Reflection: 6714 Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology

I have always maintained that successful implementation of technology will improve students’ engagement in the content and therefore improve their learning experience. I believe that I have grown as a teacher throughout this course because of the learning opportunities with differentiated instruction. In the past I have always expected all of my students to do the same work, take the same tests and reach the same end result; some made it, others fell short. The ones that made it were deemed the smart kids and ready for college, while the ones who did not make it were deemed the apathetic kids, or the ones who were going to work at lower paying, manual labor jobs. I now understand that it was not the students who fell short, but me. Because of this understanding, this year I have been giving my students more choices when it comes to how they learn and how they prove to me they have learned the content. This was difficult at first for both me and the students, but as the year has progressed, the students have become more aware of what level they are at academically and the path they need to take to get to where the state standards say they should be. My top students are going further than I had planned, while my bottom students are rising to the challenge and achieving more than they thought possible.

Throughout the last few months, I have helped to create a place where I could list resources, as well as put a short explanation regarding each resource presented on my social network. All of the tools I listed are ways for me to meet the requirements of UDL and DI. The three principles of UDL ask for representation, expression, and engagement within the classroom. By utilizing the various sources on my network, I can easily fulfill these criterions. Many of the resources offer multiple ways for students to learn content. Some enable voice features, graphic organizers, and other forms of manipulatives. By utilizing these sources, I can give my students choices on how they choose to have their content represented; essentially I then “tailor instruction to fit the needs of each learner" (Bray, Brown, & Green, 2004, p. 55). Also, these sources enable students to select their own activities to obtain and present their knowledge. Students can choose from various avenues that fit their learning styles and how they choose to express their learning. They are tremendous tools for meeting students where they are, and not expecting too much or too less (Laureate, 2009b). Furthermore, technology in itself is engaging to students. It requires them to illustrate higher level cognitive skills as they search for information, apply the information, and generate a project that demonstrates their learning. In this sense, technology requires students to become independent learners because it “promotes a high degree of accountability for one’s own learning, concept-based problem solving, and collaborative learning" (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 18). All of these resources help with DI because classrooms are filled with diversity. By utilizing the resources on my social network, I can offer instruction that fits the needs of all my learners by varying the content, process, and product. Without a doubt, with technology I can personalize the learning experiences of my students.

I have already started the process of integrating technology into my classroom. To begin with, I have received funding from my school to buy licenses for my students to access specific online products. In this case, I was able to buy voicethread accounts for my students so that they can begin utilizing this tool immediately. After several meetings with the technology department, they are generating a school wiki and blog forum that teachers can access and set up accounts for their students because “Web pages/sites, blogs. podcasts. digital videos/stories, and wikis also are authentic ways for students to demonstrate and share their learning with others” (Salend, 2009, p. 52). Through these tools, I feel that I can open a whole new world for my students; plus, technology enables class to be more engaging as well as prepare students for the global workplace (Laureate, 2009a). I plan on using many of the online tools for my students to showcase their learning through varying means.

Without a doubt, I have gained valuable knowledge from fellow teachers and experts in the field of education. The resources, feedback, and expertise that I have received have enabled me to transform my classroom into a 21st century learning environment. I realize more than ever that it is not about me as a teacher, but about my students as learners. In other words, they need to drive the learning process, not me. I need to provide them with various opportunities to showcase their learning through the principles of UDL and DI with technology enhancing both these features.

References

Bray, M., Brown, A., Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse learner: A guide to classroom practice. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009a). Knowing your students. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b).Introduction to Differentiated Instruction. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.

Salend, S. (2009). Technology-based classroom assessments. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(6), 48–58.

Smith, G., & Throne, S. (2007). Differentiating instruction with technology in K-5 classrooms. Belmont, CA: International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.