Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. Pearson Education, Inc.
Shute, V., & Zapata-Rivera, D. (2008). Adaptive Technologies. In D. Jonassen, J. M. Spector, M. Driscoll, M. D. Merrill, J. van Merrienboer, & M.P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (3rd ed., pp. 279–292). essay, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Transcript:
ED 302 – Technology Practices for Instructional Improvement
Video Discussion Board #1
I am Lisa Joyner. I am an instructor at Veritas Baptist College, a small accredited, online Bible college. I teach education courses, but my passion is special education courses because at heart, I am a special education teacher.
The prompt we are to respond to has three parts. The first is “How does a teacher balance standards-based curriculum with the need to differentiate instruction for our students?” Common Cores Standards were created with the “average” learner in mind. It is up to classroom teachers to ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve those standards on a level that is appropriate for each one of them. I don’t believe that high curriculum standards and differentiating instruction for students with disabilities is mutually exclusive. Instead, I believe that the appropriate use and choice of technology actually makes it possible for all our students to be successful. Technology can effectively “level the playing field” for our students with disabilities, and it also increase the challenge for students who are gifted. Our 2018 text by Robyler and Hughes addresses the challenges of implementing Common Core State Standards for mathematics. However, technology offers practical solutions. When physical manipulatives such as blocks, coins, Cuisenaire rods, etc. are not available in a physical classroom, virtual manipulatives bridge the gap by making abstract math concepts concrete by representing abstract concepts with concrete representations.
What tools are available to help with this demand?
Today, we are very fortunate to have many tools available to us for making the curriculum standards possible for all students. In chapter 24 of the 2008 Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, edited by Jonassen, et al., authors Shute and Zapata-Rivera describe a number of adaptive technologies for adapting content in a differentiated learning environment. On page 277, they define the goal of an adaptive system as “an instrumentally sound and flexible environment that supports learning for students with a range of abilities, disabilities, interests, backgrounds, and other characteristics.” They go on to give several justifications for adapting content. First is the large difference in the background knowledge of students. They do not all start at the same point in their background knowledge of academic subjects. Learners also differ in their learning abilities and disabilities, and their demographic and sociocultural circumstances. In addition, students have other individual factors that influence their learning outcomes and achievement; frustration, motivation, and confidence levels all have an impact on students and affect their abilities and even their desire to learn.
What best practices do I incorporate in my online instruction?
All my lectures are pre-recorded for asynchronous instruction. I record one or two lectures each week for my courses. I use Zoom to record, and I upload to Vimeo for cloud storage. Once I have a Vimeo link, I upload the recording link to a program called Playposit where I embed a few questions, links, and discussion prompts. Playposit grades the questions that require objective responses, and I manually grade the subjective responses (short answer, essays, and discussions). Those grades are synced directly to my Canvas gradebook. Playposit holds students accountable for watching lectures and keeps them more engaged in the material, but it also encourages collaboration as they respond to each other’s comments. Zoom is also a good tool for synchronous, or “in-person,” learning as well. I frequently schedule “office visits” with my students to work through their questions or needs as they come up. I sometimes use the video feature on Canvas to record feedback on assignments instead of leaving only written comments. This personalizes their experiences and helps them feel more connected to me by assuring them that a real person is reading and assessing their work.
I also encourage collaboration through both written and video discussion prompts. FlipGrid and Padlet are great tools for students to work together on assignments and learn from each other. For assessments, I use GoReact, Folio (a portfolio platform available through Canvas) and Turnitin. GoReact is a good tool for assessing students’ teaching their own mini-lessons. Their peers and I can watch their lessons and offer feedback, encouragement, and ideas. Turnitin is a program for checking for plagiarism and for grading writing assignments.
I feel fairly proficient with the technology that I use on a daily basis, but I get excited about new tools as they become available. I look forward to learning more in this class from our reading and the instructor, but also from each of you.
Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. Pearson Education, Inc.
Shute, V., & Zapata-Rivera, D. (2008). Adaptive Technologies. In D. Jonassen, J. M. Spector, M. Driscoll, M. D. Merrill, J. van Merrienboer, & M.P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (3rd ed., pp. 279–292). essay, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.