Preparing for the Fall Semester: The Wrap Up
Author: Samantha Goldman; info@ciddl.org
One of the focuses of the Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL) is to increase the capacity of faculty at institutions of higher education to use technology in educator, related service, or leadership preparation programs. This summer, we set out to provide resources to support faculty in aligning technology standards, designing inclusive syllabi, giving tips and tricks to integrate technology, and providing specific tools that can be used in preparation programs.
Preparation Standards Alignment
Educator Preparation Standards discussed in “Preparing for the Fall Semester: What do You Want to Share” include Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) standards. The authors suggest incorporating technology related standards like the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards and National Standards for Quality Online Learning (NSQOL) in order to create equitable and inclusive learning experiences for all learners.
But we need to move beyond only aligning to Educator Preparation Standards and look at bringing content standards, like Common Core State Standards, which are adopted by 41 states and the District of Columbia, and frameworks, like The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, into their courses. The use of the UDL framework is supported throughout the InTASC standards, as they encourage teachers to use multiple modes to demonstrate and assess knowledge.
Beyond standards alignment, our blog series explored tools to support teacher planning like PlanbookEdu and Chalk Planboard. Achieve the Core provides instructors a module to work through the lesson-planning process with candidates and provides candidates opportunities to practice lesson planning and receive feedback.
New Instructional Tools and Resources
Several tools were provided in the “Instructional and Assessment Technology to Prepare for Your Fall Semester” blog post to support higher education faculty. These resources included apps and add-ons to support learners with reading, literacy, math, executive functioning, social/ emotional development, and assessment. Tools were also provided to support pre-service candidates stress reduction in the blog, “Technology in Coaching to Decrease Per-Service Educator Stress”.
We dug into tools for use in accessibility and data collection through our blogs “Boom-ing into Data Collection” and “Accessibility Checker for Slides”. Boom Cards™ by Boom Learning provides a platform for educators to assess learners using multiple means and provides learners the ability to receive immediate feedback. Grackledocs supports presentation creators by providing feedback regarding the accessibility of slides, including color contrast and screen reader ease of understanding.
In our first Cizzle of the second season, Dr. Basham discussed the importance of Informational Literacy, or teaching students and pre-service candidates to use source and source technology tools. Resources such as Think Critically, Click Wisely were suggested as a curriculum to further the understanding of this topic for educators and learners.
Keep the Conversation Going
What other applications, tools, or supports are you bringing into your courses this semester? What new things are you trying? What questions do you have? Join the CIDDL Community and keep the conversation going!