USING TECHNOLOGY IN A DIFFERENTIATED CLASSROOM WITH VERIZON THINKFINITY BJ Gallagher, PhD, CCC-SLP

Technology integration and differentiated instruction complement each other. This presentation provides the rationale for differentiating using technology, as well as a multitude of examples that may be used in your classroom. Our premise and objective…

is a process involving students, allowing them to process, construct, make sense of ideas within a classroom regardless of differences in ability. Differentiation stems from beliefs about differences among learners, how they learn, learning preferences, and individual interests. Anderson, K.M. ( 2007). Tips for teaching: Differentiating instruction to include all students. Preventing School Failure, 51(3), What is Differentiation?

Where to start  Teachers recognize individual differences  Engage students in different sensory modalities as well as multiple intelligences and brain preferences  Use varied rates of instruction, complexity levels, and teaching strategies allowing students to express their knowledge learned in a variety of formats

Step One Complete a Pre-Assessment to set up your Flexible Grouping by noting each student’s:  Learning Profile  Interest  Readiness levels

Pre-assessment Tools Websites where you can create your own pre- assessments (subscription required):    Free survey creator  MI Inventory

Content  The depth/complexity of the knowledge base a student explores  Requires that students are pre-tested  Teachers identify students who do not require direct instruction. Process  The way in which a student gains access to knowledge  A performance task enabling students to practice and understand the content Product  The way in which a student's knowledge of a subject is demonstrated  The outcome of the lesson—an assessment or project Ways to differentiate

Strategies for differentiating

 Designed to instruct all students on the same objectives but at different levels of complexity and open-endedness.  May be two or more tiers per assignment.  The tasks at each tier allow students to process the information and gain understanding at their own ability level. Tiered Assignments

 Process of modifying instruction by determining those basic skills students have already mastered  Practice or repetition of those skills is replaced by more challenging option  Alternatives may include enrichment or accelerated study. Compacting

Compacting the Curriculum  Cool! Awesome! What Is It? html html  A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words /index.html

 Interest groups used with secondary students  Interest centers used with elementary students  designed so that learning experiences relate to a specific interest  Students may select a topic generating increased motivation Centers or Groups

Web 2.0 Tools for Centers Blogs  Learning Clubs: Motivating Middle School Readers and Writers  ew.asp?id= ew.asp?id=1168

 A written agreement between the teacher and student.  Teacher specifies the concepts and skills to be learned along with the required components of the assignment.  The student identifies the methods for completing the tasks.  The contract allows the student to work independently while setting daily and weekly work goals and developing management skills. Learning Contract

Lessons with Contracts  Student Contracts p?id=141  Student Reading Contract 141/contract.pdf

 Students are not assigned to the same group for each task or area of study.  Students may be placed in a group based on readiness, interest, and/or learning profile.  Teachers or students may designate groups.  Allows students to interact with a variety of their peers without being identified with any specific group or ability level Flexible Grouping

Differentiate by product, resources and interests What can we learn from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed? Grades ns/14/g35/chesapeakescience.html

Internet Scavenger Hunt  Building Vietnam War Scavenger Hunts through Web-based Inquiry  Can be differentiated by Internet readiness ability, resources, and interest.  ew.asp?id=821 ew.asp?id=821

 Helps students perceive an idea or concept from six different points of view.  Each of the six faces of a cube represents a different perspective for an idea.  Students roll the cube and complete the activity displayed on the top face of the cube.  Tasks vary in difficulty  Not all students/groups receive the same cube.  May be differentiated by readiness, interest, and/or learning profile. Cubing

Use of Cubing in a Lesson  Strategic Reading and Writing: Summarizing Antislavery Biographies p?id=1017

 Independent study projects are research projects where students develop the skills for independent learning. Independent Study Projects

Use of Kidport  Students can explore on their own interests.

Subject Sampler using Tiering

Student Material Resources sp  A collection of supports for literacy learning in the K-12 classroom.  Interactive tools can be used to supplement a variety of lessons  Provide an opportunity for students to use technology while developing their literacy skills. Challenge

Word Study with Harry and Mudge  Struggling readers need instruction in word recognition to improve not only their reading skills but also their writing and spelling skills as well.  Applying small-group differentiated reading model to a systematic word study of the past tense marker –ed,  Helps second- and third-grade students identify both base words and suffixes.  Reading differentiated with reading levels using Comic Book Creator Complexity

Concentration Play by yourself or against a friend to form pairs. Match numbers, shapes, fractions, or multiplication facts to equivalent representations. The game can be used to practice facts by using the clear pane mode, or for an added challenge, play the game with the windows closed. Complexity

Web Resources Gallery The Web Resources Gallery - a myriad of English language arts resources Resources

Meeting the Immigrants A webquest that differentiates focusing on various roles which provides a variety of resources Resources

Area Contractor  Gives students the opportunity to explore surface area in the same way that a contractor might when providing an estimate to a potential customer  Once the customer accepts the estimate, a more detailed measurement is taken and a quote prepared.  Students use estimation to determine the surface area of the walls and floor of their classroom.  They check the reasonableness of their estimates, and then measure the classroom for accuracy.  Differentiated by role in the group. Outcomes

The Great Gatsby Cruise A webquest that differentiates the product and process along with resources depending on the role chosen. Outcomes

Graphs from the Unit Circle  Students use uncooked spaghetti to transfer lengths from the unit circle to a function graph on large butcher paper.  They discover the key features of sine and cosine graphs.  Students working in degrees, but another version of the handouts is provided for students working in radians. Process

Grow School Greens A webquest to create a garden. Differentiated by role in group along with selection of how the information is presented. Products

ThinkQuest differentiate through independent study ThinkQuest Website  Examples of ThinkQuest sites  Sustainability  Living on the Brink  I Can Do That! Coping Successfully With Amputations 

Additional Differentiated Web Sites  More places that you can visit every day.  Education World  Sites that lend themselves to differentiation: Ben's Guide to Government for Kids

Websites promoting differentiation K Math Concentration Concentration A game of memory using numbers. (challenge) Cookie Dough Cookie Dough Learn numbers and their spellings. Power Football Power Football Answer math problems correctly to score a field goal. (challenge) Interactive Multiplication Table Fraction Model Interactive Multiplication Table Fraction Model Illustrates fractions, decimal values and percentages. Factor Game Factor Game Learn factors of numbers. Pan Balance Pan Balance Learn to make different equations which equal the same. Best Deal Challenge Best Deal Challenge Choose which food package is most cost effective. Compound Interest Calculator Who Bats Better? Who Bats Better? Compute mean, median, mode, and range using baseball statistics. Interactive Geometry Dictionary: Lines in Geometry Interactive Geometry Dictionary: Lines in Geometry Defines and illustrates different types of lines.

More… K Science Animal Inquiry Words Animal Inquiry Words Learn words scientists use to describe animals. Sound Wave Sound Wave Explore sound waves and how different sounds are made. Exploring the Lunar Cycle Exploring the Lunar Cycle Put different phases of the moon in the correct place on the lunar cycle. Animated Guide to Hurricaines Planet Comparison Animated Guide to Hurricaines Planet Comparison Compare the planets, moon, and sun. Power Up Power Up Demonstrates the impact and cost of various types of energy. Artificial Anatomy Artificial Anatomy Identify various body parts. From Cell to DNA From Cell to DNA A video describing the structure of DNA and its components.

More… K Language Arts Word Wizard Word Wizard Unscramble words using popular children's books. Word Family Sorter Explore different vowel sounds and rhyming words. Picture Match Match pictures to words based on beginning letter sounds or short or long vowel sounds. Word Family Sorter Picture Match Interactive Crossword Puzzles Interactive Crossword Puzzles Do crossword puzzles on various subjects or create your own. Compare/Contrast Step by step guide to comparing/contrasting with illustrations. Compare/Contrast Letter Generator Letter Generator Learn the parts of a letter and create a personal or business letter. Exploring Onomatopoeia Guide to identifying and creating onomatopoeia words. Exploring Onomatopoeia Beowulf Beowulf Provides on overview on the story and meanings of Beowulf.

More… K Social Studies Worker's Hats Worker's Hats Match the names of workers to the hats they use at their job. Currency Converter World War II Diplomacy Map Currency Converter World War II Diplomacy Map Map of Europe during WWII. Where's Everyone Going? Match transportation types to their era. Where's Everyone Going? Map of Pacific Ocean Map of Pacific Ocean Map displays major events occurring during World War II D day Map An interactive map of the D day invasion D day Map

Specific Types of Web 2.0 Tools

Blogs Learning Beyond the Classroom (PreK-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12)  om/summer/ om/summer/

Created for students ages sroom/summer/grades6_8/ Career Blog

Podcasts Chatting about Books: Recommendations for Young Readers (Ages 4-11)  the classroom/summer/podcastsvideos/CAB/013hum ore.asp the classroom/summer/podcastsvideos/CAB/013hum ore.asp

Wikis Accountable Book Clubs: Focused Discussions  w.asp?id w.asp?id+1163

Online Tools:  Scrapblog  Scratch  GoogleDocs  Social Networks Ning

General Tools 4Teachers.org

Free Web 2.0 tool links Cool Tools for Schools Categories: Presentation, video, slideshow, widgets, research, collaborative, quiz and poll, converters, image, drawing, audio, mapping, music, writing, organizing, storing, and graphing! Hundreds of links.