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= Technology Strategies that Positively Impact Student Learning =

===This week we focused on technology strategies that positively impact student learning. We learned that the instructional strategy of setting objectives is critical to establishing a direction for learning and that involving students in setting their own learning goals will result in higher motivation. ===

===We viewed videos which discussed the diversity of learners, brain research, and Universal Design for learning. New brain research indicates that students have many multi-faceted learning capacities and that a disability or challenge in one area may be countered by an extraordinary ability in another. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of research-based principles that creates a practical framework for using technology and allows students to maximize their learning opportunities. ===

===Our reading assignments this week discussed the importance of establishing instructional goals, and the ways that technology integration strategies impact student motivation and self-esteem, achievement in various content areas, and student performance on achievement tests, especially in the case of non-traditional students. We looked at several research studies which support the fact that classroom technology appears to contribute significantly to the academic achievement and self-esteem of students of low socio-economic status. ===

===Our learning team continues to collaborate and brainstorm for possible solutions in the Google site for the scenario-based group project. Each member of the team is actively and creatively contributing and I believe the outcome of our project will be prove to be a very practical and significant work. ===