Teaching students to understand diversity in the world is very important to me. Learning about and meeting people who are different from you can expose you to alternative viewpoints. These viewpoints can challenge you and make you question what you believe. However, these opportunities allow you to grow and better understand you own views and those of others. Since I work at a private school without much diversity, the Internet can help provide my students with experiences that expose them to other religions, socioeconomic situations, and cultures. This exposure helps them develop an understanding and respect for the diversity in our world. The Internet allows students to learn about other places and people in this world, but it does more than that. It allows them to connect and communicate with those people too. Students can research different cultures; they can read and respond to blogs; they can collaborate with others in wikis; and they can view other classrooms through Skype. The Internet allows students to encounter people who are different from themselves, and work with students in other parts of the world without leaving their classroom. Schools, such as mine, that may not offer much diversity internally can still expose students to it through the Internet.
Diversity can present itself in many forms in the classroom. Students may be from different cultures, practice different religions, or come from different socioeconomic situations. However, diversity can even extend to students’ interests. One way to address this in the classroom is to allow students to explore things they are passionate about. Richardson (2012) gives the example of his son’s love for basketball and using that to teach him every math concept he needs to know through basketball. Allowing students to follow things they are passionate about and giving them some choice could help meet their diverse needs. At the recent ISTE conference, I learned about the idea of giving your students a Genius Hour where they can spend one hour a week studying something they are passionate about. This is something I want to implement with my students this year as a way to personalize their learning. Richardson (2012) says personalized learning is about connecting our expectations to students’ passions and interests. By putting the direction of learning in their hands, students set goals for themselves about what they want to achieve and how they are going to get there. By letting them choose the path, each student learns at his or her own pace and has ownership in the process.
Diversity can also extend to differences in how students perform. Some students possess physical or cognitive impairments that affect their performance. Technology can alter the way specific tasks can be completed, which can help meet the individual needs of those students (Edyburn, 2006). Working with an entire class of students with a learning disability, I have experienced firsthand how technology can be used to meet my students’ individual needs. I’ve had students who benefited from using dictation software to write papers. We use Dragon Dictation on our iPads to assist students when they had difficulty writing. In addition, I’ve had students whose comprehension was significantly improved when listening to texts. Therefore, every student in our school has an account with Learning Ally. They offer a wide assortment of textbooks as well as novels in digital form, many of which also include an audio recording. I’ve also had students use calculators or multiplication charts because of their dyscalculia. All of these technologies have been employed to assist students in completing tasks and overcoming performance problems.
One tool I plan to use this school year to further personalize my students’ learning and increase their global awareness is a blog. Blogging is about connecting. It connects ideas, resources, and people. Couros offers five reasons that blogging is beneficial for students: it affords them an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned, helps students develop literacy skills, gives them a place to share their voice, creates an archive of their work, and helps develop a positive digital footprint. Students can use blogs to share ideas with each other about something you are studying in class, express their own thoughts, discuss topics with others, such as a book they are reading, and collaborate on projects with others. Blogs can also support different learning styles (Richardson, 2010). For example, some students may be too shy to share in class, but a blog might make them feel more comfortable sharing their ideas. However, blogs are not just for students. They are also an excellent way to keep parents involved in what is going on in your classroom and the school. From a personal standpoint, blogs provide a way to share your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas as well as learn from others. They offer a way to connect people together and create a global community.
Edyburn, D. L. (September, 2006). Failure is NOT an Option. ISTE (International Society of Technology in Education). Retrieved from https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456068/fullscreen/10046450/View
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Richardson, W. (February, 2012). Preparing Students to Learn Without Us. Educational Leadership. Retrieved from
https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456068/fullscreen/10046452/View
Diversity can present itself in many forms in the classroom. Students may be from different cultures, practice different religions, or come from different socioeconomic situations. However, diversity can even extend to students’ interests. One way to address this in the classroom is to allow students to explore things they are passionate about. Richardson (2012) gives the example of his son’s love for basketball and using that to teach him every math concept he needs to know through basketball. Allowing students to follow things they are passionate about and giving them some choice could help meet their diverse needs. At the recent ISTE conference, I learned about the idea of giving your students a Genius Hour where they can spend one hour a week studying something they are passionate about. This is something I want to implement with my students this year as a way to personalize their learning. Richardson (2012) says personalized learning is about connecting our expectations to students’ passions and interests. By putting the direction of learning in their hands, students set goals for themselves about what they want to achieve and how they are going to get there. By letting them choose the path, each student learns at his or her own pace and has ownership in the process.
Diversity can also extend to differences in how students perform. Some students possess physical or cognitive impairments that affect their performance. Technology can alter the way specific tasks can be completed, which can help meet the individual needs of those students (Edyburn, 2006). Working with an entire class of students with a learning disability, I have experienced firsthand how technology can be used to meet my students’ individual needs. I’ve had students who benefited from using dictation software to write papers. We use Dragon Dictation on our iPads to assist students when they had difficulty writing. In addition, I’ve had students whose comprehension was significantly improved when listening to texts. Therefore, every student in our school has an account with Learning Ally. They offer a wide assortment of textbooks as well as novels in digital form, many of which also include an audio recording. I’ve also had students use calculators or multiplication charts because of their dyscalculia. All of these technologies have been employed to assist students in completing tasks and overcoming performance problems.
One tool I plan to use this school year to further personalize my students’ learning and increase their global awareness is a blog. Blogging is about connecting. It connects ideas, resources, and people. Couros offers five reasons that blogging is beneficial for students: it affords them an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned, helps students develop literacy skills, gives them a place to share their voice, creates an archive of their work, and helps develop a positive digital footprint. Students can use blogs to share ideas with each other about something you are studying in class, express their own thoughts, discuss topics with others, such as a book they are reading, and collaborate on projects with others. Blogs can also support different learning styles (Richardson, 2010). For example, some students may be too shy to share in class, but a blog might make them feel more comfortable sharing their ideas. However, blogs are not just for students. They are also an excellent way to keep parents involved in what is going on in your classroom and the school. From a personal standpoint, blogs provide a way to share your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas as well as learn from others. They offer a way to connect people together and create a global community.
Edyburn, D. L. (September, 2006). Failure is NOT an Option. ISTE (International Society of Technology in Education). Retrieved from https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456068/fullscreen/10046450/View
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Richardson, W. (February, 2012). Preparing Students to Learn Without Us. Educational Leadership. Retrieved from
https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456068/fullscreen/10046452/View
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