Question Chunk 1:
How did the process of designing in a "Backward fashion” work for you? For me it went famously!  I’m not new to UbD or Backward Design or Backward Mapping.  We learned about that at NYU and I practice that when I design for my classes, so, it’s already in my blood.  Working with it in the context of this class was just another exercise.
Was it empowering? It’s always empowering for me.  If I didn’t recognize the value of UbD I’d have just used it at NYU then abandoned it in my professional practice.  But I do recognize the value and furthermore I’ve seen it work effectively in my classroom!
Annoying? It was counterintuitive at first, but for me, it has not ever been annoying and it was not annoying this time either.
Are you pleased with the final outcome? Yes, I think I created a very strong unit that scaffolds nicely, is accessible, offers students lots of choices, features collaboration and produces several artifacts that students can have for the rest of their lives.  It’s a unit that I do in my classroom already, but this process really flushed out some new activities and approaches so yes, I’m very much pleased and I’m also very much looking forward to trying it out next year!
Will you use it again in the future? Yes, I used UbD all the time.
How much synthesis between UbD and UDL did you discover once you truly got into your design process?  That was very interesting for me.  UDL and accessibility, to the degree we looked at it in this class, is new and I really felt myself thinking about accessibility with each step of the design.  I’ve acquired a new sensibility and since I’m super comfortable with UbD I was really able to focus on UDL and the incorporation thereof.


Question Chunk 2:
Are you clear and comfortable with the level (and amount) of Constructivist engagement in the DEMO UNIT DESIGN overall with (A) content, (B) peers, and (C) the environment? Yes, I think so.  There is much room for student choice both in the content and in how they show mastery.  The content scaffolds logically and both peer and instructor feedback are key elements throughout.  There is much collaboration with peer students and the instructor and there is an emphasis on making the environment safe for risk taking which is inherent in creative work. 
If so- what do you feel makes it all work so well and if not, what would you like to change and why? I think I covered this in the first response in this chunk.

1) UDL Series Part 3: HOW to UDL, Action/Expression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okN5L87ZIZM

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This unit features 4 out of 5 of the UDL concepts outlined in this short video.  I HIGHLY recommend checking out the video but the image above points out the elements discussed that are present in this unit.  The other information in the video and the series will only make your practice all the more authentic and valuable for your students!
 
 2) UDL to Support a Variety of Learners (IRIS Center): https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/udl/cresource/q1/p02/#content

​I’ve gotta start this post by saying that there is a distinct difference between a Community of Inquiry (CoI) and a Community of Practice (CoP).  The Bektashi article defines a CoI as “any group of individuals that have a commitment to address a shared issue, problem or interest through a method similar to scientific investigation” where as a Community of Practice (CoP), as defined by Wikipedia, is a group of people who "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly."  The main focus of a CoP is to look at data about student achievement and seek out ways to improve student learning.  The main focus of a CoI as is articulated in the Bektashi article, is that “the most important thing is that this community produces knowledge.”  So, CoI and CoP are entirely different beasts.  That said, I believe that social, cognitive and teaching presence can be built and maintained in online and blended courses by 1) by including collaborative experiences that utilize the concepts of SLT (Social Learning Theory) and 2) by being careful to build learning experiences that scaffold and that meet the needs of 21st century learners and 3) by avoiding creating learning experiences that follow the old paradigm: cram, memorize, regurgitate and forget.  The elements of social, cognitive and teaching presence can be used to support disciplined and creative thinking by empowering students to be partners in their learning – to help chart the course of their learning journeys and not just knowledge dumpsters.  This is a key tenet of 21st century teaching and learning and are an inherent part of effective curriculum design.

The top 4 elements of my electronically-mediated unit and why they’re so crucial?

• Students work in CoP’s.  This is crucial because students will experience a much higher degree of creative output than if they were working alone and thus, a far more authentic and meaningful experience with the unit.
• Students engage in SLT.  This is crucial because students develop collaborative problem-solving skills that will serve them in many facets of their lives.
• Students are afforded multiple opportunities to make their own choices only parameters are provided, how they meet the parameters is on them individually and collaboratively.  This is crucial because 21st Century learners want to be able to make choices about their learning, they want to partner with instructors to chart the course and they want multiple ways to demonstrate mastery.  This unit allows for all of that.
• Students receive weekly, rapid and authentic formative feedback from peers and instructor.  This is crucial because 21st Century learners have a “level-up” mentality (John Seeley-Brown) and they want prompt feedback so they can understand what needs to happen to meet their goals.

3 specific guidelines I feel ethically obligated to communicate to those future teachers of my unit to ensure that every student who takes my “class/unit" has a learning experience that is safe and integral are:

• Instructor modeling of appropriate, safe and effective critiquing is critical to the success of this unit.  If the students actively and genuinely feel unsafe and/or uncomfortable and/or disrespected, barriers will arise and they will either not engage or not participate at all, authentically.  It is critical that very early in the rehearsal process the instructor circulates to all groups and make sure that this is happening.  If your students haven’t had any experience peer critiquing then covering that prior to beginning this phase of the unit is super important.
• This unit doesn’t address how to be a good audience member because it comes midway though semester 1 and I cover audience ethics very early on.  But if your students have not had some guidance about how to be good, respectful audience members I would absolutely recommend doing that prior to asking any students to share their work.
• It is imperative that the instructor make sure that themes/stories/subjects chosen by students to base their scripts upon are appropriate and will not offend anyone.  That’s why I have students creating their scripts on a shared Google document so that the instructor has ample opportunity to make sure nothing goes awry in this way.
• I also recommend letting students know that if they are experiencing any disrespect or mistreatment of any kind to share it in the journal and that it will be dealt with quickly and aggressively.  That’s a private setting that is totally safe because only you and the students see it, weekly.  That gives them a safe way to share with you what they’re going through.