Differentiated Literacy Instruction

Another important benefit of implementing technology in the classroom is it can help teachers create personalize instruction and make it easier to provide accommodations. It can be very difficult and time consuming to differentiate instruction for a classroom of students. The use of technology can make this a much more workable task. By using technology, the teacher can differentiate instruction with just a few swipes per student. It also gives the teacher more options to work with depending on student need. For example, if a student has trouble writing, they can use an iPad with voice adaptive software to answer questions or complete assignments. This eliminates the stress they may feel being forced to write during an assignment or test situation.

Differentiation of instruction is the process of teaching in a way to meet the needs of students with differing abilities in the same class, including those with special learning needs. One way to do this is by providing several different avenues by which all students can learn the same material. In differentiating instruction, teachers plan out and implement a variety of approaches to content, process, product, and environment. Differentiated instruction is used to meet the needs of student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs. Many people in the education field believe differentiation has the potential to transform teaching and learning in a way that raises expectations for all students.

The first benefit that technology has in the classroom is the ability for students and educators to have any information that they need at their fingertips. When trying to teach a concept teachers can refer their students to specific web searches, games, or other resources that can be found on the internet. In the same way though having instant gratification through being able to look up anything on the internet can affect the way that students learn. Instead of doing work on their own students have the ability to type problem into a search engine and it will likely give them the answer for their

Differentiated instruction in a type of teaching approach in which the teacher makes changes to lesson plans or unit curriculum so that students of all levels achieve the same level of learning. The whole lesson might not have to be changed, usually they just will make changes to the content, process or product of a given lesson.

This is a very important component in education to be aware of and when you are a teacher. I interviewed a first-grade teacher at my local elementary school to gain more information about the processes that our local schools go through for professional training, interventions, and in the classroom to ensure that students are developing their abilities in reading. My main focus was on what our school’s process was, how support is given, professional training offered, and what more is needed to be done to increase success for students.

and student attendance, reduction in discipline problems, reduction in teacher stress, increased motivation among teachers and students after returning refreshed from more frequent breaks, and increased availability of enrichment opportunities during inter-sessions” (Palmer & Bemis, 1999).

A final way differentiated instruction prepares students from the 21st century workplace is through direct instruction. Whether students go to college or enter the workforce, students will be required to receive information directly from one, or many, people and think critically about it. Whether it is sitting through a lecture in college, or a meeting at work, students will need to have the ability to take in information verbally and apply it to their area of study or expertise. In my classroom, I try to begin a lesson and end a lesson with some form of short discussion or lecture. I believe that it helps to either set up, or bring closure to, the information we are covering. For example, at the beginning a lesson this week I spoke for about fifteen minutes introducing the struggle for equality that African-Americans faced in the early 1900s. This short lecture helped lay the groundwork for the next two days and assisted in giving my students context for the upcoming hybrid stations.

Lundy’s article starts off with her hesitation to add technology just for the sake of adding technology. However, she said, “Both my teaching and research experiences have convinced me that a thoughtful and appropriate integration of technology in the classroom can be a powerful instructional tool (Lundy, 2015, p. 99).” I agree with her statement that technology can be used appropriately and effectively in the classroom. More specifically, I think a developmentally appropriate digital text can be effectively integrated into the classroom.

The role of technology in early childhood education is a controversial topic to both teachers and parents. The main concerns of both teachers and parents is the potential benefits for young children’s learning and development.. Supporters and non-supporters agree on the importance of young children’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. Supporters feel children should have the opportunity to use the computer as another tool to aide in and encourage their development. Non-supporters agree the computer may be a useful tool for young children but feel many teachers may not be using the computers in the best way to promote a healthy development in the child.

There are three important frameworks teachers should think about when developing lesson plans. The first one is literacy lesson format. This format has three different steps, which include: introducing the text, reading and responding to the text and extending the text. When introducing the text the student previous knowledge should be activated about the subject and the students should develop their own purpose for reading the text. When responding to the text students should do this over the course of the reading. By the end they should be able to go back and summarize what they read while answering any questions they may have acquired while reading. Finally the students should extend the text by making personal connections with the text

curriculum. The teacher will achieve this by providing learning tasks, and outcomes tailored to meet the needs of students. The teachers are the ones who would provide quality instructions to meet the varying needs of the students. Ongoing assessment is crucial as it points out the weaknesses and strengths of the students and it informs them as to where they are at and where they need to be. This assessment also guides the teacher’s planning and choice of effective strategies to ensure that at the end of the lesson all and if not all the majority of the students have learned the lesson’s content and

The article discusses several strategies to balance technology with more traditional play experiences to assist parents and teachers. 1) Provide children a balanced play experience. For every 30 minutes a child plays with technology, provide them the same amount of time to play with traditional non-digitized toys. Also, mix in outdoor play experiences. If outdoor play isn’t always a daily option; make sure to plan some time for the children to play outside or go to the park. 2) Look for games and apps that are appropriate for your child. Play the games with them. Scaffold learning during this time the same as you would when your participating in non-technology play. 3) Don’t be afraid of technology. Technology offer a lot to children and, when used in moderation along with other forms of play, it can be very educational. That’s why it’s important for teachers and parents to understand how the children are using the technology so they can use it to help scaffold their

Using Technology for Phonics Instruction in Kindergarten is an article written by Rita Suh and Victoria Gerson which can be found in The California Reader in the SPRING 2013 VOL. 46, No. 3 issue. Suh and Gerson are both graduates of the Masters in Reading/Language Arts according to https://www.ced.csulb.edu/readinglanguage-arts-grads-rita-suh-and-victoria-gerson-published-california-reader. They document through the article, their advantages to having technology in their classrooms and how it enhanced their classroom instructions.

Teachers have seen many of these benefits with the influence of technology on their students. Many students find a sense of accomplishment when working with technology. Students are now more willing to write and work on computational skills (Estey). Then students find these tasks appealing and are able to achieve more.

Education has found its way into the loop of technology. Teachers are using ipads and laptops during class time to help conduct experiments, or share a presentation. This is allowing the students to gain instant access to the information they are seeking. Students also receive the opportunity to complete their homework online and print off their assignments instead of just using paper and pencil. Another pro for Technology in Education, there are countless sources out there which help enhance learning. In one research conducted, they compared the performance of teaching kids how to read a clock. One group was coached by an online app, another was shown by a toy clock, and the last group was trained by a drawing example. The results revealed that the children that were taught by the toy and app exceeded the paper drawing group (Galetzka).