Integrating Technology for All Learners: Reflection

Introduction


There are two factors of teaching and learning that make a large impact on the success of differentiation; teacher awareness and student self-awareness. With these two factors in place, planning for and managing a differentiated classroom is easier.

Teacher Awareness

The concept of teacher awareness is two-fold. First, the teacher of a differentiated classroom needs to be aware of the standards that they are responsible for teaching and of the curriculum tools that are available. With this understanding, she can plan instruction based on specific standards by using several tools (choosing from a myriad of tools that can help all learners). Second, the teacher needs to be aware of her students. Learner interests, styles, strengths, and weaknesses should be discovered and used in the planning and management of differentiated lessons.

Social networking can be a helpful tool in finding resources for curriculum support and learner surveys. When a teacher reaches out to colleagues, she can increase her ability to efficiently locate resources that are tried-and-true.

Student Self-Awareness

As students become aware of their own interests, strengths, and weaknesses, they can begin to make choices about their own learning. After their teachers have presented several ways of gathering and presenting information, a student can develop a learning plan for themselves. Students will begin to know what they can do independently and what they need help with. They will also be able to make appropriate choices from the available learning tools. Ultimately, the students should be taught how to advocate for themselves so that they can have access to the tools and assistance they need.

Integrating Technology to Customize Instruction

Technology can play an integral role in melding teacher and student awareness with the standards of learning. Online surveys and inventories can help a teacher to gather and organize information about her students (Laureate, Inc., 2009). Several websites and software programs offer multiple ways to learn about a particular concept. Adaptive hardware and software applications can help to lessen the impact of a disability to heighten the student’s ability to achieve a specific standard (Bray, Brown, & Green, 2004). When these technology tools are presented and practiced in a mindful manner, a teacher can plan and manage her classroom to optimize the impacts of differentiation.




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). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.