Blog 7: Differentiated Instruction: Getting Personal with Technology

When you are walking in the classroom in Forest Lake Elementary there are several things going on, but one thing is happening everywhere in the classroom: Students are thoroughly engaged in learning. Forest Lake, is a technology magnet public school that deals with grades preK-5. One thing that makes the school different is the assessments. The assessments come in countless forms, from writing assignments to computer-graded quizzes to one-on-one conversations. Each teacher goal is to find the right activity and technology to fill in the gaps in the students' knowledge. The teachers do it by playing to the students strengths to help the succeeded in learning. An example given is a student who is disinterested in reading and writing, so the student has elected to work on creating comics, where good writing is essential and every word counts.

The problem with differentiating instruction is that it takes time with technology or not.  Forest Lake teachers tackle this challenge by using the technology to simplify other parts of their jobs, sharing their best ideas, and divvying up some of the work. The teachers use software to do much of the basic-skills practice and assessment to save the time. They use computer can identify specific weaknesses in a child's skills, such as understanding analogies or adding fractions. Teachers can review these outcomes daily, then assign lessons to each student according to her needs so that the next time she logs on, the program will give practice assignments on precisely what the student is missing.

There are several excuses why you can’t us technology in the classroom, but Forest Lake has solved those excuses with a step at a time. An example most schools say their facility can’t do it because it’s old.  The school has a 53-year-old building and it makes it work. They even as go as far how older teachers can improve with technology. They solved it with one trick at a time, with a lot of help from the school and each other.

 

Reflection in my classroom

The article shows how any school can become a technological school. They show how far they have come and what they have accomplished. I liked how it points in this day and age a teacher must use technology. “It can't be optional, but you cannot set those expectations unless you're backing them up with tech support and professional development.” It’s so true because in order to have technology it must add on to the learning not just have it there to add a TEKS to your lesson plan. I love how it the article gave a timeline on how they were able to become a technological school. They started with some two interactive whiteboards on carts to music equipment. We as a district can make this our school if we do it right.