Session Goals
Participants will:
- Understand what differentiated instruction is and why it is important,
- Learn how technology can support the goals of differentiated instruction, and
- Expand the tools they have available to make instruction more efficient, effective, and engaging for all learners.
Technological tools enable teachers to gain information about students that is useful in differentiating instruction. Learn about student interest, readiness and learning profile and use this information to differentiate content, process, and product.
- Use survey tools designed by others
Technological tools enable teachers to
differentiate CONTENT and the way students interact with CONTENT materials.
Adjust content materials for reading level
- Adjust the presentation of text materials
- Vary the source/ location/
type (hard copy, web, different types of sites) of materials- Help students understand the strength and weaknesses of each
type of material. For example, take different sources of information about weather.
You can use hard copy (almanacs), interactive sites weather.com, news papers,
weather databases .
- Use technological tools to prepare instructions for assignments- Typing materials with a word processor or putting them on the Web enables
you to provide various versions of instructions for learners. It saves time and energy expended to meet students' needs for detail, pacing, structure,
etc.
- Vary media format- When possible, provide content
information in various media formats. Don't limit yourself or your students
to strictly text-only materials. Consider multimedia (on the web), animations,
audio, video, etc.
Technological tools that enable teachers to differentiate the PROCESS students use to complete
their learning activities.
- Vary the amount of
scaffolding for students when creating and customizing assignments
- Make embedded links to dictionaries and
helpful resources such as Bartleby- http://www.bartleby.com
- Provide students with more extensive directions
or the option to use the version of instructions right for them.
- Provide students with calendars and instruction
prompts using a tool like Assign-A- Day http://assignaday.4teachers.org/
- Encourage students to
use graphic organizers
- Allow students to use concept
maps
- Provide students access
to various types of search engines.
Incorporate "cluster" search engines as well as those traditional
ones
- Encourage student selection
of and choice of tools and use helper tools
- Enlist the help of assistive
technologies to enable completion
Technological
tools that enable teachers to differentiate student PRODUCTS and the evaluation of these products.
- Support student presentation
of student learning by allowing students to make their own selection of presentation tools.
- Involve students in development of assessment
tools
- Quiz Tools
- Rubric generators
- Use technological tools to provide feedback
and use various communication methods for sending feedback
- Use "track changes" or the editing features in Word. >>link
- Send feedback via email
- Use rubrics mentioned above
Other Resources
Preassessment tools
Lesson planning tools
Differentiated Instruction 101 Powerpoint >>link
ProfilerPro-http://www.profilerpro.com
DI and Webquests (an article about combining the two) >>link
Technology Tips for Differentiated
Instruction- http://rtecexchange.edgateway.net/cs/rtecp/view/rtec_str/11
Information about the Flesch-Kincaid Readablility Scale
http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/flesch-kincaid-index.html
