Differentiating Instruction Using Technology

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Differentiating Instruction Using Technology

• A Guide for Middle High School Teachers
• Study Guide

2
Course Organization

• Week 1
• Overview
• Unit Menus
• eCenters
• Using PowerPoint in DI

3
Course Organization

• Week 2 Web tools to support DI
• Web based unit menus, learning centers,
  communication tool, prescriptives, student
  knowledge sharing
• DI hotlist (available from technology section of
  the website.

4
Week 3

• Tiered Tasks
• Using assessment and data to inform and organize
  next steps for instruction
• Another look at blogs

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What Is Differentiated Instruction?

• Allows for differences in student
• Learning styles
• Interests
• Prior knowledge
• Socialization
• Comfort zones
• Timelines for learning
• Different tasks requiring same amount of time
  effort

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What Differentiated Instruction is NOT

• Watered down curriculum for some
• Avoidance of literacy skills reading writing

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Why Use Technology with DI

• Privacy
• Sometimes the least sophisticated group can use
  the most sophisticated technology
• Efficient communication and collaboration
• Aids organization
• Allows for different learning styles
• Variety of choices resources available
• Authentic learning available
• Knowledge building shared learning

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Kinds of DI

• Content
• Learning same concept but different exemplars
• Process
• Same content but different processes for learning
  the information
• Product
• Different ways of showing what they know

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Whats different about secondary level
differentiation

• Much of the instruction is usually still whole
  group
• Use differentiation to move from knowing to
  understanding
• Equity issues cant be in-class tracking for
  example different grade scales

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Chapter 2 - Glossary

• Useful as a reference

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Unit Menus

• What are they
• Dos and Donts
• Examples

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Secondary Level Learning Centers

• What do you think of when you think of a learning
  center?

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Secondary Level Learning Centers

• Criteria for a Learning Center to be
  differentiated (as opposed to a station)
• Variation in the amount of time needed
• Variation in the amount of the task completed
• Variation in mode (i.e. book, auditory, computer)
• Variation in method for showing what is learned

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Purpose of Electronic Learning Centers

• Reinforcing Reviewing
• Bringing a concept to a more concrete level
• Adjusting learning for a student with special
  needs i.e. background music
• Applying learning i.e. tracking investments
• Advancing learning i.e. engineering center
• Socializing learning students who learn by
  talking

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Secondary Level Learning Centers

• Why an eCenter
• Doesnt take up space
• Multimedia
• Flexibility a technology based lesson can be
  used in different ways i.e. PowerPoint
• Can be interactive
• Possibility of audio centers

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Using PowerPoint

• Learner can focus on one screen at a time
• Volume of text can be adjusted
• Color can be a learning tool
• Visual unity
• Use size/color to highlight important points
• Think about appropriateness of visuals

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Using PowerPoint

• Task
• Download PowerPoint 11 from the Civil War site
  linked from Sues Filamentality page
• http//www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/listdifferen
  sp.html
• Also linked from Falmouth Schools web site
  technology main page

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Using PowerPoint

• Think about the following
• What additional slides could a student add?
• How could a student change colors of slides to
  clarify the meaning?
• Could slides be re-ordered with subtopic slides
  in between? How?
• How could you simplify this presentation for a
  student with reading deficits?

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Using PowerPoint

• Using in a modified lecture format
• Hand students the disk if they missed the lesson
• Share presentation with special ed teachers
• Students who are exceeding standards can add to
  the presentation
• You can adjust the level of detail

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Web Based Tools Week 2

• Web based centers groups try out and report out
• Showcase
• Classroom Library
• Prescriptive lessons
• A communication center
• Webquests

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Using PowerPoint for Differentiated Instruction

• For review
• As a skeleton for a student to add information
• As a choice for a student product
• Modified lecture format
• Hand students a disk (or download)
• For special education teachers
• Adjusting level of detail
• Accelerated students can expand a PowerPoint

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Prescriptives

• Targeted instruction
• Web based lessons are perfect for this
• Can send students to lessons as a result of other
  work turned in (can number for short reference)
• Perhaps students can buy back points-

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Week 3

• Tiered Tasks What are they
• Looking at examples
• Using assessment and data to inform and organize
  next steps for instruction
• Revisiting Blogs

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Chapter 3 - Tiered Tasks

• To better understand follows whole group
  instruction
• Grouping and Grading
• Teacher assigned based on explainable criteria
• Students self-select grading adjusted
• Rubrics top scores demonstrate higher level
  thinking skills
• Bonus points
• Combination

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Constructing Tiers

• Avoid assigning tasks that can be fetched intact
  on the Internet
• Bellingham web based research projects

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Ways of Organizing Tiers

• Blooms taxonomy
• Decreasing support (scaffolding)
• Increasing depth (more details)
• Increasing complexity (more steps and or
  connections to related subjects)

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Checklist for Evaluating Tiered Task

• All require higher level thinking working toward
  same concept/learning objectives?
• Approximately same amount of time to complete?
• If using technology does it support the learning?
• Can answers be fetched directly from the
  Internet?
• Does data back your assigned tasks?
• Are there incentives for selecting more
  challenging tasks (if self-selecting?)
• Clear evaluation?

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Looking at one example report back

• How are the tiers organized?
• Which selection method would you use for this
  lesson to determine which tier a student does?
• Using the checklist, evaluate with the
  information given thus far, how well this example
  meets Benjamins criteria for high quality
  differentiated instruction.

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Using technology

• Often least sophisticated students are motivated
  and can do the more sophisticated technology
• Use the web to assign tasks
• Use the web for appropriate support material

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Teacher concerns - ?

• How often? NOT the only way to differentiate
• What is the difference between this and extra
  credit and remedial assignments
• If some students do lower level tasks, are they
  going to be able to meet standards?
• What is a high level task? (Blooms)
• Are there ways to have all students do high level
  tasks and differentiate?! (vary scaffolding)

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Using Data to inform DI

• Analyzing assessments
• DataPoint hsteach pw hstch
• Student role see example
• Communicating differentiation
• Using comments feature in Word
• Thinking ahead about PowerGrade Comments
• Results are used for tiered tasks, prescriptives,
  modified lecture followup

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Differentiating Tests

• Look at later with tiered instruction
• Database of questions with type and topic/concept