Part 3:  The Link with Technology

Now that you are an expert on differentiated instruction, let's look at how technology can assist you with differentiation. We're going to visit several of my favorite websites (I have alot of them!).  Please take a few moments to look at these sites. 

The Animal Data  site offers a database about animals on three distinct levels.  When you go to the site, look up the "ant" on all three levels.  You will see, each level adds information about the ant. Thus, if you were having your students look for information about an animal or insect, your lower level students could make use of level 1 as their research tool, and your higher students could use level 2 or 3 as a research tool. Remember, their "output" or project will be different based on their ability.

At Math Fun, you can assign each student to a different activity based on their readiness level.  One group can work on addition while the other works on multiplication.

Take a look at Ben's Guide to Government. As you navigate around the site, you'll see a tremendous amount of material for different levels. Go to grades 3 - 5, and then click on games and activities. Choose interactive games. Play the large version of "Place the State."  You will see that it offers three levels of the interactive activity. Try all three levels (1,2, and 3).  Which did you prefer?

Another one of my all-time favorites is FossWeb. This interactive site does virtual science experiments.  Click on K-2 Preview, and then the Liquids and Solids.  Then, in the upper left hand corner, click "change it."  After it loads, click "start."  Drag the ice cream cone into the oven, and click on "turn on the oven,"  Tell me that's not cool!  Take a few minutes to navigate through this site to find other cool experiments!  Can you image how you can use this in a differentiated activity?

On the website Vocabulary Can Be Fun, try using the matching game. If you wanted to use this as a differentiated activity, you could have the students choose a different level or subject.

At Puzzlemaker.com, you can make your own word searches.  Different words, spelling words, vocabulary words, etc. can be used to make custom activities.

Kids' Lab is a fabulous language arts site.  You can choose grades 1 - 3, and then different levels of interactive activities.

Our day of touring could take weeks - I have so many favorite websites.  Now, I want to show you an example of how technology was used to differentiate an assignment/activity for spelling words, using Kidspiration.  The teacher gave the students the same assignment - to use a vocabulary word and generate 3 synonyms and 3 antonyms.  However, she made three different levels.  Look at the three assignments she made, and note how she had the students demonstrate their understanding of the word.

vocabulary 1
vocabulary 2
vocabulary 3

As you can see, although the students did the exact same assignment in the first part, the teacher had the students complete the assignment in a differentiated fashion based on their skill.

WebQuests are a wonderful means of differentiating instruction based on interest. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet. Paths of inquiry as well as WebQuest-based tasks can be as individual as the student, allowing a student to pursue personal interests while working within common content standards.

The Bottom Line

Differentiated instruction is about using teaching strategies that connect with individual student's learning strategies. The ultimate goal is to provide a learning environment that will maximize the potential for student success. The important thing to remember is to hold on to the effective teaching strategies that lead students to positive learning outcomes and to make adjustments when necessary. It's about being flexible and open to change. It's also about taking risks and trying teaching and learning strategies that you would have otherwise ignored. It's about managing instructional time in a way that meets the standards and also provides motivating, challenging, and meaningful experiences for school age students who are socialized to receive and process information in ways that require differentiation of experience. These are very exciting times for the teaching profession, we are faced with a generation of learners who are challenging us to think about how we deliver instruction.