Digital Blog Post #G

Chapter 10 is about promoting success for ALL students through technology.  Every individual is unique and therefore they all have different ways of learning successfully.  To be able to make sure that a teacher is meeting the needs of every single one, he or she can use differentiated instruction (DI) for teaching.  Differentiated instruction is an instructional approach in which teachers create different educational experiences as ways to meet the learning needs of individual students.  For example, if I was giving my students a book to read and then have them in return turn in an assignment to present their understanding of the book, I would give them the option of writing a book report, do a powerpoint presentation, act out a scene, or create a song.  This would give every student an option in which they can use a skill they succeed in.  Here is a link to a very informational website that defines DI an UDL and gives links to tools to help a teacher in a classroom.

Universal design for learning (UDL) is the application of universal design principles to educational settings.  Universal design for learning accommodates students with broader needs yet not reducing opportunities for other students in the classroom.  There are three principles to this method which are multiple means of representations, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement.  A teachers goal is to have students successfully meet these principles because this means that they have successfully understood the lesson.  For example, in the classroom there may be a student who is suffers with severe dyslexia, instead of just writing out the math problems with numbers I could use physical objects or picture to help understand the lesson.

Assistive technology are amazing tools that enable great learning experiences to students that suffer from physical and/or mental disabilities.  There is a great diversity in the type of students with disabilities in school.  Some of these disabilities may include visual, hearing, mobility, cognitive, language, etc.  Technology assists teachers to help these students learn.  For example, when teaching reading/language arts to my student who suffers with severe dyslexia, I can use a computer software that reads out the words in large text to help him learn and cope with his disability.





References

Ally, Learning. Student with Dyslexia Blossoms with Assistive Technology. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKrgxeXDtjk

Differentiated Instruction & UDL. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.21things4teachers.net/21-things/di-and-udl/

Gomez, M. (2017, February 23). Dyslexic?. Created with Prezi. www.prezi.com

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies, 2nd Edition. Boston, MA; Pearson Education, Inc.