One conversation or answer that I that I thought really helped me think about UDL, was Katie E.'s answer using Flip in our Week 6 R&R. Her video was the first one that I watched when going through and watching others, so it stuck with me. She brought up that UDL brings out the creativity in teachers, and that they don't have to do the "boring" lecture daily. That's one thing that I want to avoid, especially being a history specialist. https://flip.com/groups/15275517/topics/39640716/responses/456650450/comments

The link the this padlet was what really opened my eyes to UDL. I had no idea what UDL was until this class, but reading through the provided literature for this section, helped open my eyes to how diverse we can be as teachers when using UDL. I've always been worried that as a history specialist that my students won't find it as interesting as I do. But with UDL I can avoid that.

I believe that UDL will make me a better all-around teacher. If I'm stuck in a certain way teaching, years down the road, I can look back on UDL and find new ways to get my students interested in history. The charts on UDL that this class have provided has given me more tools for my toolbox as a teacher. UDL is just one of the many tools I plan to use as a teacher.

When it came to project 1, I was really scared at the beginning. I had no idea about game-based learning, other than the old Jeopardy game we'd play when I was in high school. This project opened my eyes to what game-based learning really is. It's way more than just a simple game. It takes the students to immerse themselves into this so-called game. The article you provided when we were picking out our methods of teaching for the project, pushed me to pick this topic. I fall back on history being "boring," but I feel as if game-based learning could change that for a lot of students. https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/game-based-learning/

A moment that opened my eyes to game-based learning was brought by a YouTube video I found on the topic. They play a game called "Historia" and it takes the entire class to be involved for this game to work. The way the teacher talks about it really made me want to introduce this to my classes when I become a teacher. The students just seem so excited to play this, but little do they know they're learning so much during this game as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2EV8nLeBK4

I feel as if this knowledge will impact me in such a positive way. As teachers, I feel like we fall back on what's easy. A simple "trashketball" game or Jeopardy game would make the students happy because in their minds it's a "free day." A game like Historia, could make them feel the same way, but they would be learning so much more. As we evolve into more of a technology-based society, I think game-based learning is going to take over as well.