Teacher Ms. Potter

When I think of digital literacy, I think of being able to use and understand technology in order to communicate and gain knowledge. After some research I have found that it means to use technology to the best of the abilities in an effective manner by understanding it, interpreting it, reproducing it, evaluating it and applying it. The University Library of The University of Illinois defines digital literacy as: * The ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information. * The ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers. * A person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment * Literacy includes the ability to read and interpret media, to reproduce data and images through digital manipulation, and to evaluate and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments. Here is a fun short video that breaks d...

Can technology help our students become more successful in the classroom? Can we adapt our teaching to cater to all of our students including those with disabilities and benefit all the students in general? Can we really have an adequate and effective inclusive classroom where everyone is getting the most out of it and no one is being left out? These are some of the questions that come up when thinking about teaching to a diverse group of students and especially those who have disabilities. Many people still answer "NO" to most of the questions, but there is actually a way to answer "YES" to these questions and it is called: UDL which stands for Universal Design for Learning .  UDL is a way to identify potential barriers in the learning environment so that they can be reduced or eliminated helping all students succeed, including those of diverse backgrounds, ELL and students with disabilities. Students are different in so many ways! They have different experien...