Teching with Technology: Module 2 Blog Post

 

EDTC6433 Reflection on Module 2 Triggering Event Question

Each student comes into the classroom with their own unique qualities and different learning preferences. The learners that I focus on are the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. University of Massachusetts stated that auditory learners are people who need the transfer of learning through listening, visual learners need to be able to be shown information, and kinesthetic learners need a more hands-on approach for learning (How to Accommodate Different Learning Styles - umassd.edu, n.d.). They all bring both new ideas and frustrations as I, being a teacher, have to construct differentiated learning activities and assessments to meet their educational needs. A classmate in my learning circle, Michaela Clark found an article on technology enhanced formative assessments that reaffirms my need to focus on formative assessments.  Beatty & Gerace stated, “Formative Assessments is particularly beneficial for traditionally ‘low achieving’ students, with potential to help narrow the achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic strata” (p.147). Working in a Title One school where the free and reduced lunch rate is above fifty percent, I want to make sure that all my students, no matter who they are can receive a proper education. With the rise of technology, it has come to be extremely helpful with providing the necessary materials needed to the students’ unique learning qualities. As I reflect on this I asked the question, How can I incorporate more types of assessments that reach multiple types of learners, in order to keep students interested in math?

The use of technology has grown since the time when I was in school with the basic Macintosh during the WEB 1.0 years. Students now have an opportunity for a vast variety of information in front of them with only a few short searches. One study found that sixty-seven percent of the teachers believe that digital resources will help differentiate learning for individual learning (Lang and Vockley, 2010). Teachers are not the only people who want to utilize technology for lessons and assessments. Surprisingly students want technology in their learning. The use of Integrated Communications Technology Learning (ICTL) for information seeking, sharing, and classroom learning can improve teaching and learning by creating a stronger understanding for student learning based off of their preference (Mills, L. A., Angnakoon, & Putthachat, n.d.). As a teacher I strive to meet the needs of all my students and find ways to formally and informally assess my students with all their different educational needs.

After looking through some searches, I found a website that will assist in my goal of reaching my students. Learningpath.org created a list of thirty multimedia tools to use for my main types of learners. For the visual learners I found ways for students to visualize what they are doing with the use of Mindmeister.com. The website allows students to map out what they are learning. This would help with my students who want to visualize proofs or take a concept and branch out on what it means, the steps involved, and its real world applications. For my Kinesthetic learners I found websites that would get them a more hands-on approach. There are websites like Quizlet where students can create flashcards for themselves and Classmarker which students can assess themselves on any topic they choose. Finally, my auditory learners are able to use Podomatic.com, a free program where students can create their own podcasts. That can be beneficial when students want to discuss problems with each other through audio.

Even though there are a plethora of multimedia tools available to differentiate assessment, some of the most sought after ones come with a catch. Many of the tools have a paid subscription. This is becoming a problem for districts who cannot afford the programs for every student. One study found that twenty-five percent of the teachers use their own money to have adequate technology instructional resources (Lang and Vockley, 2010). Another issue is with  having the increased use of wireless connections. The strain can reduce the bandwidth to a trickle leaving students and teachers frustrated that they cannot use basic internet features on crucial days. With all the resources found, I have quite a bit of work to do to organize all the materials. The hardest part will be not using these resources to differentiate my assessments to accommodate toward all my students’ learning preferences, but time to create them. I look forward to utilizing some of the resources during my future instructions.

Works Cited

Beatty, I. D., & Gerace, W. J. (2009). Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment: A                     Research-Based Pedagogy for Teaching Science with Classroom Response Technology. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18(2), 146-162. doi:10.1007/s10956-008-9140-4

How to Accommodate Different Learning Styles - umassd.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from http://www.umassd.edu/dss/resources/facultystaff/howtoteachandaccommodate/howtoaccommodatedifferentlearningstyles/

Lang, & Vockley. (2010, August). Deepening Connections: Teachers Increasingly Rely on Media and Technology. PBS and Grunwald National Research, 1-12.

Mills, L. A., Angnakoon, & Putthachat. (n.d.). How Do High School Students Prefer to Learn?   (pp. 133-139, Rep.). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED562121)