Post - In your blog, talk a little bit about what you learned regarding UDL. Describe the key points of UDL and what they mean to you. Include things like why teachers should always begin with the end in mind as it relates to lesson plan development and inclusion of all learners.

First off, what a great time in history to be an educator.  Edward Demming worked with the leaders in the Asian car industry after being turned down by the big three American car industry leaders.  It was only when the American car industry saw the benefits in the Asian competition did they begin to think quality product demands a quality system of delivery.

http://www.skymark.com/resources/leaders/deming.asp

Fifteen even twenty years ago when the Design Down Deliver Up approach to curriculum delivery was working its way through education the traditional educator was caught in a much larger system.  A system that denied the kind of changes DDDU was ready to change.  If you can define the final product, a quality student ready to join the job market as a productive citizen, you can design the curriculum to get it.  

Fifteen even twenty years ago when Performance Objectives were coupled with Outcomes Based Education, the theory was revolutionary.  That it was possible for a student, all students to learn, taken away the time factor.  That students will achieve beyond the standards, beyond the standard test scores, beyond the expectation of even themselves.  Unfortunately a much larger system denied the kind of changes OBE was willing to provide.

http://www.langfordlearning.com/

When speaking with educators an underlining urge to "make change" is present.  In the same sentence a sense of fear is looming.  Not just the unknown of how to be a change agent, but the financial consequences that surround it.  The current state system demands an output measure that is stifling the creativity and spontaneity of less experienced instructors. State standards, wages based on student performance, administration that are given less time for quality development, and district costs that choke continuous improvement are factors for possible failure. But, I believe it can be done, and now is the time.  

All the the UDL listed points is what vocational education has been doing since its inception.  I felt selfish reading the UDL and thinking that maybe I should choose one or two that I might not be doing just to fit in to the general education environment.  Vocational education is the development of skills a student can use, just in time delivery with a quality end product.  The innovative classrooms are looking at the end result, taking what the state dictates and creating an environment to learn.  They are turning the classroom upside down, using the technology available, taking all the expectations imposed on them and delivering a quality product for the next step in their continuous learning.  State testing, standards, sequence and the rest can be used as a factor in the students education but not the delivery of a creative teaching environment.  I would challenge if an instructor took their eyes off the test schedules, state measures and used them as guidelines their students would surpass their expectations, while meeting the needs of a much bigger system.

Instructors who are reaching outside of their classrooms to other teachers, other districts, and most importantly to business and industry can make the changes needed so desperately in our school delivery system.  You know how people will say, "If only I knew then what I know now, I could change the world"?  Our biggest challenge in education is still believing that an older instructor is less than important than a younger less experienced instructor.