Week 4 Reflection – UDL and AI

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a main topic in all of our classes during this program. I am really glad that this is a focal point, because it is so important to create lessons that allow all students to access learning and understanding. I never thought about using AI to increase UDL in lessons and unit plans, and so I found this week’s discussions very interesting. I can absolutely see the benefit of using AI to include all students, and help come up with ideas for activities and lessons that hit the mark for everyone. This seems like a really difficult part of teaching, and something you can’t necessarily plan for in advance. You never know what students will be in your class at any given time, and this ever-changing variable makes using the same resources time and time again hard and ineffective. Sure, there can be similar things you do each year, but using AI to tweak existing lesson plans or ideas in order to accommodate all the individuals in the class seems like a great application.

ADDIE and UDL

This was an interesting model we talked about in class. I like that it has many different applications, not just elementary education, but can be tailored to work specifically for teachers developing their yearly plans. I like the clear and concise steps, and I like that it is relatively easy to remember. We have been learning lots about ‘planning with the end goal in mind’ and ADDIE works directly with that.

Diagram from https://sta.uwi.edu/cetl/resources/teaching-and-learning/teaching-strategies/

Despite the many negatives of AI and the hesitations I have, I am starting to realize what a powerful tool it can be to help enhance student experience in my future classroom. I think the benefit is there for balancing teacher work load, and creating a well rounded experience with everyone accounted for. I believe in the power of AI to help push through creative blocks, save time, and create a draft of something to be edited. I think systems like ADDIE and UDL help keep educators on track, when used in part with AI, to help save them time but also create a valuable lesson or unit for the learners.

In this video, Katie Novak shares some good ideas on how to encourage students to use AI to get through creative blocks and inspire them to keep trying, as well as ways teachers can use it to elevate instructional design. I appreciate her outlook and positivity.