Technology as a Tool for Differenctiation - Health Education

Technology as a Tool for Differentiation - Health Eduction

Project:

Within a unit, create a menu of options and have students self-select learning tasks.

Units:
Nutrition and Drug Education will be the units.

Action Plan:

I will choose two units and create a menu of learning tasks for students to complete. The menu will include options that involve technology in some way. I will create one learning menu for 7/8 and another for 9/10th.

Data Sources

Rubric for me:

1. Time on task

2. Engagement and enthusiasm.

3. Learning outcomes. Level of learning (1-7 IB Rubric)

4. Selection of tasks. Do students challenge themselves?

Survey for Students:

1. Engagement and enthusiasm

2. Learning of material

3. Confidence with material

4. Selection of tasks. How did you select?

Ron's Project Plan

What is it that I am going to do?

Modify and implement a computer learning system to teach NXT-G programming language. The learning system (from Robotics Institute) include video demonstration and follow-along programming activities, written questions to apply and extend programming skills and concepts included in each lesson, and assessment questions.

Tasks to implementation:

introduce video learning source

introduce NXT-G programming environment

demonstrate and practice follow-along skills, and share and give feedback on responses and extension questions.

Score assessments. Develop additional assessment questions.

Follow-on extension activities for additional concept introduction and/or practice.

What instruments will I use to assess/measure its impact?

tutorial completion - level of quality

written v.electronic

skill level / ability to demonstrate learned programming skill in activity

student interest level

rate of activity completion

correlation between rate of completion and demonstrated skill level

time on task

Jahna's Project Plan for S.O.L.E. in the Math Classroom

1. Project: Use Sugata Mitra's Self Organizing Learning Environments as a model for demonstrating level of math concept proficiency through use of the internet and IB criteria rubrics.


2. Assessments: Task products/output as evaluated through the IB criteria rubrics.

Anna B's SOLE Action Plan

To implement SOLEs (Self Organizing Learning Environments, a la Prof. Sugata Mitra from New Castle, England/New Delhi, India) in my Tech 8 and Environmental Creative Arts classes, I am going to offer my students choices to: take the Siemen's Challenge, design ways to use our iPod touches in collaboration with Ron & Peggy, continue efforts to implement the NYLC G3 grant, and do online publishing using the resources Carl has linked for me. Instruments I willl use to assess/measure the impact of the SOLEs will include video interviews with students describing their engagement with these choices and self-reflections using the IB Technology assessment rubric criterion and boundaries. I will also invite parents to provide feedback on the measures of success they see based on involvement their children have with these project choices.

using technology to differentiate instruction

OK.  So we're trying to use technology to differentiate.  I'd like to choose one subject area for this and I think it will be math. 

Idea I) 
My first thought is to use the pre-test to determine areas of need, then organize a system for 10-20 minute whole group lesson followed by some "must do" work and 3 follow up activities tailored to the needs from the pre-test.  In this situation the teacher would probably set up the for "must do" and follow up groups. 

Idea II)
Another thought I had gives the students some power in their own learning.  I trying to figure out how to make one day each week the differentiation adventure.  For example, after a series of lessons on a particular strategy, I could begin the class with some multiple choice questions that students can answer using activotes.  I would create 3 questions (or 6 to get at 3 strategies we've been working on.  I don't need to know who answered which way, but it would be helpful to see the percentage of kids who struggle with each type of question.  Then I would ask the student to consider which questions they had the most difficulty answering.  If they struggle w/question 1 they could work on activity A.  If they struggled w/question2 they could work on activity B, etc.  At the end of work time, I could ask 3 different questions based on the same strategies and see if there was progress.  

My biggest challenge is to figure out how to use technology to meet the math goals.  It's easy to find fact practice sites, but our math goals right now include solving a variety of story problems that involve kids retelling the story, deciding the action described, then choosing a strategy.  I'm not sure where to find technology to support that other than having them create their own story problems by typing.  HELP!!

Ok..so our next step is to decide how we'll document results.  1. student observable engagement  2. student self-reflection of learning.  3. and which technological instructional approach to use to differentiate. Is that right?

The attempt, "On the part of classroom teacher, to meet students where they are in the learning process and to move them along as quickly and as far as possible in the context of a mixed ability classroom."