Leveraging+TECHNOLOGY+to+differentiate+instructions+for+the+Digital+Natives

Technology is a new and powerful tool that is available to the teachers in their classrooms. If it is used appropriately i.e. engaging the learners in higher level thinking, meaningful communication, creation of original work and problem solving then it enhances student learning. Effective teachers think of technology as a means of providing support, opportunity and clarity. **Amy Benjamin** in //Differentiated Instruction Using Technology// (2005) highlights six features of technology that support differentiated instruction. Those six features are:

1. **Privacy**: Technology protects the self-esteem of the students working at different pace, by providing privacy to them. 2. **Collaboration and communication skills**: Online technologies (e-mail, e-conference) encourage students' collaboration and communication; hence they help in forming and maintaining the learning communities. 3. **Organization:** Various software help the students to organize their learning according to their needs and interest. They do so by creating graphic organizers, outlines, e-folders etc. 4. **Learning Styles and sensory learning:** Technology encourages auditory, visual and social learning. Students with different learning styles and interests can learn via images, sound, words. Reviewing the concepts is also quicker and easier with the help of technologies. 5. **Choices:** Abundance of information and software makes it easy for the students to chose and work on their activities in the classroom. 6. **Authentic learning:** The project-based activities found in a good quality software and on the web support authentic learning and the constructivist learning in the classroom.

In addition to the above mentioned six features, the technology usage also plays a significant role in motivating the learners. The **two videos shown below** demonstrate the use of digital gadgets and web 2.0 tools by the teachers to differentiate their instructions in the classrooms.

A teacher can use the **web 2.0** tools for differentiating the instruction in following ways: media type="youtube" key="n6pHK3t3P4M" height="260" width="391" align="right"

a. **Blogging:** A blog is a website on which an individual or group of users record opinion, information etc. This is latest way of differentiating instruction in the class. A teacher can provide different writing prompts for students and they respond based on their readiness level.

b. **Wiki** A wiki is a web page or collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content. Therefore wiki becomes ideal for online collaboration among the students with same learning task such as: -Writing collaborative lab reports in the science class. -Project report -Research work The teacher can assess the work of students as she/he can keep a track of their contribution via 'history'/ 'recent changes' option. Wiki can also be used to assign different projects to different small groups of students in the class.Thus privacy of different groups in a class can be managed by the teacher. media type="youtube" key="v8CbHjs_1SA" height="274" width="370" align="right"

c. **Digital Storytelling** It is the practice of using computer based tools to tell stories. As the name implies digital stories contain some mixture of computer-based images, recorded audio narration, music, video clips and text. Digital storytelling can be used by all core content teachers to differentiate instruction. The learners assume the role of script writer and in order to produce a good digital story they get well-versed with the content at their own level.

d. **Audio books on iPods or MP3s** Traditionally the audio books have been used by the teachers of learning-disabled students or struggling readers. But these can also be used with average as well as gifted readers who would otherwise find the text difficult or boring. Audio books can be used to differentiate instruction for avid readers who would be ready to get introduced to new genres or improve their reading fluency.

e. **WebQuest**

A WebQuest is " an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the Web" (http://www.webquest.org/index.php). A website that provides free access to WebQuest search engine is WebQuest.org. This site can be used by educators to write keywords to search the WebQuests related to their area of instruction. WebQuest can be used to offer effective differentiated instruction to individual learners and can be used for collaborative activities as well. For further information on how to teach with WebQuests read [|Teaching with WebQuests]

f. **Slideshare** The teachers can use Power Point Presentation for whole class instructions as well as small group instruction. They can then post it on slideshare so that the students can refer to it while working on a related work/project.

If you wish to read more about **Web 2.0** **tools** and their role in collaborative activities in a classroom, then go to Chapter 4 (written by Sheri Starks)

**Game-based learning**:
It has been defined as " the use of a computer game-based approach to deliver, support and enhance teaching, learning, assessment and evaluation" (Connolly, Stansfield and Hainey,2007). Educators can use games to engage their learners and **differentiate instruction** in their classroom. All learning theories talk about 'motivation' as a key factor for learning to take place and games have the capability of creating intrinsic motivation. Hence incorporating game features in instruction help in increasing the motivation level of the learners. Although it is still a general perception that games are mere fun and should not be used to teach but many educators are looking at them with fresh perspective and try their potential in the learning environment. There is strong need to bring game developers and educationalists together to work collaboratively and produce effective,pedagogically-based games. Video given below shows scholar James Gee highlighting some facts about games and their potential for educating and assessing the learners in 21st century classrooms.

media type="youtube" key="LNfPdaKYOPI?version=3" height="252" width="448" align="center"

You will find more information on **Game-based learning** in Chapter 8 written by Megan Mkrtschjan

Have a look at Differentiation in Action or go back to home page