CAST

"CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning."

This website is great to really understand and learn more about UDL. CAST offers many opportunities for educators such as professional learning and books to read about UDL. The whole idea of CAST is to continue educating teachers about UDL to achieve successful classrooms.

For more information about UDL you can watch this video or visit the CAST website (http://www.cast.org/):

UDL Tech Toolkit!

On my last blog, I briefly explained the meaning of Universal Design. But you may be wondering how you can incorporate UDL in your classroom...well, I have the answer! UDL Tech Toolkit is a free resource for educators who are using Universal Design in their classroom. The site offers so many different resources that will help all types of learners. From free text to speech to graphic organizers, this site has it all! It is very easy to use and allows you to pin point exactly what you are looking for to help your students. Sometimes assistive technology can be pricey, but this site shows that it doesn't have to be. All the resources on this site are free and refer you to other websites that have amazing sources that you can implement in your UDL lessons.

Here is a link to the website:
http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com

What is UDL?

UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning. It is a way to meet the goals for all diverse students by minimizing barriers and allowing choices to achieve engaging and flexible lessons. There are three principals within UDL: multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement. These principals explain the what, how, and why of learning. The principals work together to create a learning approach that is unique just like our students!

Introduction

Welcome to my blog! The purpose of this blog is a way for me to document my journey with assistive technology. I am currently a graduate student pursuing my Special Education certificate and it's important for me to document and share my ideas with other educators who can learn from me. Assistive technology is very important in the world of education and this blog will allow me to share my new findings with colleagues. I am excited to embark on this journey to learn more about assistive technology and universal design!