In looking at using technology in the classroom, the same theme emerges of flexibility. In reading Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age:Universal Design for Learning, the same theme is reinforced through their examples of lesson designing. I have designed lessons for twenty five years and each year have seen an increase demand for individualized modifications. Technology easily meets that demand in the classroom for each student. I am also seeing a trend to do away with gifted programs. The system is making it much harder for students to stay in the programs, cutting funding for those programs and just cutting the programs over the years. The classes are becoming a place where you have special education on the lower spectrum learning with the gifted and talented, who meet special education requirements but are on a different learning level/speed in the same classroom. One quote describes the difficulty of trying to meet the needs of all students with old methods.
Embedded, flexible, ongoing assessments have the potential to resolve many of the problems with standardized, paper-and-pencil tests, particularly as tools for guiding teaching. It is true that standardized tests can yield valuable information, especially if one is evaluating trends and information about groups, but as accurate assessments of individual students' skills, knowledge, and learning, these assessment tools are severely flawed. Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002).
By using technology I can allow students to collaborate, share strengths and learn the material in ways they are accustomed in today's world and meet their needs. I don't have to prepare thirty different modifications, but rather have a custom fit already waiting. I become a facilitator. The student is doing the work instead of passively sitting in class. In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, cooperative learning has been studied and proven a workable solution. One study is quoted, Cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate as it is cooperating to learn. (Wong & Wong, 1998). I tend to agree. In doing the technology assignments, I find I am learning from my fellow students the more I collaborate and share. I am incorporating these techniques into my classroom also. I have always been careful about group work to allocate the work since I found out very quickly that one person did all the work, and everyone took the credit. I am finding out even on simple assignments a student can check their answers with another before handing it in and give them confidence. It is not enough time to copy the entire assignment, but rather to check one or two questions they might not have been sure about. This carries over into technology assignments where they can lean on each other to design projects, research, and even collaborate with other groups. I had two groups who didn't want to film themselves, so they had another group act in their film while they directed. The other group loved acting out, being directed and learning about the other's project and even had some good ideas. A third group found out what was going on and decided to "up their game" on their project due to competition. In past years I used a plain video camera, but we have used a wide variety of technology for assignments. The rubric is helpful in keeping everyone involved, and no one is left out. Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007) pg. 142 I usually make sure everyone is assigned something to research, present, or responsible for knowing. So, with a few adjustments, using technology, the one size fits all can accommodate everyone!
Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Chapter 7
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 139-154
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