One of the articles for this week discussed the use of WebQuests as a differentiation tool. While not everyone is going to run out and create a WebQuest, there are other instructional technologies we can use to differentiate our instruction. What technology products can students use and how can they be combined with the idea of Menus?
Webquest is a great teaching tool, my kids just started using this in the past year. They love it!Since I work with special needs students, we use our Smart Board everyday. We have software applications that are easily used by even our most challenged students. We do our interactive calendar work as well as our weekly lessons on it. Since half of our students in the class are non verbal, it is a great technology tool for them to show us that they are comprehending the material.
ReplyDeleteSomething that my own children enjoy is Edmodo. This is a great blogging tool where the students and teacher are able to correspond within the classroom as well as at home. Since Tuscaloosa City and County School Systems has allowed for electronic devices to be brought to school (As of this past school year) it gives the students a great opoortunity to become more technologically inclined within the school environment. My kids have gotten on Edmodo several times just this summer to stay in contact with their classmates. During the school year it is utilized as not only a discussion board but a place where classmates can ask questions about current work at school and offer support on certain assigments and projects. It is all monitored by the classroom teacher so parents can have a piece of mind. I have each of my kids usernames and passwords so that I may check in on assignments and projects as well. Great tool!!! Kristy Estes
Our school system has also adopted Edmodo and really tried to encourage the use of it. I think it is an effective tool for middle/high schoolers, but my fifth graders struggle with how to use it appropriately :) We do a lot of talking about its EDUCATIONAL uses and not being a place to chat with your friends about your baseball game.
DeleteHowever, for upper grades, I agree that Edmodo is a great tech tool to encourage collaboration among students--it also includes apps, quizzes, and allows the teacher to upload documents and videos!
I'm going to write about several technologies specific for math instruction.
ReplyDeleteIn our school, all 3-5 students have an account on IXL.com. It is a math practice website. Students practice specific skills to mastery, and the teacher/parent can view detailed reports about the problems the student has worked, how long they were on the problem, the answer the typed in, and whether or not it was right or wrong. This program has been a HUGE asset for me in teaching math and allows me to differentiate skill practice for my students. I also regularly look at the reports and use them for formative assessment. For my higher students, once I know they have mastered the skill being taught, they can work on a higher grade level's skills to dive deeper into a concept. On the other hand, my struggling students can work on grade-level or in a lower level for reinforcement of skills. My students LOVE IXL because it offers immediate feedback (correct/incorrect and how to work the problem if incorrect), and they are also able to see their progress through skills. This is a paid program, but TenMarks.com is a similar but free website.
In my classroom, I also use websites such as Math Playground and Khan Academy for students to view videos of concepts I am teaching and also for practice/games (Math Playground). Khan Academy is a great website for my gifted students who are often working on deeper concepts. I will have them watch a video independently, discuss the skill with me, and then do practice on IXL.
There are also MULTITUDES of apps for iPad/iPod that are great for math practice. My students like to play multiplication fact challenge games with each other, with each student on their own device but competing against the other via bluetooth. This is similar to old-school flashcard practice, but because it is in a medium that they are familiar with, they are really drawn to it! You can differentiate the challenge by the types of facts that appear on the screen (one digit, two digit x one digit etc).
Any of these websites could be integrated into a menu by making a different online assignment or game a choice on the menu.
In Mobile County we utilize a program called Moodle. I have received some training with Moodle at the end of the spring, but have not had a chance to use it in my classroom. Moodle allows us to build an online course for our students, very similar to what we are taking through Blackboard. The students are able to access the class "course" online, may submit assignments. There are several features that allow the students to build their own content, such as a glossary for the unit. As a teacher I can set perimeters in moodle that won't allow students to move forward unless a certain assignment is completed, or a video is watched. I can also create checklists so that the students can self monitor their progression through their assignment. The possibilities with Moodle are endless, and I think easily used as a tool to create and integrated with menus.
ReplyDeleteWebquest sounds like it would be great to use in the classroom. I have never used it, but after reading this article it is something I would like to check into and use. I travel to six different schools, so I have to use whatever is available at that particular school. Most schools I go to have laptops or I PADS I can check out for my gifted students to use. However; some of them do not, and they have to share my laptop with a projector. When I was in the regular classroom, I used First in Math with my gifted students and Success Maker with my other students. These are both great websites and my students loved using them both. I think the use of menus would go great with both of those.
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