Universal Design for Learning
I was recently introduced to the Universal Design for Learning. It has a set of principles that are designed to make teaching adaptable so it suits all kinds of learners. To evaluate how certain technology lines up with UDL principles, I chose this online educational game for an activity relating to the UDL: https://www.brainpop.com/games/sortifypartsofspeech/. I explored the ways that a Brain Pop Parts of Speech game fits into the UDL principles. The game has multiple and varied media. It has audio, colorful visuals, and text. It has help pop-ups to guide students as they play and clear goals set in terms of how many parts of speech to sort through. It even has helpful tools for both the students and the teacher. The game has lesson plan ideas to go along with the game, classroom summary results to show students' progress, and "SnapShot" which allows for students to self-reflect on the experience. The area where the game does not fit UDL principles is with accommodations for those with disabilities or speakers of other languages. If there are students with hearing or visual impairments, the game does not offer alternative methods of learning like digital voice tools or language modality translations. This could be an issue if this activity is is offered for an entire class and some students have visual or hearing impairments. They would need to be given an alternative activity that provides the same lesson.
The following website goes into details about what the UDL principles are comprised of and provide this image for explanation:
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/02/07/universal-design-learning-arrives-campus-concerted-grassroots