Differentiating Instruction by Integrating Technology in the Elementary Classroom
Proposal for Presentation
Dr. DeAnna Owens
October 20, 2011
Differentiating Instruction in the Elementary Classroom Using Technology
Elementary students are requiring educators to creatively present the skills and objectives to
them in a variety of ways. Students are coming to the teachers at various ability levels with a variety of
learning styles. With the abundant amount of technology that is available today, many children have
been exposed to some type of technology prior to entering the primary grades. If they have not been
exposed to technology such as computers, Ipods, or gaming systems, it does not take students vary long
to learn to use it once they have had time to use it.
Teachers are using technology such as Interactive White Boards or Interactive Software in their
classrooms to enhance their teaching. Children benefit from this because not only can they learn in a
more interactive way, but they can manipulate the images and view real life applications that are
applicable to what they are learning. Being able to meet the different learning styles of children are the
way that the teachers are going to be able to address the rigor of the Common Core. In the Elementary
classroom, teachers are going to need to use technology as a center, supplement for remediation or
enrichment, or a way to enhance their lessons every day. Technology helps students become successful.
It allows students to be able to find the way that they understand the skill or concept and learn.
Incorporating technology in the classroom gives the teacher the ability to supplement their teaching by
remediating what they have taught for mastery or enhance their teaching by enriching what they have
taught. Teachers being able to present lessons using virtual manipulatives is another way for students to
visually see the concepts that are being taught in the classroom.
The largest concern is preparing the students for the standardized assessments. By using
technology in the classrooms, it can allow the teacher to create additional and interactive ways to assess
students. The students enjoy interacting with the technology and do not realize they are being assessed.
Teachers can differentiate by creating different assessments including picture assessments, multiple
choice, matching, and graphic organizers using technology. They can also incorporate the use of Clickers
which is a quick way of determining the outcome of their classroom. This would allow the teacher to
quickly determine the type of differentiation that needs to take place.
This presentation would allow the attendees to be exposed to ways that incorporating
technology in the classroom would enhance their instruction and assessments. It would allow them to
view ways to enhance learning by the use of technology while differentiating at the same time. It would
show the attendees that the presenter integrated technology in the classroom on a daily basis. Using
technology in the classroom allows teachers to not only see the benefits for the children because they
tend to grasp the concepts more effectively, but it also had an effect on SAT 10 scores by increasing the
overall math percentages to above 90% across the board. By encouraging students to use technology,
showing them how to use it properly, and making it part of their daily routine allows them to enhance
their learning both in the whole class experience and individually. The Powerpoint presentation would
show attendees visual images of ways that integrating technology at a young age enhances their
learning and enriches them. The presenter is currently working on a research project on integrating
technology in a Mississippi school district and the impact it had on their test scores. Working with this
district, the presenter is aware that there were large gains in the schools with the students that were
using some form of technology at least forty-five minutes per week. The presenter is looking at what the
measurable gains were, and what the correlation was with the software, usage, and the type of
intervention the technology was used for. This presentation would also include the proposal of this
research.