess." She is one of the most dynamic, energetic, and passionate educators that I have ever met.

Well, lucky for us, Joyce took on a project and I am thrilled to share the fruits of her labors which we can all benefit from.

Many of you have added the blog post, Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in Every Classroom to your delicious accounts. Joyce took that blog post and made it into a wiki, UDLTech Toolkit, that is easy to navigate and visually more appealing than the blog. I encourage you to bookmark this wiki also. Here is a screen shot of the home page. I'm sure you will agree that this is a much easier tool to use and there are additions there that are not in the blot post.
Check it out and let me know what you think. And please, pass along this resource to colleagues, parents and students.

NECC 2007 - The Aftermath.

NECC 2007 ended yesterday in Atlanta. Reading the conversations about the paradigm shift during NECC itself are fascinating. Reading the blogs of edubloggers detail how the greatest energy and excitement came, not from the sessions, definitely not from the exhibit halls, but from the edubloggerscon unconference, from the Bloggers Cafe and from the Skype conversations that happened during sessions.
Jeff Utrecht posted the Skype notes from conversations that happened simultaneously while Will Richardson presented and during a panel discussion. How many times have you sat in a session with thoughts swimming through your head and no way to discuss them? The use of Skype brought a whole new dimension to the participant experience!

Those who engaged in the conversations talk about the impact it had on their learning. What are the implications for our classrooms? Do we just ignore this new use of a Web 2.0 tool or do we grab it's power for the classroom experience? I can hear the objections but this is another opportunity to engage in discussions about acceptable use with our students and involve them in the learning process. We know that we learn when we are engaged, and when we build upon prior experience. This would certainly take it up a notch! Engage the kids during lectures!

Other gems from participants: Check out the Nuggets from NECC (Wes Fryer), Remember the Bloggers! (Will Richardson) The VoiceThread from the Edubloggercon's group pic (Joyce Valenza's great idea! and think about the classroom applications again!), My Thoughts Tuesday at NECC (Jeff Utrecht again with an explanation about how Twitter was used during the conference), Dave Warlick put together HitchhikrNECC, Vicki Davis liveblogging Tuesday morning's Keynote Panel, and discover Joyce Valenza's Web 2.0 Meets Information Fluency wiki which will take you the entire summer to get through! (This is an incredible resource!!)

I know I missed a great deal...this is just a start...so check out the posts tagged NECC07, NECC2007 for information that appeals to you.

One thing that is conspicuously absent to me is any discussion about the implications for our students with special needs. Why is this? Is this because Web 2.0 is UDL and we are engaging all learners by definition? Not necessarily, because some of these tools will be difficult to navigate for those with visual impairments or physical disabilities. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as we strive to remove the barriers for ALL students. The need to keep the tools inclusive is an important, but neglected, part of this discussion.

Another take-away for me (and I didn't attend the conference) is the noticeable lack of student participation. (can't remember who blogged about that....anyone?) What would happen if we showed the tools to our students and watched as they used them as their own learning instruments, and more? We can't keep these tools to ourselves anymore - put them in the hands of kids over this summer. Is there a way to do this? And is there a way to include them in NECC 2008? There's plenty of time to plan that possibility!