I have recently read several articles on differentiation through use of technology. The various articles led me to reflection on use of technology with my students and whether or not it is a direct means to differentiation.  

We use technology in my classroom daily. However, a student’s access to technology does not automatically equal learning with technology. Learning with technology, like any educational tool, is the result of consideration for student’s various learning levels, learning styles, and the enduring understandings you wish for them to gain through a lesson. In reflecting on use of technology with my students, I have found 3 ways that I achieve differentiation…

1) Using technology to reach various learning styles:

In some cases, reaching various learning styles is a direct benefit of technology tools specifically designed to make learning easier and better for everyone.

Interactive white boards: engage visual learners, auditory learners, and bodily-kinesthetic learners when used with embedded media that is interactive and allows students to engage in manipulative activities on the board.  *Don’t have an interactive white board?  Read here to find out how you can make one for under $50…Ted Talks-Johnny Lee Wii Remote Hacks

Digital document cameras: benefit and engage all students by enlarging a live demonstration 20-30 times larger than real life. Instead of students crowding around a table trying to see a teacher demonstration, students can benefit from guided instruction from a large screen live projection while following along from their desks or work stations.  

2) Using Technology to reach varied learning levels:

In the same way that using technology does not equal learning with technology, using technology does not equal differentiation through technology. Equipping oneself as an educator with a variety of tools and literacy’s that will help students learn better and knowing which ones might be appropriate for a specific student is what makes differentiation work. The same goes for differentiation with technology.

-Pacing: Web based tools such as Moodle & Google Docs can allow students to access instruction both in and out of class to learn through them at their own pace. 

-Guided Choice: Social bookmarking tools such as Delicious are great for creating groups of resources based on tags. You can set up an account and tag specific websites based on topics you are studying in class. This can also be done through a host application such as Moodle, Google Docs, or a class website through which you provide a variety of links. Another way I provide choice is by allowing students to a choice of media when creating a reflections.  I allow them to choose from a variety of computer based applications such as Microsoft suite, iMovie, and Garage Band (Audacity is a free equivalent to Garage Band). I love the variety and creativity that comes out of these choices. 

3) Filling the teacher “tech”box:

There is much discussion about “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) and how we as educators must teach them in their own language.  21st century learning initiatives encourage a new set of skills necessary for students to succeed which are vastly different from that of just a few decades ago when some of us might remember the first time we ever used a computer or heard of the internet. Students today are growing up having never known life without them.

To meet these needs and teach our students using tools that are part of their everyday digital world, we as educators must be filling our own toolbox of technology. There is no one size fits all to student learning. Having knowledge and familiarity with a variety of technologies and pairing them to individual students to help them learn better just might be the best form of differentiation using technology. *Please visit the website “Teach with Technology” for ideas on integrating technology into your classroom.

I started the year with a plan to house student work on a  website I created using Google Page Creator. No sooner did I fall in love with this application then to find out that it was being replaced by Google Sites. “No big deal” I thought at first, until I investigated Google Sites and realized the layout templates are quite boxy, all look the same, and have the feel of a wiki template. Page creator allowed for a good amount of creative control, for an art teacher an attractive and dynamic feature. But, fearing starting the endeavor then having my site in Page Creator later be dropped by Google I went ahead with Google Sites and created a new class website.

Once the school year was underway and students began creating sketchbook drawings and art projects, I had them write short reflections on their work using MS Word and Powerpoint. I was very impressed with their insightful, personal, creative reflections and could not wait to post them to the class website and share with parents. Then a big reality hit me…TIME! Saving their work in formats that could not be easily uploaded to the site became time-consuming and tedious. I also realized that through creating reflections in computer based applications such as MS Word andPowerpoint I was not only adding to my workload, but I was denying my students an opportunity to connect and collaborate with an online community. My original intent was to use the site to share with parents and showcase student work. Essentially, I was seeking an “audience” for my young artists when what my students truly need to be learning is how to be artists as part of a broader “community” of artists .