So far I have been really enjoying this class. This week we learned about UDL (universal design for learning), UdB (understanding by design), and the ADDIE model/framework for education. I personally found UDL and UdB to be the most interesting.

UDL is a framework that aims to replace the traditional “one size fits all” education, it has 3 main requirements for lessons; 1. multiple means of representation, 2. multiple means of engagement, and 3. multiple means of expression and action. Multiple means of representation calls for the content to be taught in different ways as learners don’t learn the same way. Students should have access to many different forms of the content (Auditory, visual, physical, etc). Multiple means of engagement calls for lessons to tap into the students interests and adapt the difficulty to keep the motivation/engagement high. Multiple means of expression is an extremely important part of UDL, students should have control over how they are assessed and how they express their knowledge. This makes so much sense as every student has strengths and weaknesses, and should be assessed in a way that they can best express the information. An example of this would be instead of making all the students write an essay students should be able to choose from options like art, slideshow, essay, poster, and verbal presentations. https://a11y.canada.ca/en/universal-design-for-learning-udl/ . Here is a podcast on UDL that I found to be really good! https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/udl-equity/

The UdB is a backward design framework that helps teachers plan effective lessons by starting at the end and working backwards. The UdB has 3 stages; 1. Identify desired results, 2. determine acceptable evidence, and 3. plan learning experiences. I really liked this framework, it makes sense and I will definitely be using it in the future!!! https://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/resources/stw-normal-park-normal-understanding-by-design.pdf

We also learned how to use AI to create lessons, assessments, and units that incorporate these frameworks and models. This was great and is something I will definitely continue to use!

Generative AI can be a super useful tool for educators and teachers if used properly. However, there are some limitations. One of these limitations is accuracy and reliability. AI generated content often contains errors, outdated information, odd sources, or biased perspectives. If teachers don’t fact check and fine tune the AI generated content, they will end up teaching incorrect content to students or having lessons that aren’t effective and don’t make sense. This is a major reason why it’s crucial that teachers and students learn how to properly use AI and about the potential risks of using AI. Another limitation of AI is that you aren’t 100% sure where it’s drawing the content from, it could be pulling content from unreliable sources like Quora or Reddit. Generative AI will also seek information that supports your prompt, which can lead to incorrect and biased responses (https://www.icaew.com/technical/technology/artificial-intelligence/generative-ai-guide/risks-and-limitations). There are so many possible ways generative AI can be used in school. I would like to teach grade 3-4, and I think AI use is definitely acceptable for the teacher, and it could be introduced to students to help get them thinking critically about the information they see online. I would use it to help create lesson plans, brainstorm, draft unit outlines, resource lists, rubrics, self assessments, and more. It would be appropriate because I would always go over the generated content and personalize/fine tune it to ensure its effective quality content that would be engaging and benefit my class. I personally have found AI to be extremely helpful for educational purposes. I have used it to brainstorm, make lesson plans, rubrics, and self assesment forms. I have also used it for my own education. When I was studying exercise science I often had to have a very good understanding of complex concepts and processes that go on in the body. I used AI to help put these complex things into simpler words and create study packages. With that being said, I have found many errors and incorrect answers, fact checking the information and content is necessary. AI has many environmental impacts, such as high energy consumption, high carbon emissions, and high water use (https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117). AI also has privacy and security concerns related to data collection. A massive responsibility issue is academic integrity, it’s so easy for students to become over reliant on AI and even just directly copy and paste AI into their assignments and claim it’s their own work. This puts students at risk for plagiarism, and students do not actually learn the information.

This week I was fortunate enough to go and explore the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry as apart of my tech class. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had never been in an independent school before, I was pleasantly surprised to see how it was run. The way they do things there makes sense and allows children to follow their passions and learn other subjects using them. This increases motivation and understanding as students are actually interested. The students were all so quiet and focused on their work. The school itself was also very cool, I really liked the tech room they even had 3d printers for the kids to use. After seeing all of this I definitely think there are aspects of the education system that need to be changed/reimagined. Students need to be given the time and support to follow their passions and ask the questions they want to ask. This can be very hard for public school teachers as they have way bigger class sizes, have schedules and time restraints, less resources, less support, and more. One of the potential issues of this type of learning is how does it transfer to post secondary. One of the teachers daughters actually went to this school, she said her daughter found her undergrad degree to be boring and dry as it wasn’t all about exactly what she wanted to learn (found the masters to be much better), and that some of the standardized testing can be tough to get used too. I think the benefits outweigh the cons and that students should be given more control over their learning.