ISTE3 EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection Module 3

ISTE Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work andLearning

The following standards are most relevant to my triggering question

1. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. 

2. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. 

3. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

Triggering Event Question: How can I use contemporary digital tools and technology to innovatively meet my students individualized needs, and to differentiate instruction to ensure that all students feel success and are able to become global and digital citizens?

            As a 21^st century educator, I need to be fluent with technology systems in order to be as effective as possible in educating my students, specifically students requiring support and differentiation. An element of ensuring student success is to think of methods and tools to use in ensuring that all of my students have access to technological resources that support their specific learning styles. Through my research, I have found that differentiation is entirely possible through the use of technology. ITSE 3 elucidates the importance of teachers being able to model, and utilize technology fluently and to be able to transfer this knowledge to their respective population of students. It refers to using these skills in new situations, which allowed me to consider particularly how to use technology to support students who require extra assistance or support.

I am very intentional in my daily differentiation of instruction to meet my students individualized needs. In the past, I have steered away from using certain technological resources in my classroom, as I feared that they would not meet the specific needs of all of my students. In each lesson that I design, I modify each task to support my most impacted students, or students with disabilities to ensure that every student feels successful. I was weary that I would not be as effective at this task when using technology. Through my research, and the research of my colleagues this concern was addressed.  The first article I found elucidated that specific technological platforms can achieve quite the opposite. Sarah McPherson, Ed.D. and Elfreda Blue, Ph.D wrote an article that directly relates to, and answers my triggering event question. The title of this article is, Literacy Goes Digital: Web. 2.0 applications for UDL instruction. In Web 2.0, tools differentiate to provide all students an opportunity to develop digital literacy abilities. This article also mentions digital tools that will serve to “provide all students opportunities to read and write, communicate, and collaborate.” (McPherson, 2012) This article was extremely helpful as it takes into account that all of our learners have unique and differing strengths and needs, and provides examples of interactive technologies to make each student successful using Web 2.0 applications. The framework of UDL is set up to support varying levels of participation and progress. After reading this article, I have been informed that it is entirely possible to differentiate to meet specific student needs when using technology, it is simply important to choose the right tool, and do so with intentionality. It is also very specific in mentioning the Web 2.0 was formatted to accommodate the rigors for the common core standards, and differentiating is crucial to meeting these standards.

Through further research regarding accommodating and differentiating for classroom instruction for students with special needs. I located an article speaking to the importance of classroom-based assessments and opportunities for students with special needs. This article discussed the importance of allowing students with special needs authentic, opportunities to participate in classroom based assessment and that these opportunities are vital to the educational growth of each student (Shapiro & Ager, 1992). I believe that these classroom-based assessments can be attained using technology to differentiate scaffolding and support for students requiring support. There have been times in which I give entirely different assessments or assignments to special needs students to ensure that they feel successful, but I recognize now that it would be much more powerful, and beneficial to my students if I instead differentiate the lesson to meet the needs of every student.

Sarah Watkins, a teacher in my learning circle spoke to my potential concerns relating to my triggering question. How can I ensuring that I am differentiating and meeting each of my student’s unique needs using technology, when I do not yet feel entirely fluent with the various resources that I am employing. In an article that she located, it discussed the “social practice approach” of teaching a new concept (Kalman, Guerrero 2014). This is, essentially, to model your learning process with you students as a natural vehicle to get comfortable with new technological mediums in an natural, gradual manner. This has shown me that I do not need to become an expert with new technology overnight, and that I can illustrate my journey with my students. This will be helpful in my acquisition of new knowledge that will especially help in differentiating in that it will show all of my students that I am learning alongside them.

            ITSE 3 reveals the significance of teachers fluently modeling, and using technology in their classrooms and being able to transfer those skills in new situations. This lead me to research, and becoming significantly more comfortable using web 2.0 and other platforms to differentiate my instruction to meet the needs of all of my students.

References

Kalman, J., Guerrero, E. (2014) A Social Practice Approach to Understanding Teacher’s   Learning          to Use Technology and Digital Literacies in the Classroom. E-Learning and Digital Media. 10(3).       260-275. 

McPherson, S., Blue, E. (2012) .Literacy Goes Digital: Web. 2.0 applications for UDL    instruction.       Retrieved from https://canvas.spu.edu/courses/10314/files/271994?module_item_id=101782.

Shapiro, E. S., & Ager, C. (1992). Assessment of Special Education Students in Regular Education           Programs: Linking Assessment to Instruction. The Elementary School Journal, 92(3), 283-296.

Artifact:

Web 2.0 Applications- Tutorial of the Presentation component