Paths to Differentiation with Technology

This infographic shows some of the ways technology can help differentiate learning in the classroom.

It has been proven many times over that we all learn differently and a different rates. This is why teachers are often trying to provide a multitude of strategies and opportunities for learning to help each student connect to the content in the way that they learn best. This infographic was created to appeal to the visual learner and to show a simple ways that technology can help educators to differentiate their instruction.

Reflection

As shown in this infographic there are many different ways to incorporate technology into the classroom that assists teachers in differentiating their instruction to best meet the needs of the learners. Completing this research and creating the infographic helped me reflect on my teaching and provided me with new ideas for how I can differentiate in my own classroom. Video tutorials are a tool that can be utilized in many ways including a flipped classroom. They can be used as learning aides or as a mean of assessment. Teacher made tutorials can help students review at their own pace or when the teacher is not available to assist. Student made tutorial videos can also be used for these purposes, but they can also be used as a means of non-traditional assessment where students get to be creative in how they show and explain their work. Digital tools can also be used to create flexible groups that are easy to switch around or to provide materials for based on the students needs. Technology can help bridge the gaps that would have previously kept rigid groupings. Technology opens the doors to choice. Students can choose different topics to research and explore because of powerful search engines at their finger tips. The topic of their research does not have to be limited by the teachers expertise or the types of books available to them. They can also choose different types of products and presentations they create to meet their learning needs and styles. Having physical manipulative often helps students understand concepts particularly in math, technology also opens the doors to having digital manipulative as resources when physical ones are not available. Access to leveled software and texts is a huge advantage to differentiation in the classroom. It can allow students to participate in the same, reading, game, or activity as their classmates but at an academic level that is appropriately challenging for them.