Differentiation with Technology

What is Differentiation?Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.

Whenever a you reach out to an individual or small group to vary your teaching in order to create the best learning experience possible, you are differentiating instruction.

Things that can, and should be differentiated...

Content Process Products

Differentiating Content

The material students are expected master.

Different students in your class will access different materials that are most appropriate for their readiness at the depth that is right for them.

All are working towards mastery of the same standard.

Differentiating Process

These are the learning activities that take place in your class and connect the content to the learner. Differentiating the process takes into account:

Learning style differences.

Multiple intelligences.

Multiple formats for students to access the material to be learned - Options are important!

Differentiating Products

The evidence students produce to demonstrate mastery.

OPTIONS are key

Let’s look a little deeper into each of theseand the different ways that technology can help us achieve that differentiation

Differentiating Content

Reading levels

Sometimes, all students can understand the concepts, but reading ability is a barrier.

Complexity

Students may require varying degrees of depth to their understanding of concepts

Readiness

Students may lack the background knowledge necessary (including the vocabulary) to engage in higher level questions about a concept.

Differentiating Content - Reading levelsProviding rich reading experiences for all

students.

Newsela

https://newsela.com/

Articles searchable by content, each at different reading levels and lexiles.

Differentiating Content - Reading levelsProviding rich reading experiences for all

students. Smithsonian Tween Tribune

http://tweentribune.com/

Also searchable by content, each at different reading levels and lexiles.

Differentiating Content - Reading levelsProviding rich reading experiences for all

students.

BirdbrainScienceBirdbrainHistory

https://www.birdbrainscience.com/ https://www.birdbrainhistory.com/

After a diagnostic, any article you assign is presented at the appropriate reading level

Differentiating Content - Reading accessibility

Speak-ItChrome Extension

Install the extension and have any website read to your students!

Differentiating Content - Complexity

https://www.tes.com/lessons

BlendspaceCreate different paths for students.

Add different presentations and content.

Differentiating Content - Complexity

http://www.lessonpaths.com/

LessonPathsCreate different paths for students.

Add different presentations and content.

Differentiating Content - Readiness (Vocab)

https://quizlet.com

QuizletCreate different paths for students.

Add different presentations and content.

Differentiating Content - Readiness (Background Knowledge)

https://edpuzzle.com

EdpuzzleMake any video your lesson.

Crop, add questions, comments, audio notes.

Differentiating Process

Organization

Students often lack the organization skills necessary to retain ideas. (losing papers, materials, access)

Response time

How can tech help the:

shy

slow processing

physical impediments

Reteaching

Students may need more practice to:

attain mastery

retain mastery

Differentiating Process - Organization

GAfE

Collaboration, access anywhere. Any documents can be uploaded and resides in the cloud.

Google Classroom

Creates folders for the students, and ability for the teacher to “send” assignments.

Differentiating Process - Organization

Edmodo

You can send assignments, grade, upload documents, provide links, etc.

Create small groups within your classes.

Students have a backpack where they can collect materials

https://edmodo.com

Differentiating Process - Response time

Back Channels

Create an appropriate space for students who need more time to process or that may be too shy to share out loud.

Can remain open for those “I wish I had thought of this before” times. https://padlet.c

om/

https://todaysmeet.com/

Differentiating Process - ReteachingYou’ve pre-assessed, taught, done formative assessed and now you know some students need further instruction or simply need to revisit the content

Make use of some of the technology tools we have seen.

Add an appropriate edpuzzle video to your padlet.

Embed your presentation or a video you took while teaching/created afterwards to a blendspace or lesson-path.

Differentiating Process - ReteachingYou’ve pre-assessed, taught, done formative assessed and now you know some students need further instruction or simply need to revisit the content

https://tackk.com

https://www.hstry.co/

http://app.wizer.me/

Differentiating Products

Multiple means of expression and action.

Many of the tools we have already seen can be used by students to organize and create their products.

Differentiating Products - Organization

Keep all notes w/links in a Google Document (or within a Drive Folder).

Students can create a Padlet page and post all their work/links/etc.

Students can create Folders in their Edmodo backpack to keep all their work for a project.

Anything that is not digital can be digitized through pictures.

Differentiating Products - Choice Boards

https://www.thinglink.com/

Differentiating Products - Product Creators