Differentiating Instruction with Technology

1. GIVE MIDDLE-OF-THE-PACK LEARNERS FREEDOM

When working in leveled groups, give your low or middle group teaching websites like Moby Max, Khan Academy, IXL or Starfall. These types of websites give the group you are not with an additional “teacher.” I work with my lowest group myself and let my middle group use a teaching website while the higher groups work together independently.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: If you want students to discuss what they’re learning from the assigned teaching website, set up an Edmodo thread, Padlet board or Google Document so that they don’t have to wait for slower finishers to begin reflecting on their learning.

2. TURN STUDENTS INTO TEACHERS WITH PRESENTATION TOOLS

When working in leveled groups, allow higher-level students to use presentation websites like Prezi, Powtoon and EduGlogs to create projects or videos to “teach” the other students while you personally work with lower-level students.

At the end of the lesson, review the projects or videos as a whole group to see if the highest group can add anything new to what you have reviewed with the low and/or middle groups.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Have planning sheets available for students so they can plan before they get onto the computer. Encourage students to have another student review their plan before starting the presentation.

3. ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION WITH GOOGLE DOCS AND SLIDES

When using semi-permanent groupings like literature groups, use websites that allow multiple students to work in the same document simultaneously like Google Documents and Slides so that they can create a collection of work collaboratively over a longer period of time.

4. USE LEARNING GAMES TO ENGAGE STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF SMALL GROUPS

Use “computer learning games” to keep students engaged when you are pulling small ad-hoc groups to review specific skills, especially right before or right after a test. An easy way to do this is to use a Google Document or Schoology with links to the specific games that would help with a particular skill.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Keep an ongoing document that links skills to online games or videos. This way, students can review skills previously covered at any time, and move onto new ones. This is a valuable document for every student, allowing everyone to hone their skills without their peers being able to single them out.

5. RECORD PEER TUTORING SESSIONS TO REVIEW LATER

Have students record their conversations during peer tutoring using screen recording software or note-taking apps with built-in audio software like Google Keep. This allows you to check in and see if there’s anything information that was incorrect or needs following-up.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Let students practice with a combination of a chatting software like Google Hangouts or Skype Chats and a screen casting software like Screencast-o-matic. Review the tutoring sessions as a whole group and discuss the strengths and the weaknesses of the sessions; maybe even talk about how to conduct a webinar.

6. USE STUDENT-MADE VIDEO TUTORIALS

Instead of using traditional peer tutoring, have students create a video or tutorial for other students using websites like PowToon and Screencast-o-matic. Pair older students with younger or lower-level classes, allowing everyone to be an “expert” and teach someone else what they know. After videos are complete, allow students to use the videos to review skills at their own pace.

There are many apps that allow you to create movies including Explain Everything, Screen Chomp and Educreations.

7. PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENTIATED PROJECT OPTIONS

Giving students a choice with in their projects is a great way to differentiate the project. You can have students choose their topic or subtopic, or give them a choice for how the information is presented.

Students can create videos with programs like PowToon or iMovie; presentations with programs like Prezi and Google Slides; virtual field trips with picture slide show software like Kizoa or online storybooks with Storybird. Technology gives us so many possibilities for projects.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Technology projects are awesome in a one to one classroom, but don’t forget to give students non-technology or partial technology projects. An example of a partial technology project might be for them to write a song about the topic and practice singing it, but then record the song in audio recording software like Audacity.

8. MAKE ASSIGNMENT RESOURCES AVAILABLE ALL YEAR LONG

Student-paced learning is the ultimate differentiation. If you have a class where many students move on at their own pace, you might consider having videos and assignments available for your entire semester or even your entire course so that students can work at their own pace.

You can have these resources available to students through a series of Google Documents or Schoology . Students can have links to videos or websites to explore, as well as a list of possible assignments and quizzes given through Schoology quizzes or QuizStar.

Students work at their own pace through the assignments and lessons, with projects embedded throughout. This style of student-paced learning is especially helpful if you need students to have a similar stopping point.

9. ENCOURAGE PASSION-BASED LEARNING

Let students follow their passions through Be the Teacher Projects, Student-Led Inquires, Passion Projects, Genius Hour or 20% Time to get them more engaged in their learning. This is also a way for you to differentiate by bringing in each students’ individual interests and level.

Thanks to YouTube and other online video programs, students can teach themselves almost anything they want to know, as long as we teach them how to do the research appropriately. Allow students to use videos, websites and other resources, both on and off the Internet, to research a topic of their own choice, at their own pace.

Students can present the topics to their classmates, and the world, by creating a project. This project can be technology-based, using presentation or video creation software, or it could be a traditional of presentation with a poster or other props.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: Create a Google Document, Schoology or Padlet Boardwhere students who are working on similar topics can share their findings with each other. This encourages collaboration and increases the amount of research students have access to.

10. ENCOURAGE SHARING OF IDEAS

When using collaborative learning groups like jigsaw, inside outside circle, or think pair share, allow students to share their thinking using a message board like Schoology or virtual bulletin boards like Padlet. This allows their ideas and resources to be reviewed and used by the class as a whole, while building a class document of learning that can be referred to during review or projects.

One to One Classroom Suggestion: You may still want students to do the movement of inside outside circle in order to activate thinking through movement and interaction. Afterwards, set a timer for 5 minutes and ask students to record as much as they can remember on the message board.

11. Focus over learning, and not on the technology

Selection of tools should be a natural outcome to lesson planning. This process allows you to envision the use of more than one tool to achieve your learning goals.

Consider the following points

• Learning objective
• Pre-assessments
• Teaching strategies
• Learning activities
• Learning review
• Assessments
• Reflect/review

Once you have made these decisions. Only then, you should concentrate over the array of tools you want to use. This would allow to select multiple tools, if necessary, to achieve the learning objectives for the school year.

12. Focus over student needs

It is necessary to understand students’ interests and learning-profiles. Knowing student needs is would help you design (and conduct) an effective differentiated learning program.

This can easily be done with the aid of diagnostic tests. Digital tools allow you to administer diagnostic tests. Diagnostic assessments allow you to analyze their learning preferences and study habits. Moreover, you would be able to figure out their technology readiness, learning styles, and how you could help them to achieve mastery.

13. Personalize your content

You have two ways to go about it. Either, collect subject-content from various sources, and build it up; else create your own content, and augment it. The point is- it should fit the individual needs of your students.

Finding content is no big deal, what’s important is- how you augment the content. The best way ahead is to create your own content. It’s personal, and students readily identify with your style. Recorded lectures and interactive presentations are most effective in this regard.

Moreover, once you have mapped your students’ needs, you can easily standardize your procedure for creating instructional resources. This would help you save precious planning hours.

14. Digitize the learning groups

Learning groups are effective. However, managing them can be a strenuous task. Technology helps add new dimensions to your learning groups. With the information collected via diagnostic tests, you can create effective groups, and you can make them flexible.

Moreover, digitizing learning groups reduces planning, assessment, and remediation time too. Plus, with the information generated via digital assessments, you can enhance the flexibility of your learning groups.

15. Digitize student activities

Technology provides us with this awesome opportunity to integrate instruction and student activities. Here are some benefits that digital classrooms offer

1. Students spend lessor time on note-taking, and more time on learning-activities,
2. Teachers can give various students with individualized notes for a lesson,
3. A digital device allows students to take notes as they find comfortable. Students can type their notes, create mind maps, record an audio file, or take snaps,
4. You can assign personalized practice to each of your students based on their prominent learning-styles.

16. Develop an online classroom

100 percent classroom engagement is a near-impossible feat. Every time your lecture fails to cater to a particular learning style, you have a student who fails to learn. Technology provides you with a better option.

This is what you can do

1. Record your lectures. Upload them to a shared dropbox,
2. Create a bank of learning activities and upload it online,
3. Create new, interactive learning activities,
4. Develop an interactive classroom website,

If you have trouble developing a customized online classroom, you can choose to integrate your classroom with a secure online learning program. This would be of immense help to those students who cannot concentrate in a classroom setting.

17. Transform the learning-space

Experiment with your classroom. Encourage your students to design their own learning experience.

Experiment with collaborative learning, or try implementing project-based learning. If one group is predominantly kinesthetic – let them work on digital manipulatives. Otherwise, if a group is made up of visual learners– encourage them to express their learning with visual aids, like a video presentation.

Differentiated instruction is not an easy job. Even if you have a one-to-one classroom, it’s tough to create and manage a fully-differentiated classroom.

However, use of technology does increases the likelihood of creating a classroom that meets the need of all your students. All that’s needed is proper investment of time and effort.