Above is the concept map for the UDL Article on Chapters 3 & 4. This was done using bubbl.us. It was a very easy website to use since there was not a great deal of choices in which to make the map. That made is very clear as to how to make new bubbles and arrange them as I needed. The only problem that I had with this was that I could not save a draft while I was working. This would have been nice, because I would have made 2 separate maps for each chapter. As it is here, there is one map, and the information can be a bit overbearing.
As far as the article goes, I really like 2 of the ideas. The first being the overall philosophy of UDL in that it implies creating a learning environment and curriculum that will reach all students of all learning styles and abilities. We see a lot of this idea when the term differentiation is used, but by comparing it to buildings, it is much easier to see and understand. The other comparison I liked was that between access to information vs access to learning. I think that goes back to the saying "give a man a fish, feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime." We as teachers need to make sure we are allowing students to find the answers for themselves and not just providing information.
Really nice work on the concept map. Very neat and clean: easy to follow. I agree with you that some additional functionality--saving as draft in your case, more efficiently exporting the image in my case--would have been more helpful. I used Webspiration, but it seems pretty consistent that the web based alternatives aren't quite as user-friendly as the the Inspiration application.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that the prospect of learning for everyone is appealing. But I'm also very aware of the increased time demands it would place on teachers. You're right: the analogy to architecture was great for conveying the importance of UDL and the requirement that UDL goals be incorporated from the onset of curriculum planning. Throwing in "add-ons" after a syllabus has already been designed seems impractical and ungainly.