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Jamee Anderson
EDU 225
April 6, 2015,
Cecilia Szymanski
Part 1: Raft
This is the link to my website where my raft card is also located.
http://jameesclass.weebly.com
RAFT
Social Studies and Literacy: U.S. Presidents
Row 2
ROLE (student)
President George
Washington
News Reporter
AUDIENCE
Citizens of the
United States
Newspaper
subscribers
Row 3
Future president
Fellow classmates
voters
Row 1
FORMAT
An Election Poster
Postermywall.com
A newspaper
Article using
Google docs
A speech
Typed in Google
docs
TOPIC
If George ran
today..
Extra! Extra! Read
all about Abraham
Lincoln.
If you were
president..
Part 2: Student Centered Technology
Teachers want to create an environment where all students can be academically
successful. With a diverse student population, this can be a difficult task. Teachers must take into
consideration the different learning styles and varying academic ability levels within each class.
After evaluating the students, it is important to come up with a strategy to help each student
achieve their maximum potential. Using technology to incorporate differentiated instruction has
proven to be a successful tool to help students and teachers succeed.
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Differentiated instruction can be defined as altering instruction in the classroom to meet
the needs of individual students. Technology is a great way to implement this. Teachers can use
technology, such as websites and iPad apps to help students not only work at their specific
reading and math level, but also meet their learning styles. If a student is a hands-on learner, it is
helpful for a teacher to implement an activity such creating your own presentation so that the
student is not just listening to a lecture but playing an active role in learning.
There are many benefits to combining technology with differentiated instruction. The use
of technology encourages students to stay engaged in the subject matter. This can reduce
behavior problems in the classroom. Also, according to the Agricultural Education Magazine,
“By varying the approach taken to instruct, guide and assess, teachers increase the likelihood of
reaching every student.” (DeLay, A. 2010, p.15) This can often otherwise be difficult when
teachers have twenty or more students in the class. Technology can also give a better evaluation
of what the student knows. Teachers must be aware of the possible negative aspects of using
technology to differentiate instruction as well. “Technology-based instruction in the classroom
requires training.” (Cobb, A. 2010, p.40) Training can be time consuming and costly, both of
which teachers and schools struggle to find. Too much technology can be distracting, making it
hard for students to stay on task. Teachers must also ensure they are using it effectively to meet
content standards and not just sticking into a lesson plan for the sake of using technology.
Despite both positive and negative impacts of technology in the classroom, teachers
should not only use technology to differentiate instruction. Technology is a great tool to assess a
student’s level of academic achievement. However, part of the goal of using differentiated
instruction is to give students multiple opportunities to take in information on the subject matter.
If only technology is used, teachers are not meeting these goals. Also because technology is
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always changing, teachers need to be able make sure that students are competent enough using
the technology so that it will not reflect in the assessment.
Student achievement is directly impacted when technology is used to differentiate
instruction. Students learn to work independently, giving them more confidence in their abilities.
Technology allows students to work beyond their grade level, allowing them to continue to be
challenged. While other students can concentrate on content area that needs reviewing. No
matter where they fall academically, it has been shown that by using technology to differentiate
instruction, “students often take ownership of the course material and move from passive
listeners to active learners.”(Siegle, D. 2014, p.53).
Teachers are responsible of knowing where each student is academically and how to help
them improve. Using technology is important not only for active learning but for assessing the
student as well. State standards must be evaluated and the student must show competent
understanding in all content area. With student-centered learning, technology is helping students
to problem-solve and demands critical thinking from students of all levels. (Hofer, & Swan,
2007) Student-centered technology will ensure students are getting the individualized instruction
they need to achieve their highest academic potential.
Differentiating Instruction through technology can benefit both teachers and students.
Teachers can better assess students, while students can work at a level that is individually
appropriate, not just grade level appropriate. When used effectively, technology will improve
how differentiating instruction is used in the classroom.
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References
Cobb, A. (2010). TO DIFFERENTIATE OR NOT TO DIFFERENTIATE? Using Internet-Based
Technology in the Classroom. Quarterly Review Of Distance Education, 11(1), 37-45
Retrieved from
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.
aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=56106684&site=eds-live&scope=site
De Lay, A. M. (2010). Technology as a Differentiated Instruction Tool. Agricultural Education
Magazine, 83(3), 15-17. Retrieved from
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.
aspx?direct=true&db=ofs&AN=508194619&site=eds-live&scope=site
Hofer, M., & Swan, K. O. (2007). Standards, Firewalls, and General Classroom Mayhem:
Implementing Student-Centered Technology Projects in the Elementary
Classroom.Contemporary Issues In Technology & Teacher Education, 7(2), 42-58. Retrieved
from
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.
aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=27056937&site=eds-live&scope=site
Siegle, D. (2014). Technology. Gifted Child Today, 37(1), 51-55.
doi:10.1177/1076217513497579 Retrieved from
http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.
aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=93371365&site=eds-live&scope=site
Stanford, P., Crowe, M. W., & Flice, H. (2010). Differentiating with Technology. Teaching
Exceptional Children Plus, 6(4), 1-9. Retrieved from
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http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.
aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=51428572&site=eds-live&scope=site