Megan the Mathematical Magician

Digital Tools and UDL-Based Instructional Strategies to Support Students with Disabilities Online When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and schools shut down, many teachers were scrambling to teach their students through online learning.  For the most part, we learned that this type of learning could be done, if necessary.  Many teachers turned to digital tools to assist in this teaching and learning.  One problem that arises with the use of online learning is the need that some students have for the physical teacher in the classroom.  This article describes many tools that help students represent their work in multiple ways, engage with the material, their classmates, and their teacher, and even some tools that help students who need help with time management and to break down assignments into smaller pieces.  Tools such as Padlet, Book Creator, Google Forms, EdPuzzle, as well as many others can be used to help students with disabilities to be successful dur...

Part 1: Lesson Plan Created by Magic School AI  The standard that I chose to use was from the Ohio Learning Standards for Algebra I:  “A.REI.6 Solve systems of linear equations algebraically and graphically” (Ohio Department of Education, 2017).  I would say that the lesson plan created by Magic School AI aligned with the standard.  The lesson plan provides space for solving systems of equations with all of the possible methods, as outlined in this standard.  I wouldn’t say that the lesson plan created was sufficiently rigorous.  The lesson plan really only provides for the student to practice skills without going past the simple solving of the equations.  I don’t think that the assessment of the lesson really fits with the objective or the procedure of the lesson.  The lesson seems to focus on just solving systems of equations while the assessment goes farther and has students creating and solving systems of equations word problems.  The ass...

 It seems like more and more it is getting harder to motivate students in the classroom.  There is so much that goes on in the lives of our students that it can be hard to find the right thing that will get our students to participate and learn in our classrooms.  Our students come to use with so much that makes learning in our classrooms hard for them to accomplish.  It is important as teachers to understand how our students are motivated and what we can do to help them become motivated to learn the subject that we are trying to teach them.

It seems like for many years, education has become a place for rote memorization, skill drills, and regurgitation of material.  The tests that students have to take in order to graduate seem to only focus on the drill and skill of the concepts instead of going farther with the material and determining if students actually understand the concept on a deeper level.  Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) or Authentic Instruction and Assessment aims to change that standard in the classroom.  With Authentic Intellectual Work, students are going past the point of memorizing a concept and regurgitating what they have learned.  Students are tasked with using what they are learning in a way that could be used by adults in different fields.  They are learning how to use what they are learning in a way that will help them to succeed in future careers.  Students are using the knowledge that they are learning in a way that requires the application of the concepts they learn...