UDL in 2013?
In 2013, I can just imagine that we will have life without physical interfacing, in the minds of some people, so in the event that takes place, it would be my hope that UDL would have infiltrated enough minds of everyone to ensure me would have a mulit-faceted, multi-media world that will utilize social networking through digital media.
My educated guess says, “The media world will begin to force the lay person to get on the band wagon.” I forsee flexible teaching in the classroom and creating a setting that isn’t categorize by inclusion, mainstreamed or self-containment. By implementing the UDL principles this will meet every learner on their own ability level. The information age would have changed by 2013, and the three networks identified in UDL would have grown tremendously in comparison to where they are today, but what is going on in technology today, allows us to begin to set the foundation for the future. So, the state of the art classroom with multi-media equipment would be the ordinary, instead of the unique. As Dr. Robin Zeff stated, “The idea of universal design, though originally developed for making the physical environment accessible to the disability community, is one such idea. When applied to higher education, universal design brings a framework for making learning more accessible and instruction more responsive and inclusive to all students.” So, it has already begun and continue to grow.
As an entrepreneur, I would like to work with small tutoring companies by training them on the UDL concept and have them to incorporate best practices with their tutoring program within the inner city. Programs such as these will be needed to further in such diverse areas to still help fill in the educational gaps that exist within in country. Although, there may be a technology growth in society that will influence UDL, there will still be an economic barrier in some household, which will still prevent families from making gain, as it relates to their universal growth. As of today, we call this the digital divide. Ultimately, providing a movement for universal growth, will help the student’s in school on a daily basis, because it will be a language that they are accustomed to versus a language that have to be introduced too.
